Abstract This article explores how laughter is used in hybrid meetings to negotiate the shared meeting space between local and remote participants. We compare two datasets from organizations that use Microsoft Teams for either video-mediated interaction or audio-only interaction. By drawing on multimodal conversation analysis, we show how meeting participants initiate laughter either at or with the remote participant, thus subtly moving between multiple interactional spaces and shaping the participation framework of the meeting. By making the remote participant’s behavior or lack thereof (i.e. silence) noticeable and laughable, the participants collectively work to re-establish the shared meeting space. The study thus contributes to the discussion of the implications of visibility (or lack thereof) in hybrid audio-only and video-mediated meetings.

Abstract The article situates the discursive treatments of internet memes and other possible graphicons in the interactional sequences and argues that memes deployed therein are performative acts that sequentially link utterances and actions for task-motivated digital-based communications. Our ethnographical research design revolves around five members from different communities of practice that are purely digital-based. Our data consists of 105 screenshots of targeted theme-thread digital discourse, supplemented by four-hour follow-up group interviews and a couple of spontaneously structured one-on-one digital chats. Following a CMDA research paradigm and drawing on the insights from communicative functions and discourse semantic parallelism, we examine how the memes, in the form of animated GIFs, Stickers, as well as image-macros, are embedded in the unfolding task-motivated interactions. We propose that knowing when and where to use memes to do things constitutes community members’ interactional competence, which in turn reflects memes’ communicative value of addressivity. Close examination of the discourse data also reveals a new type of animator meme typically found in interactional sequences. The study is expected to contribute to the move of excavating the wealth out of the coupling of memes and digital communication.

Abstract Within current social science discourse, understanding the complex relationship between materiality, agency and discourse is crucially important for grasping the dynamics of social practices and action. This study employs a linguistic ethnography approach to examine the nuanced interplay between discourse, objects and participants within social interactions. Drawing from theoretical frameworks including mediated discourse analysis (MDA), actor-network theory and historical materialism, we explore how materiality and discourse form and coverage one another. Our analysis reveals that objects and discourse are not fixed and static entities but rather dynamic processes that mutually influence and constitute each other within social situations. We argue that while objects possess agency, they are mediated by human participants and broader social forces which emphasises the need for context-specific analysis and examination. Through a dialectical lens, we unpack the intricate ways in which material conditions inform and reflect social relations, demonstrating the role of objects as tangible manifestations of social processes. Our findings enhance a deeper understanding of the complex interplay between agency, materiality and discourse with implications for theories of practice and social interaction. By recognising the role of objects in shaping cultural practices and social dynamics, we enhance our understanding of the processes everyday social life.

Abstract This study explores temporal aspects in tourism discourse across modes, languages and cultures, focusing on translated texts in German, Italian, French, English, and Spanish. Tourism communication, a persuasive force promoting destinations, constructs authentic experiences for potential tourists. Beyond promotion, it reflects a societal practice shaping tourist identities and destination cultures. The translation of tourism texts involves considerations of cultural values and multimodal representations, seeking to transfer the unique selling proposition effectively. Existing research has analyzed trigger words, interlingual strategies, and cultural representations, but a gap exists in understanding the translation of temporal aspects. This paper investigates the multimodal representation, promotion, and transfer of temporality in tourism texts, contributing to contrastive and multimodal research in tourism communication. Key questions addressed include how elements from different modes contribute to the unique selling proposition, how the advertising message is conveyed in a multimodal coherent way, and which temporal aspects are translated and adapted in the target language. The present paper sheds light on the intricate interplay of language and image in conveying the temporal dimension of tourist experiences across diverse linguistic and cultural contexts.

Abstract This study aims at observing the co-occurrence of filled (FP) and unfilled pauses (UP) and gestures in the narratives of children with and without Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Although children with DLD are known to be more “disfluent” than typically developing children (TD), little is known about the role of pauses in children’s speech and their interaction with gestures. 22 French-speaking children with DLD and 22 age- and gender-matched controls, between 7 and 10, recounted a cartoon excerpt. We annotated pauses and their position in utterances, and we coded gestures according to their function. Despite a similar pausing rate across groups, results show that TD children produced more utterance-beginning FPs and more mid-utterance UPs, while children with DLD produced more standalone FPs and mid-utterance UPs. Furthermore, multimodal patterns of co-occurrence, specific to pause type, emerged. While both groups had similar gesture rates and produced mostly referential gestures, TD children produced slightly more beat gestures during FPs and more self-adaptors and pragmatic gestures during UPs. Children with DLD produced more referential gestures and object-adaptors during UPs. These differences point to the temporal relationship between gestures and pauses and the multiple ways these two phenomena may interact according to the child’s profile.

Abstract This study employs social semiotics as a multimodal analytical framework to explore various communication modes employed in Bob Marley’s 1974 “Natty Dread” album to describe the Rastaman. The album’s cover design, including images, font style, and colours, carry significant meanings that contribute to the representation of the Rasta identity. Marley’s lexical choices, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives and noun phrases also play a crucial role in presenting the Rasta identity. Additionally, Marley utilises various literary devices such as repetition, metaphor, allusion, and imagery to vividly describe the Rastaman. The song titles and their arrangement on the album form a cohesive narrative depicting the Rastaman’s life. In essence, the “Natty Dread” album portrays the Rastaman as a humble individual connected to the streets. The Rastaman’s physical appearance is distinguished by his distinctive dreadlocks. His lifestyle embraces simplicity, a deep connection with nature, the pursuit of freedom and happiness, love, peace, unity, and rebellion against the oppressive establishment. Material possessions hold little importance for the Rastaman as he considers his spiritual devotion to Jah (God) and his commitment to his community paramount. Furthermore, an inseparable part of the Rastaman’s culture is his use of marijuana and music, particularly reggae, which serves as a powerful tool with which he combats social injustices and inequalities in the world.

Abstract The purpose of this article is to show how to identify and clarify the roles of distinctive discourses in empowering and advocacy communication meant to create bridging and bonding social capital through building new intellectual and symbolic capital. More precisely, the purpose is to explain the roles of multimodal discursive strategies employed when issues of gender equity and empowerment are communicated in corporate context, viz. in employee magazines, by world-acclaimed women professional athletes and corporate employees. For accomplishing this purpose, a series of multimodal interviews appearing in the Puma’s online employee magazines, Puma Catch Up, are systematically examined. Overall, the study suggests that especially legitimations used by successful professional women are key discursive resources for empowering women across various kinds of borders and for creating a corporate symbolic capital. By outlining how legitimations constitute empowering and advocacy discursive resources, this research work contributes with a multimodal perspective to the field of social change communication.

Abstract This paper focuses on issues of multimodal literacy practices in ESP higher education settings. In particular, the research explores how students become engaged in various literacy activities aimed at enhancing their critical-thinking skills and interpretation of images. For this purpose, two datasets consisting of video clips were extracted from a larger multimodal corpus and developed for teaching applications: one involved a UK live parliament debate and the other a US House of Representatives debate. The main objective is to identify the key verbal strategies reflecting persuasive, argumentative rhetoric and the non-verbal features accompanying these verbal utterances such as prosodic stress, body/head movements, gaze, gesture. Thus, the focus of the analysis is on how different semiotic modes of communication construct meaning, especially in terms of how they reinforce the construction of identity and ideological stance. The results were systematically categorized and applied on a practical level to a teaching unit on ‘identity and ideology’.

Abstract Teaching English for Tourism at university involves both developing specialized language skills and forming knowledgeable professionals capable of appropriate intercultural communication. The distinctive feature of most instances of tourism discourse is the fact that it draws from a range of specialized domains. It mediates the tourist experience and contributes to closing the gap between the home- and the destination’s culture by making culture-specific knowledge and specialized concepts accessible to non-specialists. The article discusses the instructional effects of authentic multimodal materials within task-based project-work carried out with learners at the University of Pisa. The focus is specifically on the communicative strategies used to make specialized terminology or concepts easily understandable for the hearer. This study reports on a multimodal analysis of two sets of videoclips created by the students before and after dedicated instruction based on authentic English L1 clips from documentaries, “docu-tours” and guided tours. It discusses the positive changes observed in the learners’ use of popularization strategies to create conceptual accessibility.