Understanding Interaction of Visual and Verbal Grammar in Comics using Systemic Functional Linguistics

Abstract

Comics are multi-semiotic in nature; they consist of both visual and verbal grammar. The organic partnership of these two grammars is unique to the genre of comics and worth studying. This thesis is concerned mainly with the structural aspect of comics from the make-up of a single panel to the organization of a page. This thesis examines past cross-disciplinary literature on comic strips and books research including Eisner (1985), McCloud (1993) and Groensteen (2007), and juxtaposes these researches with Systemic Functional Linguistics, which undergird multi-semiotic research. Elements analyzed include page configuration (mise-en-page), reading order, speech balloons and onomatopoeias, stance and motion vectors and panel progression. By building upon existing scholarship of the comic genre, this thesis also presents a comparison of American English comics and Japanese mangas pertaining to the abovementioned aspects. Herein this thesis a fundamental question is answered ? how do readers read comics and what elements influence the reading experience?