Multimodal Discourse Analysis Of The Meaning-Making Of Biodiversity Propaganda Posters

Biodiversity is closely related to human life.Food,fresh water,biochemical agents and raw materials for industrial supplies in daily life all benefit from biodiversity.Therefore,the sharp decrease of biodiversity not only affects economic development,but also endangers human health.Against this background,it is very important to raise public awareness of biodiversity protection.Biodiversity propaganda posters,a typical multimodal text,can effectively popularize objective information about biodiversity as well as the relevant environmental protection concept to viewers,so their role in promoting biodiversity protection cannot be ignored.However,studies on biodiversity propaganda posters are scant.To fill this gap,the present study analyzes how the poster makers utilize various semiotic modes to propagate the concept of biodiversity conservation and improve viewers’ awareness of protection.In this study,multimodal discourse analysis is conducted on 83 biodiversity propaganda posters displayed on the website,micro-blog and We Chat of relevant Chinese government departments.Taking Kress and Van Leeuwen’s(2006)visual grammar theory as the analytical framework,this study systematically investigates the meaning-making and characteristics of biodiversity propaganda posters,and explores China’s concept on biodiversity protection.The major findings of this study are as follows:(1)Biodiversity propaganda posters usually show the phenomenon of biodiversity through the classificational process in conceptual images,and show people’s protection of organisms and ecosystems through the action process in narrative images.(2)With the help of the visual semiotics(image,color),biodiversity propaganda posters delineate a picture of the harmonious coexistence of people,animals and plants for viewers.This not only shows the relationship between people and animals,plants and the ecosystems as a community of life,but also suggests that China upholds the concept of conformity and respect on biodiversity conservation.(3)Biodiversity propaganda posters not only emphasize the importance of some endangered animals and plants through the special layout(e.g.color contrast,symmetry,empty space,etc.),but also employ traditional Chinese elements to arouse emotional resonance of viewers,so as to persuade them to protect animals,plants and ecosystems.As an exploratory study,this research not only confirms the feasibility of visual grammar for analyzing biodiversity propaganda posters,but also provides a new perspective for the research of biodiversity.It is also expected to arouse viewers’awareness of biodiversity protection,and provide some feasible suggestions for poster makers to use multimodal semiotic resources to publicize hot topics.