The thesis extends the use of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) to describe and analyse the semiotic systems beyond language by providing a detailed and systematic approach to the description of multimodal hypertext systems. The thesis uses a social semiotic approach to the text in order to develop an analytical framework for the description of hypertext through the two dimensions of rank and metafunction. This approach is employed to describe, assess and evaluate the pathways that student user groups construct using hypertext resources during a task-based information search session. The resources realised at the ranks of element, screen and pathway are described across four metafunctions: Representational, Interactive, Compositional and Logical. The data which forms the basis of the thesis was collected from a Year 4-5-6 classroom in a primary school in Sydney, Australia. The substantive contributions of this thesis detail the resources of the hypertext analytical framework. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/234294 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Zammit, Katina, University of Western Sydney, College of Arts, School of Humanities and Languages |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
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