Extending local grammar to multimodal meaning-making: a case study of conflict resolution in picture books

Abstract This case study attempts to describe the mechanism of meaning-making in picture books as the unity of texts and images. The study proposes that the applicability of meaning/function-based local grammar extends to multimodal discourse. By examining six picture books considered prototypical conflict narratives, our study identified and analyzed multimodal local grammar patterns accounting for three meanings: evaluation, ownership, and identification. The findings revealed that some meaning units in verbal and visual modes possess stronger semantic and pragmatic relationships among themselves than with others. These multimodal meaning units further co-select to form larger meaning units. The study also demonstrated how these patterns reflect conflict resolution strategies. Three strategies were observed: updating specific functional elements of a multimodal local grammar pattern, replacing the entire pattern, and forming non-conventional verbal-visual co-selection relationships within a pattern. These findings may contribute to communication analysis and foreign language education.