A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Tmall’s Double Eleven Advertisement

Abstract

From the 1990s, the multimodal turn in discourse studies makes multimodal discourse analysis a popular topic in linguistics and communication studies. An important approach to applying Systemic Functional Linguistics to non-verbal modes is Visual Grammar initially proposed by Kress and van Leeuwen (1996). Considering that commercial advertisement is an indispensable part of the modern society that bears rich meanings worth discussing, this paper analyzes visual components of the advertisement produced by Tmall for the Double Eleven Shopping Carnival from the perspective of Visual Grammar. By analyzing representational, interactive and compositional meaning presented in the advertisement, this article illustrates how visual components serve as a huge attraction to the viewers and effectively justifies the consumption behavior by appealing to the cultural and social state. It also sheds some light on raising the awareness of consumers by presenting how advertisement producers practice psychological manipulation on the viewers.