| Through the exemplary case study of the euro, the official currency of the European Union, this dissertation explores Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca's (1969) rhetorical construct, presence as a multimodal phenomenon. Presence, according to Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca, is fundamental to argumentation as it pertains to "the displaying of certain elements on which the speaker wishes to center attention in order that they may occupy the foreground of the hearer's consciousness." A multimodal text is a material object constructed of co-occurring sign systems, each of which contributes to the aggregate meaning of a text in its own way. To examine presence as a multimodal phenomenon is to consider the ways that different modes of representation and communication are, at times, enhanced and, at other times, suppressed so as to focus the attention of an audience with the intent of securing that audience's adherence. Presence, in this respect, is a cumulative effect resulting from the interaction of the different semiotic modes drawn together in a particular line of argumentation. I examine presence as a multimodal phenomenon to extend current studies in presence that focus primarily on linguistic techniques for its enhancement or suppression. Moreover, through an examination of presence as a multimodal phenomenon, I extend contemporary investigations of multimodal discourse analysis to include how different modes of representation and communication not only mean but also persuade.Through my analysis of the presence conferred to the television spots and print ads of the Euro 2002 Information Campaign and to euro banknotes and coins, I discover the ways in which the European Union attempts to secure the adherence of its culturally and linguistically diverse citizens as it prepares them for the largest monetary changeover in history. Together, the systematic enhancement and suppression of national and supranational references drawn together in the multimodal texts that serve as my objects of study results in a compelling superordinate presence that speaks to the compatibility of nationalism and European integration and the ideals and values that both perspectives embody. |
