An Investigation into Visual language in PowerPoint Presentations in Applied Linguistics

Abstract

PowerPoint Knowledge presentation as a digital genre has established itself as one of the main software by which the findings of theses are disseminated in the academic settings. Although the importance of PowerPoint presentations is typically realized in academic settings like lectures, conferences, and seminars, studied to probe the role of visual resiurces in presentations have received little attention. The current study aligns its march towards scrutinizing the anatomy of visual interaction in the PowerPoint defense session presentations prepared by Iranian Master of Arts students majoring in Applied Linguistics. The study aims at describing the identity of visual resources in the PowerPoint presentations by categorizing the utilized visuals within the presentations according to their communicative purposes. To this end, the study analyzes 70 PowerPoint defense session presentations given at various universities across Iran in Applied Linguistics. So as to do analysis, the study draws on the typology of visuals introduced by Rowley-Jolivet for classifying the types of visuals. The results of visual analyzing mirrors the fact PowerPoint defense session presentations in Applied Linguistics visualized themselves more by scriptural visuals to their members of discourse community. The findings, moreover, demand a framework of presentations in Applied Linguistics for more norm-compatible presentations.

Keywords: Visuals, PPs, Visual resoutces, Applied Linguistics.