Xinchao Zhai

My research area is Systemic functional informed multimodal discourse analysis, especially the intersection area between metaphor, multimodality, and systemic functional linguistics. My PhD thesis is social semiotic interpretation of metaphors in children’s picture books. I look into metaphorical discourse and attempt to explicate the meaning-making mechanisms of such discourse. What makes this discourse special is that metaphor creates an extra interpretative space, rendering texts open to multiple readings.