Discussing the representation of immigrants: An integrated view from SFL, CDA and Multimodality

Several researchers in language studies have recently looked at multimodal aspects in order to account for the integration of different semiotic resources in meaning-making processes. As applied linguists, concerned with this integration, we look at how immigrant identities are verbally and visually represented in different media. For the verbal analysis we draw on systemic functional linguistics and critical discourse analysis to analyse ʹin-groupʹ/ʹoutgroupʹ representation as well as patterns of processes and participants. Our analysis of images is based on the grammar of visual design, more specifically on the representational, interactive and compositional functions. These aligned theoretical perspectives allow for the investigation of the linguistic instantiations in the analyzed texts as well as the visual resources, with a focus on a critical stance. Results suggest that there are still biased representations on specific immigrant identities, especially when these identities are portrayed in vulnerable situations.