Abstract:

The present paper is devoted to the study of multimodal texts in modern advertising and their role in multicultural education. Modern linguistics demonstrates a great interest in the phenomenon of multimodal, creolized texts that involve both verbal and non-verbal components. Their dual structure makes them effective means of communication. However, multimodal texts in English advertisements can be a great challenge for recipients. When students find themselves in a new cultural environment, they face great difficulties in reading multimodal advertising texts and decoding socio-cultural concepts. That is why multicultural education in a multicultural society has been the focus of numerous studies.

The aim of the paper is to investigate the functioning and key characteristics of multimodal texts, presented in the study by English-language advertisements, and demonstrate how they can be used in the process of English language teaching.

To achieve the main aim of the research, the following tasks were set:
1) to examine various approaches to the study of multimodal texts;
2) to demonstrate the peculiarities of both verbal and non-verbal components and their synthesis in modern advertising;
3) to show the specifics of multimodal text perception and socio-cultural component interpretation by fluent non-native speakers.

To conduct the research, 250 examples of modern multimodal texts (English –language outdoor billboard advertisements) were selected. Methods of analysis employed are statistic, contextual, definitional and conceptual.

The findings of this paper prove that most advertisements examined in the research contain socio-cultural concepts that are not easy for non-native speakers to decode and interpret. Students need background knowledge to analyze information. The authors elaborate an ingenious method, accomplished by a set of classroom activities, to teach students awareness in socio-cultural implications of advertisements. The results obtained in the course of the research can be used in English language teaching at the departments of advertising and public relations. Methodological recommendations for practical application in the classroom, elaborated by the authors, enhance the results of the research.

Keywords:

English teaching, discourse, multimodal text, concept, culture, advertising, mass communication.