RESEARCH PROPOSAL

ON

A MULTIMODAL ANALYSIS ON THE LANGUAGE AND VISUALS IN THE RECENT FAKE PRODUCT
OUTBREAK IN NIGERIA

BY

19/15CD228

SUPERVISOR : PROF S.T BABATUNDE

JANUARY 2024.
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Language is a broad term with numerous meanings. It is the capacity of the human mind to learn and

employ intricate communication systems. We will look at language through the eyes of various scholars

as language is viewed differently by many people. Edward Sapir define language as purely human and

noninstinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions, and desires by means of a system of

voluntarily produced symbols. According to him, language is essentially an auditory symbol system.

Speech is a motor system to the extent that it can be articulated, but the auditory part of speech

definitely takes precedence over the motor component. The impulse to speak originates in the auditory

imagery domain in healthy persons and is subsequently transferred to the motor.

Man's ability to facilitate daily actions through language is something that makes it a very significant

and indispensable tool. Regardless of the language we use, it aids in defining who we are as people and

the communities to which we belong. Language is the creation, acquisition, upkeep, and application of

sophisticated communication systems, especially the capacity for human conversation. We are human

because we can communicate through language. Language can manifest in different forms; written

musical, sign, mathematical, non-verbal, verbal, and so on.

Multimodal analysis is the process of understanding and making meaning of qualitative data

that include both verbal and nonverbal information. Multimodal analysis is the study and analysis of

data that incorporates many modes or modalities of information, such as text, pictures, audio, video,

and sensor data. It seeks to analyse and extract relevant insights from these data sources by integrating

and interpreting information from different modalities.

In order to adequately represent the data in multimodal analysis, it is frequently necessary to extract

pertinent features from each modality. The methods used for feature extraction can differ based on the
modality, for example, obtaining audio features from audio data or visual features from images. These

characteristics offer a reduced dimensional depiction of the information, making it potentially simpler to

examine. Multimodal sentiment analysis entails analysing and comprehending the sentiment or emotion

portrayed in multimedia data, such as videos or social media posts. It uses textual analysis, visual

indicators, and auditory signals to infer emotions or sentiments conveyed by humans.

Object recognition and detection are two aspects of multimodal analysis that can be used

to identify and locate things of interest in photos or videos. To improve accuracy and robustness, it

blends visual analysis approaches with different modalities. The goal of multimodal action recognition is

to interpret and recognise human actions from visual data. The goal of cross-modal retrieval is to

recover relevant information from one modality based on a query from another modality. With cross-

modal retrieval, for instance, pertinent photos or videos can be retrieved based on a text query. These

are just some examples of the broad field of multimodal analysis. The techniques and applications

continue to evolve as researchers explore new ways to integrate and analyze data from diverse

modalities to gain deeper insights and improve various applications.

Scholars from numerous fields have contributed to the development of multimodal analysis

ideas. Visual images, like all representations, “are never innocent or neutral reflections of

reality...they re-present for us: that is, they offer not a mirror of the world but an interpretation of it”

(Midalia, 1999, p. 131).

The Grammar of Visual Design (second edition), by Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen, offers “a

usable description of major compositional structures which have become established in the course of

the history of Western visual semiotics, and to analyse how they are used to produce meaning by
contemporary image-makers” (p.1). Kress and van Leewen would like to treat images as seriously

as linguistic forms in communication.

They have based their analysis on several examples of visual literacy from books for young

children, Kress and van Leewen prove the need for redrawing the boundary between the mode

of writing and the visual arts as well as introducing the concept of design to education. Kress and van

Leeuwen have proposed a visual grammar framework that examines the grammar of visual

communication, including the use of visual elements such as color, framing, and composition. This

framework provides a systematic way to analyze the visual aspects of multimodal texts, advertising,

political discourse, and social media.

Multimodal analysis involves the study of multiple modes of communication, such as

language, visuals, gestures, and sound, and how they interact to convey meaning. When applied

specifically to language and visuals, multimodal analysis focuses on understanding how these two

modalities work together to create meaning and influence communication. In multimodal analysis,

language refers to the use of verbal or written communication, including spoken words, written text,

and other linguistic elements. Visuals, on the other hand, encompass images, videos, graphs, charts, and

any other visual representations.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

There are little to no research analysis carried out on the fake products outbreak in Nigeria,

one of the reasons could be traced to the fact that the outbreak is very recent. This research will prove

the authenticity of recent visuals accessing the credibility of visual content though, reliability of

collected data may be very difficult as manipulation of visuals, false information are rampant these days.

Analysing the language used in textual and visual data is crucial for understanding the context

of sentiments and intentions, but getting real time victims of the fake product outbreak may be difficult.
Lack of contextual understanding may lead to misinterpretation and incomplete analysis. Interpreting

the multimodal data in the specific social, cultural and political context is essential.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES

The primary aim of this analysis is to analyse how language and visuals have been used to spread

information in the data. Some other objectives of the study include:

1. To understand various semiotic resources, language, and visuals.

2. Examine the linguistic properties of the texts, choice of words, and rhetorical devices.

3. To analyze the visual elements such as colours, images, and design, to make sense of how they

contribute to the overall message and impact of communication.

4. And to compare the linguistic and visual characteristics between the original products and the

counterfeit products that have recently appeared.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. How do the linguistic features of the text compare across genuine and counterfeit versions of

the product?

2. What are the key similarities and differences in the multimodal composition of genuine and

counterfeit versions of the product?

3. How do visual elements such as colours images texts contribute overall message for smooth

communication?

4. What makes up the linguistic properties of various semiotic resources, language and visuals?

JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

So far, no work has been yet completed or carried out by any researcher on the language and visuals of

the recent fake product outbreak in Nigeria as the fake products outbreak started weeks ago. Scholars

though have used multimodal analysis to study language and visuals like Gunther Kress and Theo Van

Leeuwen. Kress and van Leeuwen have proposed a visual grammar framework that examines the
grammar of visual communication, including the use of visual elements such as color, framing, and

composition. This framework provides a systematic way to analyze the visual aspects of multimodal

texts.

Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin are media scholars who have proposed the concept of remediation,

which examines how different media forms incorporate and reference one another. Their work

highlights the multimodal nature of contemporary media and the ways in which modes interact and

influence each other.

Carey Jewitt is a scholar who has contributed to the field of multimodal analysis, particularly in the

context of digital media and technology. Her work explores the intersections of visual, spatial, and

embodied modes of communication in digital environments.

Adam Jaworski is a linguist who has focused on the analysis of multimodal communication in various

contexts, including advertising, political discourse, and social media. His work explores the interplay

between different modes and their role in constructing meaning and identity. These scholars have made

significant contributions to the theories and methodologies of multimodal analysis. Their work has

provided valuable insights into how different modes of communication interact and shape meaning in

various contexts. This work will examine the linguistic properties of the texts, choice of words, and

rhetorical devices. It analyze the visual elements such as colours, images, and design in order make

sense of how they contribute to the overall message and impact of communication.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This research is important to know whether deceptive languages and visuals were used to mislead the

public. It will scrutinize the textual and visual elements of these products to identify inconsistencies,

misinterpretation or misleading information.

The research will help to analyze the language and visuals used in marketing materials, advertisements,

or online promotions to identify the specific persuasive strategies employed.

groups. The research will be useful to educate people on the signs of detecting misleading information

and products. The study can help uncover valuable insights that contribute to combating the fake

product outbreak in Nigeria and protecting the public at large.

SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS

The scope of the study is limited to collected visual data from social media posts, Twitter posts,

Facebook and Tiktok. Images will also be gotten from available fake products. Research is limited to fake

products in Nigeria alone. The researcher will choose seven fake products including sub-divisions on

some, which will be enough data for the analysis that will aid the significance of the research work. This

work will be sampling five(7) for the analysis on language and visuals in the recent fake product outbreak

with the use of multimodal critical discourse analysis.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This researcher will use qualitative research to analyze the language and visuals in the recent fake

product outbreak in Nigeria with prominence on the qualitative aspect. The study will be descriptive in

nature. This research is applied in the sense that it just does not only provide more information for

intending researches but helps to protect consumers from fake products. Patton is a leading figure in

the field of qualitative evaluation, highlighting the importance of in-depth, descriptive data for

understanding program processes and outcomes. The gathering and collection of data will be from valid

written sources of information like blogs, Tiktok and Twitter. The use of qualitative research

investigation will be the best type of research for the purpose of this research work.

CONCLUSION

The work examined is a multimodal analysis study. A study of the language and visuals in the

recent fake product outbreak in Nigeria. The general background to the study is stated in chapter one,

alongside the scope of the study. The significance of the study is also in chapter one which will focus on
not just adding information but also help to analyse language and visuals used in influencing opinions.

The research methodology was also talked about.

Chapter two will center on the general and related theory of Language, critical discourse

analysis, feature extraction analysis, multimodal sentiment analysis and the theoretical framework of

multimodal analysis. Chapter three will analyze linguistic properties of visual data available. The last

chapter will center on the findings, recommendations and summary of the entire study.

TENTATIVE REFERENCES

Bolter, J. D., & Grusin, R. (1999). Remediation: Understanding new media. MIT Press.

Jaworski, A., & Thurlow, C. (Eds.). (2010). Semiotic landscapes: Language, image, space.

Continuum.

Jewitt, C. (Ed.). (2014). The Routledge handbook of multimodal analysis (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Kress, G., & Van Leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading images: The grammar of visual design. Routledge.

Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2006). Reading images: The grammar of visual design (2nd ed.).

Routledge.
Multimodal analysis. (n.d.). SAGE Research Methods. https://methods.sagepub.com

Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and

practice (4th ed.). Sage Publications.

Sapir, E. (1921). Language: An introduction to the study of speech.

https://brocku.ca/Sapir_1921_01