| Nowadays, the media technologies develop in a skyrocket way and human beings attain knowledge through diverse means apart from written texts, which compels us to extend our research horizon beyond the traditional verbal language toward a new field where visual semiosis is pervasive, that is, the field of visual image. The thesis is intended to construct a new theoretical framework of Critical Multimodal Discourse Analysis within which critical analysis of visual semiosis in picture news can be conducted by synthesizing the relevant mainstream theories in Multimodality Research and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Theoretically, the research can extend the scope of CDA beyond the traditional sphere of verbal text, while at the same time, it can make multimodality analysis which has a predecessor of CDA resume its critical function and attribute, through which we can not only "read" images, but also "criticize" images.The common theoretical basis of CDA and Multimodality Analysis, that is, social semiotics, is revealed through the literature review of both disciplines. Under the guidance of social semiotics, the theory of Visual Grammar proposed by Kress and Leeuwen, and different approaches of critical linguistics are integrated into a theoretical framework of "Critical Visual Discourse Analysis" hypothesis. Empirical studies are conducted on the "narrative discursive visual analysis", a module within the whole theoretical framework. Also, through the collection and sorting of multimodal corpus comprised of picture news, it is found that all visual news can be categorized into three types according to the ways in which the visuals are presented; they are visual narrative presentations, visual (verbal) intertextuality presentations, and visual metaphoric presentations, which is enlightening for the construction of the fabric of a holistic approach for Critical Visual Analysis.The empirical study of a news discourse shows that the visual elements in news pictures assume different functions in the covert construction and distribution of ideology. Visual Grammar and discursive analysis serve as powerful tools in the analysis of the process of construction on a micro level. While on a macro level, the thesis reveals the deep mechanism through which those ideologies constructed covertly are "legitimized" and "habitualized" into "common sense". It is by this means that the mass media can shape people's minds; and as a consequence, cultural misunderstandings and misconceptions are generated. Therefore, practically it is imperative to raise people's critical awareness of visual and verbal semiosis in news, in so doing such cultural misunderstandings can be minimized, which should be on the agenda of "visual literacy" in the new era. The limitation of the research lies in the fact that the construction of a "Critical Visual Discourse Analysis" approach is far from completed, which deserves our future study.Special attention should be paid to the data analysis of the picture news:"The Dalai Lama at home", which is extracted from the official website of Time Magazine. On a micro level, the data analysis is aimed to reveal the visual propaganda strategies employed by the mass media of western countries to sanctify the Dalai Lama, who actually is a criminal having plotted several terrorist attacks in Tibet and committed high treason of splitting China. On a macro level, it is aimed at the validation of the "narrative discursive visual analysis" method, and illustrates how we can "criticize" image in practice within the theoretical framework of Critical Visual Analysis. |
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