A multimodal discourse analysis of English public speaking by Chinese EFL learners

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the multimodality of English public speaking of Chinese EFL learners to explore the employment, meaning, and relations of various semiotic resources in the speech. Three analytical frameworks were applied in this study, including Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2006) visual grammar framework, Norris’s (2004) multimodal interaction analysis, and Zhang and Yuan’s (2011) theoretical framework for the analysis of the dynamic multimodal discourse. Effective speeches of Chinese EFL learners from the "FLTRP Cup" English Public Speaking Contest were analyzed. Firstly, the employment of communicative modes was investigated. The results showed that while the auditory modes played a significant role in the speech, visual modes were extensively used to complement the multimodal meaning of speech. Secondly, the study interpreted the representational, interactive, and compositional meanings of images constructed by Chinese EFL learners in English public speaking. Thirdly, the relations between modalities in Chinese EFL learners’ English public speaking were examined. The results revealed that Chinese EFL learners frequently used complementary relations to enhance the effect of speech. This study may improve teachers’ comprehension of English public speaking from a multimodal perspective, which has received little attention in previous research. The findings of the study could provide pedagogical suggestions for English teachers in directing Chinese EFL learners toward more successful speeches with the appropriate use of multimodality.