Multimodality gives writers additional tools for design-ing effective texts. This is particularly true when writers arc trying to create a single text that will appeal to the interests of a large and diverse group of readers. By understanding who their readers arc, what they need to know, and how they will use the information, authors can create texts that satisfy a specific rhetorical situation

The linguistic mode often affords readers specificity, exactness, and logical connections, but this can slow readers down as they work to make sense of the information. The visual mode, on the other hand, often can't be as detailed. We don't know from the map, for example, how many projects were completed in each area. But a visual presentation of complex information can allow readers to make quick com-parisons. This ability for quick comparison is an affordance of the visual mode, particularly within the particular medium of the printed map

These different strengths and weaknesses of media (video, writing, pictures, etc.) and modes arc called affi1rda11ces. The visual mode affords us the opportunity to communicate emotion in an immedi-ate way, while the linguistic mode a(fimfs us the time we need to communicate a set of detailed steps. Writer/designers think through the affordanccs of the modes and media available before choos-ing the right text for the right situation. Keep in mind that modal affordances largely depend on how the mode is used and in what context. In other words, the strengths and weaknesses of each mode arc dependent on, and influenced by, the ways in which the modes arc combined, in what media, and to what ends.

Different media use different combinations of modes and arc good at doing different things. We've all heard the expression "a picture is worth a thousand words." Some-times it is much easier and more effective to use an image to show someone how to do something or how you arc feeling. Say, for example, that the reason you wanted a picture of your dog is to show your friend in another state what the dog looks like (see fig. 1.17). A picture will quickly convey more information in this situation than will a written description.

Aural Mode The aural mode focuses on sound. Whether we are talking about a speech, a video demonstration, sound effects on a Web site, or the audio elements of a radio program, the aural mode provides multiple ways of communicating and understanding a message, including: • music • sound effects • ambient noise/sounds • silence • tone of voice in spoken language • volume of sound • emphasis and accent

Linguistic Mode ~ The linguistic mode refers to the use of language, which usually ~ means written or spoken word~. When we think about the ways ~ the linguistic mode is used to make or understand meaning, we can consider: ~ • word choice ~ • the delivery of spoken or written text !) • the organization of writing or speech into phrases, sentences, ~ paragraphs, etc. ~ • the development and coherence of individual words and ideas

Academic essays, biology posters, statistical PowerPolnt presenta-tions, lolcats ... what do all of these texts have in common? They are all multimodal.

To produce a successful text, writers must be able to consciously use different modes both alone and in combination with each other to communicate their ideas to others.

The word multimoda/ is a mash-up of multiple and mode. A mode is a way of communicating, such as the words we're using to explain our Ideas in this paragraph or the images we use throughout this book to illustrate various concepts. Multimodal describes how we combine multiple different ways of communicating in everyday life. For instance, lolcats, a well-known Internet meme, are multimodal. They combine photographs of cats with words written In humor-ously incorrect grammar to create a text that uses both visuals and language-11111/tip/e modes-to be funny. You might be saying to yourself, "Wait, Is a lolcat really a text?" Yes. Text traditionally means written words. But because we want to talk about the visuals, sounds, and movement that make up multi-media, we use the term text to refer to a piece of communication as a whole. A text can be anything from a lolcat to a concert tee shirt to a dictionary to a performance.