A Comparative Analysis Of Multimodal Discourse In Primary School English Textbooks

With the development of science and technology and the in-depth reform of textbooks in primary and middle schools,English textbooks show prominent multimodal characteristics.The combination of images and text constitutes the multimodal discourse of the textbook.In primary school English textbooks,image resources are plentiful.Based on Visual Grammar and Image-text Relations,this study takes 3254 images in two sets of primary school English textbooks(starting point for the third grade)published by Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press(FLTRP for short)and Hunan Juvenile and Children’s Publishing House(HJCPH for short)as the research object.The quantitative analysis method was used to conduct a comparative study and combined with relevant examples,the similarities and differences between the two sets of the textbooks are discussed qualitatively,thus to show multimodal characteristics and similarities and differences of the two sets of textbooks,then provide suggestions for the textbook writers and users.The research questions are as follows: 1.Based on Visual Grammar,what are the characteristics of representational meaning,interactive meaning and compositional meaning of images in primary school English textbooks published by FLTRP and HJCPH? What are the similarities and differences between the two sets of textbooks in these aspects? 2.Based on Image-text Relations,what are the characteristics of the status and logico-semantic relations between images and texts in primary school English textbooks published by FLTRP and HJCPH? What are the similarities and differences between the two sets of textbooks in these aspects?The conclusions are as follows: 1.Based on Visual Grammar,the images in the FLTRP edition textbooks have a higher proportion of verbal and mental process,which are more in line with the cognitive development law of primary school students than in HJCPH edition textbooks.In terms of interactive meaning presentation,the FLTRP edition and HJCPH edition have similarities in contact and perspective,focusing on constructing objective and equal relations.There are differences in the social distance aspect.The FLTRP edition is dominated by the construction of objective facts,while the HJCPH edition of the textbooks is biased towards constructing objective images that can resonate with the audience.In the presentation of compositional meaning,the two editions of the textbooks are dominated by the up-down information distribution patterns.The FLTRP edition uses the center-margin and left-right information distribution patterns in a similar proportion,while the HJCPH edition focuses on the center-margin mode to highlight the core information or supplement subsidiary information.Therefore,the HJCPH textbooks can further increase the proportion of verbal and mental process.2.Based on Image-text Relations,both the FLTRP and HJCPH edition textbooks focus on constructing an image-text relation mode with an equal relation as the mainstay and an unequal relationship as a supplement in terms of the relative status.In the logico-semantic relations aspect,the two sets of textbooks are mainly based on projecting locution.The three subsystems elaboration,extension,and enhancement in the expansion are distributed more evenly in FLTRP edition textbooks,while the distribution difference in the HJCPH edition is more obvious.In HJCPH edition textbooks,the salient feature is that the image mode and text mode have the same generality in conveying semantics.Consequently,both FLTRP and HJCPH edition English textbooks should increase the proportion of equal relations.In addition,HJCPH edition textbooks should also pay attention to reducing the proportion of texts subordinate to images relation and strengthening the relations between images and texts.Through the comparative analysis of primary school English textbooks in China,this study combines Visual Grammar and Image-text Relations,and expands the application of multimodal discourse analysis in textbooks.It also provides some suggestions for educators and textbook writers to facilitate learners’ better understanding of knowledge,which has theoretical and practical significance.