Introducing Social Semiotics

Introducing Social Semiotics uses a wide variety of texts including photographs, adverts, magazine pages and film stills to explain how meaning is created through complex semiotic interactions. Practical exercises and examples as wide ranging as furniture arrangements in public places and advertising jingles, provide readers with the knowledge and skills they need to be able to analyze and also produce successful multimodal texts and designs.The book traces the development of semiotic resources through particular channels such as the history of the Press and advertising; and explores how and why these resources change over time, for reasons such as advancing technology.Featuring a full glossary of terms, exercises, discussion points and suggestions for further reading, Introducing Social Semiotics makes concrete the complexities of meaning making and is essential reading for anyone interested in how communication works.

Theo van Leeuwen is one of the biggest names in communication and language research and his work always generates a lot of interest. He has extensive experience working in TV and film in Holland and Australia, and is now Chair of the Centre for Language & Communication Research at Cardiff University.