Short description:

This volume presents innovative research on the multimodal dimension of discourse specific to academic settings, with a particular focus on the interaction between the verbal and non-verbal in constructing meaning. Contributions by experienced and emerging researchers provide in-depth analyses in both research and teaching contexts, and consider the ways in which multimodal strategies can be leveraged to enhance the effectiveness of academic communication. The research presented in this volume is particularly relevant within the context of globalized higher education, where participants represent a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Long description:

This volume presents innovative research on the multimodal dimension of discourse specific to academic settings, with a particular focus on the interaction between the verbal and non-verbal in constructing meaning. Contributions by experienced and emerging researchers provide in-depth analyses in both research and teaching contexts, and consider the ways in which multimodal strategies can be leveraged to enhance the effectiveness of academic communication. Contributors employ both quantitative and qualitative analytical methods, and make use of state-of-the-art software for analyzing multimodal features of discourse.

The chapters in the first part of the volume focus on the multimodal features of two key research genres: conference presentations and plenary addresses. In the second part, contributors explore the role of multimodality in the classroom through analyses of both instructors? and students? speech, as well as the use of multimodal materials for more effective learning. The research presented in this volume is particularly relevant within the context of globalized higher education, where participants represent a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Multimodal Analysis in Academic Settings contributes to an emerging field of research with importance to an increasing number of academics and practitioners worldwide.

"Multimodal Analysis in Academic Settings provides another angle on multimodality studies, and brings a little spice into the hitherto rather dry areas of conference presentation and teaching technique." ?Christopher Taylor, University of Trieste, Italy

Table of Contents:

Introduction  Inmaculada Fortanet-Gómez and Belinda Crawford Camiciottoli  Part I: Research Communications  1. Disagreements in Plenary Addresses as Multimodal Action  Zuocheng Zhang  2. Contrastive Multimodal Analysis: Conference Plenary Lectures in English and in Spanish  Noelia Ruiz-Madrid and Inmaculada Fortanet-Gómez  3. Intensifying Adverbs in Academic Spoken Discourse: A Contrastive Study between English and Spanish  Miguel Ruiz Garrido  4. Visual Communication in Applied Linguistics Conference Presentations  Giuliana Diani  5. A Multimodal Approach to Persuasion in Conference Presentations  Julia Valeiras Jurado  Part II: Classroom Applications  6. There is More to Multimodality than Discourse Features and Nonverbal Behaviors!  Christine Räisänen  7. Elaborating Explanations during OpenCourseWare Humanities Lectures: The Interplay of Verbal and Nonverbal Strategies  Belinda Crawford Camiciottoli  8. Multimodality in Business Communication: Body Language as a Visual Aid in Student Presentations  Juan Carlos Palmer-Silveira  9. Assessing Multimodal Listening  Mari Carmen Campoy-Cubillo and Mercedes Querol-Julián  10. Teaching Learners How to Use Pragmatic Routines through Audiovisual Material  Silvia Bruti