Layout as punctuation of semiosis: some examples from Israeli schoolbooks

Abstract

This article examines the function of layout in the representation of the Palestinian—Israeli conflict in three history textbooks used in Israeli schools. The analysis elaborates on two concepts of Kress and Van Leeuwen — `ideological layout' and `punctuation of semiosis'. The author argues that layout may `punctuate' semiosis in two different senses: first, in the sense of `bringing (conventional—official) semiosis to a temporary standstill in textual form'; and, second, in the sense of `piercing a hole' in the conventional or official semiosis it presents, and thereby criticizing it. In both cases, layout creates new complex signs that either support or contradict the verbal and visual texts it presents. This study suggests that layout analysis may help answer larger questions concerning `the transformation of social practices into discourses about social practices in specific institutional contexts' (Van Leeuwen, 1996). The discussion of the means by which these punctuations are achieved and the messages they convey is followed by reflections upon the difficulties students and teachers may have in reading such multimodal texts.