A Multimodal Discourse Analysis of an EFL Online Course

Abstract

This dissertation is concerned with the Multimodal Discourse Analysis of an EFL online course. It analyzes the online teacher‟s discourse, and examines whether the verbal resources, that is language, and the non-verbal resources are combined during the explanation process. It categorizes, as well, the multimodal modes such as: the linguistic mode, the keneikonic mode, the visual mode, the gestural mode, and the auditory mode that the online teacher uses to transmit the information while teaching. The study is conducted using the Qualitative Research Method in order to analyse and interpret the results of the EFL online teacher‟s discourse analysis which is available in „YouTube‟ and presented by an EFL online native teacher, who is “Mister Duncan”. The present work adopts K. L. O‟Hlloran‟s (2004) Multimodal Discourse Analysis based on Halliday‟s (1978) Systemic Functional Linguistics in order to figure out whether the linguistic and non-linguistic modes are used in combination by the EFL online teacher during the explanation process; in addition to Kress and Van Leeuwen‟s (2006) theory of Multimodality which is adopted in order to categorize the different multimodal modes and semiotic resources fulfilled by the online teacher. Our dissertation uses Social Semiotic Analysis (SSA) and Multimodal Discourse Analysis (MDA) as procedures of data analysis for the sake of interpreting and describing the results. The results of the study reveal that the EFL online teacher uses both verbal and non-verbal resources as well as multimodal modes while explaining the lesson.