Reading Meaning through the Visual Images: Social Semiotic Approach to TELL Magazine in Nigeria

Abstract

Several studies have been carried out on verbal communication but with the recent trends and development of communication in conveyance of meaning, the importance of the cover-pages of news magazine in the print media deserves to be given attention. Hence, the employment of social semiotic approach of Kress and Van Leeuwen (2006)’s Multimodal Discourse Analysis to four selected editions of TELL magazine. The purpose is to present a shift from the usual study of visuals in line with the semantic indicators to an examination of visual images in isolation. The research brought to the conclusion that the visual images such as pictorials, colour, signs, posture, distance and symbols go a long way to convey meaning in print media especially, news magazines that need to attract the attention of the public.