Multimodality

2Recognising multimodality: origins and inspirations

Orientation

In this chapter, we begin the task of establishing just where and how multimodality can appear. We will also take our first look at some of the disciplinary responses to the challenges raised—independently of whether the term ‘multimodality’ is used or not. Several established disciplines address artefacts or performances that are inherently multimodal and so need to be considered regardless of whether they use the term themselves. There are also other relevant disciplinary orientations that address issues of multimodality while drawing on different terms, such as ‘media’ or ‘mediality’. And, even among the disciplines that do adopt the actual term ‘multimodality’ as a cornerstone, ...