Introducing Social Semiotics-Theoretical Principles and Multimodal Applications explores multimodal communication and its role in contemporary society, combining theoretical insights with detailed methods for analyzing the content, design, and style of multimodal texts and communicative events. Social semiotics is widely recognized as one of the main theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of multimodal communication, with applications in fields including education, design, organization, and marketing studies. This new edition, written by one of the founders of social semiotics and multimodality studies, is a comprehensive and updated revision of the acclaimed first edition and the only current book-length study of the field.

The text emphasizes resources for integrating different modes of communication-such as rhythm and composition-and gives special attention to recent semiotic technologies including computer games, social media, and AI. Drawing on a wide range of historical and contemporary examples, the book examines both obvious modes of communication such as language, image, and music, and less obvious ones such as advertising jingles, children's toys, dress, and interior decoration-all of which carry cultural value and significance.

The new edition includes a wealth of examples from different periods and parts of the world, along with exercises, an annotated list of recommended readings, and a glossary of key terms. Accessibly written and multidisciplinary in its approach, the book is an essential reading for students and researchers in communication, linguistics, media studies, design studies, and the arts.

Theo van Leeuwen is currently Professor of Language and Communication at the University of Southern Denmark and Honorary Professor at the University of New South Wales. His many influential publications include the following Routledge publications, The Language of Colour, Reading Images (with Gunther Kress, 2020), Organizational Semiotics (with Louise Ravelli, Markus Höllerer and Dennis Jancsary, 2024), Multimodality and Identity and Multimodality and Time (2025)