Research on multimodal discourse in China

Jiang Shan

The article examines the characteristics of multimodal discourse in general, the manifestations of multimodality in ancient China, and also provides an overview and analysis of research on this topic in modern China. The object is the analysis of the concept of "xiang" (Xiàng, 象) and the research directions of multimodal discourse in China. The purpose is to find out how the concept of multimodal discourse manifests itself in ancient China and to analyze the results of research conducted by Chinese scientists on this topic. The result is obtained by the scientific methods: analysis, synthesis and explanation. On the basis of scientific research and a combination of these methods, it can be concluded that, multimodality is a natural phenomenon in the communicative process. The concept of "xiang" (Xiàng, 象) includes visual, auditory, and other modalities. Based on studying various documents, four main directions in the study of multimodal discourse were identified and the contribution of modern Chinese linguists to the theory and practice of multimodal discourse was evaluated.

Keywords:multimodal discourse, ancient China, the concept of "xiang" (Xiàng, 象), research directions.