An introduction to multimodality theory: a paronamic approach for language teachers

Abstract

This study presents the Multimodality Theory (TM) in a panoramic approach, focussing it both on its theoretical constitution as well as on its educational developments. Thus, it is intended to offer a theoretical-conceptual approach capable of situating language teachers in the contemporary studies that discuss production of meaning in multimodal texts. Therefore, initially, we discuss theoretical subsidies that enabled the emergence of TM and select subcategories capable of illustrating the potential of image comprehension provided by the theory, namely: i) in the representational structure: represented and interactive participants; ii) in the social meaning: contact and social distance and iii) in the compositional meaning: information value. It is concluded that the TM represents an important support for the Portuguese teacher to think, discuss and teach an eminently contemporary activity, which derives mainly from the advent of digital technologies: multimodal reading.