Fighting Covid-19 with Fun: Multimodal Discourse Analysis of Egyptian Coronavirus Webcomics

Document Type : Original Article

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Department of English Language-Faculty of Humanities- Al-Azhar University-Cairo-Egypt

Abstract

The study of webcomics in Egypt is a medium still in its infancy. Few studies have been conducted from a linguistic point of view. Since webcomics are composed of an integration between both the verbal (i.e., textual) and visual modes, only a hybrid analytical framework combining multimodal social semiotic analysistogether with eclectic linguistic analysis of webcomics can highlight that impact.A multidisciplinary approach mixing socio-pragmatic analysis (in terms of speech acts, implicature, politeness, and intertextuality), multimodal visual analysis (in terms of Kress and van Leeuwen’s grammar of visual design), together withcritical discourse analysis (in terms of Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics) proves the Egyptian webcomics produced during the corona virus era to be important means to convey certain ideological messages. They allow general insights into the social standing of the Egyptians and reflect the people’s attitude towards the political decisions made by the authorities that have impact on their lives. They express the people’s resentment and public demands, criticism of the government performance during the crisis, and draw attention to social illnesses. Addressing political and social questions in Egypt, they serve as powerful vehicles of ideology and a mirror of the Egyptian society. As a realm of expression, they indicate sociocultural relations (between the people and the government) based on a discourse of exclusion and inclusion.

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