Visual Images Interpretive Strategies in Multimodal Texts

Abstract—A wide range of semiotic resources has been used to construct meaning. Visual systems of meaning offer different resources and potentials for meaning making. Readers need to familiarize themselves with a variety of ways to make sense and read visual images. This paper, drawing on the theories of semiotics, art and visual communication grammar, presents a framework of interpretive strategies to approach, analyze and comprehend the visual images in contemporary multimodal texts, so as to expand the readers ’ interpretive repertoires and strengthen their capacity in constructing and interpreting multimodal texts. Index Terms—visual images, multimodality text, interpretive strategies I