This volume presents an overview of new developments and applications of social semiotic theory. Pioneered by M.A.K. Halliday, social semiotic theory sees meaning as created through the interaction of texts (including writing, images, sound and space) within a given context. Divided into five sections, the contributors use social semiotic theory to analyse a range of contexts, includingthe classroom, the museum and cinema. The case studies show the range and scope of this method of analysis, and include: the school curriculum; literacy; print media; online resources; film; and advertisting. Multimodal Semiotics will be of interest to academics researching social semiotic theory, systemic functional linguistics and applied linguistics.

Author Len Unsworth is Professor in English and Literacies Education at the University of New England in Armidale, Australia.

Review "Our research in linguistics is currently facing a challenge of developing effective tools for analysing ever varying modes of communication in our global societies. Multimodal Semiotics further enhances the traditional systemic-functional ways of studying discourses in contexts. It shows how we can pursue full accounts of meaning-making by taking into consideration the new ways that recent technologies enable us to combine resources and modes of communication in three dimensional social spaces, in film, in discourses of news and public media and in educational contexts. The articles in this volume are inspiring and thought-provoking for all readers interested in enhancing their knowledge in the interrelatedness of linguistics, multimodality and semiotics. The book offers a highly recommendable reading experience." - Professor Eija Ventola, Department of English, University of Helsinki, Finland.