Page 25 - Tvorjenje pomena in večrazsežna – večkodna pismenost

Jan Leopoli Elements of Semantic Complementarity of Linguistic
RAI 3 Trieste, Italy
jan.leopoli@rai.it
© 2026 Jan Leopoli
Meaning-Making, Multiliteracies
and Multimodality
Abstracts of the International
Symposium
Koper, 19–20 March 2026
and Non-Linguistic Signs in the Media
Performing in front of an audience, television cameras, or radio microphones
requires not only linguistic confidence, but also a range of other skills and knowl-
edge that address external appearance as an essential complement to more
effective communication (Pisani, 2016). So-called nonverbal communication, a
combination of body posture, appearance, facial expressions, and the attitude
shown towards the interlocutor or the topic at hand, is an indispensable element
today, which is also addressed in training courses for businesspeople. Perhaps
in today’s world, the old saying ‘clothes don’t make the man’ no longer applies.
Examples of good practice show that the multiplicity of appearances is directly or
indirectly related to the perception of content that actually appeals to our emo-
tions. This presentation analyses how linguistic and non-linguistic signs work
together in mediated communication, focusing on patterns of semantic comple-
mentarity.
Wewilltrytounderstandtheimportanceofourappearancewhenpresenting,the
basic rules of photography (Hedgecoe, 1990) that make us look more convincing
on camera in television studios or better in video links or lectures, what our atti-
tude towards the audience should be in order to improve our performance and
keep their attention, and what elements distinguish a good performance from a
bad one. Above all, we are interested in how linguistic and non-linguistic means
of addressing the viewer or listener interact in the creation of meaning. If we want
to influence them emotionally, we must use vocabulary that will appeal to them
personally, so to speak. However, when we want to be objective, emotional dis-
tance becomes our imperative, so to speak.
Hedgecoe, J. (1990). The photographer’s handbook. Ebury Press.
Pisani,L.(2016). Ravnioblačenja(Dresscode):znasvetizagostenateleviziji,pogovor
za službo, pogrebno slovesnost, poroko, maturantski ples, šolo. Grafika Soča.
https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-565-8.22 25