SEMIOTIC CHANGE: A PILOT STUDY ON TEXT-IMAGE RESOURCES IN MODERN AND (POST)MODERN ADS

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to investigate possible changes in the use of text-image resources by comparing TIME magazine ads from 1929 and 2009, according to two different SFL analytical perspectives (information value, framing). The preliminary results point at a scenario where semiotic change has taken place in terms of finer-grained details, such as an expansion of the image territory and a tendency towards connection between text and image. The paper also offers an attempt at interpreting these results on the light of some of the key themes on the modern/(post)modern debate.