MULTIMODAL SYNTACTIC CONSTRUCTIONS IN MODERN ENGLISH ADVERTISEMENTS

Abstract

This article is devoted to the study of modern multimodal syntax using English-language advertising of the Allstate company as source material. The corpus of selected illustrative material shows that contemporary communicators are able to utilize a wide range of non-verbal units as well as verbal ones. It is demonstrated that non-verbal constituents are full-fledged units that can replace verbal components, particularly nouns and verbs. Evidence is provided to substantiate the proposition that non-verbal means are not inferior to verbal equivalents, but, on the contrary, contribute to much faster perception and superior retention. It is shown that the multimodal syntactic constructions which are presented can be decoded in various ways, depending on the inclinations of the potential communicators. The examples provided illustrate the fact that icons play an important role in such sentences. Besides icons, arithmetical signs are quite popular and are often used. Constructions also exist which use codified signs, in addition to images and arithmetical signs. The fact is pointed out that unlike the situation with traditional syntax, rules have not yet been devised to govern the processes of encrypting and decrypting information that is presented using multimodal syntax. Unlike the generally accepted patterns in classical English sentences, multimodal ones are arbitrary in structure and do not contain punctuation marks. Some of these sentences may be considered complete, whereas others are incomplete and oblige the recipients to guess part of the information. This study demonstrates various combinations in which verbal and non-verbal devices are used in tandem, or in which non-verbal units are used exclusively. It is demonstrated that Allstate corporate advertising is characterized by the use of a single color palette. A linear pattern is the one most often used for the placement of devices, the number of which varies, depending on what the producer intends to focus on. Moreover, linear or non-linear placement of elements should be perceived as components of multimodal syntactic constructions and typical or atypical options for reading them (from left to right, top to bottom, cross (situational) reading, etc.).