Different modes of communication (spoken, written, multimodal)

The idea

Mode is the channel through which language is produced and received, and children move between spoken, written and multimodal communication as their abilities develop. Spoken mode is transient, interactive and supported by prosody, gesture and immediate feedback, so a child can repair meaning on the spot. Written mode is durable, monologic and decontextualised, demanding explicit vocabulary, punctuation and cohesion because the reader is absent. Multimodal texts combine language with image, sound, layout or movement, so meaning is distributed across semiotic resources; a picture book, app or television programme is multimodal. When analysing child data, identify the mode first, then judge features against its constraints and affordances rather than treating one mode as superior.

What earns the marks

• Defines mode as the channel of communication and distinguishes spoken, written and multimodal with accurate examples.
• Explains how spoken mode relies on prosody, gesture, immediate feedback and repair, using a child utterance as evidence.
• Explains how written mode requires explicit cohesion, punctuation and decontextualised vocabulary because the audience is absent.
• Analyses multimodal texts as combinations of language with image, sound, layout or movement, showing how modes interact to make meaning.
• Applies mode awareness to child language data, judging features against the affordances and constraints of the mode rather than against a single standard.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Treating written language as simply better or more advanced than speech.

  Put it right by describing each mode's affordances and constraints instead of ranking them.

• Calling any illustrated text multimodal without identifying the semiotic resources.

  Put it right by naming the specific modes, such as image, layout and colour, and explaining their combined effect.

• Analysing a transcript as if it were writing, ignoring prosody and interaction.

  Put it right by commenting on pauses, stress, overlap and repair in the spoken data.

Exam tips

• Name the mode explicitly in your opening sentence, then select features that belong to that mode.
• Use short quotations from the data to show how a child exploits or struggles with the mode's demands.
• When discussing multimodal texts, comment on how at least two modes work together rather than describing the picture separately.