Multimodality Terms

Mode, or modality, refers to how human communication is expressed (visually, verbally, and so on). When we talk about modes related to writing and literate activity, we consider how the modes we use mediate or influence how we plan, produce, and distribute our texts, and how they are received, understood, and taken up by others.

Medium, or media, refers to the systems we use to deliver and receive communication (like digital media, print media, and so on). When we talk about media related to writing and literate activity, we consider how the tools we use to communicate across modes (like the internet, specific social media platforms, and so on) mediate or influence our writing and others’ uptake, too.

Multimodality describes how human communication always relies on more than one singular mode to make meaning. When we talk about multimodality related to writing and literate activity, we consider how modes of communication overlap and intersect, how we use multiple modes to compose texts in particular genres, and how our multimodal choices have consequences for making texts, making meaning, and mediating uptake.

Aural is a mode that makes meaning through sound. When we use the aural mode in writing and literate activity, we might use music, sound effects, spoken words, or other sounds, and consider things like volume, pitch, tone, rhythm, voice, and silence.

Gestural is a mode that makes meaning through physical movements. When we use the gestural mode in writing and literate activity, we might use body language, hand gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, and sign language.

Linguistic, or alphabetic, is a mode that makes meaning through language. When we use the linguistic mode in writing and literate activity, we might use written and/or spoken languages, and consider things like word choice, vocabulary, grammars, structure, and organization of units like sentences and paragraphs.

Oral is a mode that makes meaning through spoken words. When we use the oral mode in writing and literate activity, we rely on speaking and consider many of the same things as we do when we use the aural mode, like volume, pitch, tone, rhythm, voice, and silence.

Spatial is a mode that makes meaning through the arrangement of elements in space. When we use the spatial mode in writing and literate activity, we might use physical spaces and objects (like where items in a classroom are), or physical arrangement, organization, and proximity within a text (like where items are in a brochure).

Tactile is a mode that makes meaning through touch. When we use the tactile mode in writing and literate activity, we rely on our bodies to interact with our environments and consider things like shapes, textures, and temperatures.

Verbal is a mode that makes meaning through words. When we use the verbal mode in writing and literate activity, we rely on speaking or writing and consider some of the same things we do when we use aural or oral modes (volume, voice) or linguistic modes (word choice, grammars).

Visual is a mode that makes meaning through images and characters that we see. When we use the visual mode in writing and literate activity, we might use drawings, still or moving images (photographs, illustrations, videos, gifs), data visualizations (graphs, charts, infographics), words, and visual design elements (colors, shapes, layouts, fonts, typography, formatting, symbols).

Written is a mode that makes meaning through inscribed graphic symbols. When we use the written mode in writing and literate activity, we might use written language symbols (like alphabetic words), or other symbols we produce through writing (like drawings, maps, emojis).