Mocking enactments: a case study of multimodal stance-stacking

Although research into multimodal stance-taking has gained momentum over the past years, the multimodal construction of so-called stacked stances has not yet received systematic attention in the literature. Mocking enactments are a prime example of such complex social actions as they are layered bot...

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Main Authors: Clarissa de Vries, Fien Andries, Katharina Meissl
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1379593/full
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author Clarissa de Vries
Fien Andries
Katharina Meissl
author_facet Clarissa de Vries
Fien Andries
Katharina Meissl
author_sort Clarissa de Vries
collection DOAJ
description Although research into multimodal stance-taking has gained momentum over the past years, the multimodal construction of so-called stacked stances has not yet received systematic attention in the literature. Mocking enactments are a prime example of such complex social actions as they are layered both interactionally and stance-related, and they rely significantly on the use of bodily visual resources, depicting rather than describing events and stances. Using Du Bois’ Stance Triangle as a framework, this study investigates mocking enactments as a case study to unravel the multimodal aspects of layered stance expressions. Drawing on three data sets—music instruction in Dutch, German, and English, spontaneous face-to-face interactions among friends in Dutch, and narrations on past events in Flemish Sign Language (VGT)—this study provides a qualitative exploration of mocking enactments across different communicative settings, languages, and modalities. The study achieves three main objectives: (1) illuminating how enactments are used for mocking, (2) identifying the layers of stance-taking at play, and (3) examining the multimodal construction of mocking enactments. Our analysis reveals various different uses of enactments for mocking. Aside from enacting the target of the mockery, participants can include other characters and viewpoints, highlighting the breadth of the phenomenon under scrutiny. Second, we uncover the layered construction of stance on all axes of the Stance Triangle (evaluation, positioning, and alignment). Third, we find that mocking enactments are embedded in highly evaluative contexts, indexed by the use of bodily visual resources. Interestingly, not all mocking enactments include a multimodally exaggerated depiction, but instead, some merely allude to an absurd hypothetical scenario. Our findings contribute to the growing body of literature on multimodal stance-taking, by showing how a nuanced interpretation of the Stance Triangle can offer a useful framework for analyzing layered stance acts.
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spelling doaj.art-c30a01916d2a4fc383c8f35506339bc62024-04-02T05:25:26ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782024-04-011510.3389/fpsyg.2024.13795931379593Mocking enactments: a case study of multimodal stance-stackingClarissa de Vries0Fien Andries1Katharina Meissl2Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, KU Leuven, Leuven, BelgiumDepartment of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, KU Leuven, Antwerp, BelgiumDepartment of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, KU Leuven, Leuven, BelgiumAlthough research into multimodal stance-taking has gained momentum over the past years, the multimodal construction of so-called stacked stances has not yet received systematic attention in the literature. Mocking enactments are a prime example of such complex social actions as they are layered both interactionally and stance-related, and they rely significantly on the use of bodily visual resources, depicting rather than describing events and stances. Using Du Bois’ Stance Triangle as a framework, this study investigates mocking enactments as a case study to unravel the multimodal aspects of layered stance expressions. Drawing on three data sets—music instruction in Dutch, German, and English, spontaneous face-to-face interactions among friends in Dutch, and narrations on past events in Flemish Sign Language (VGT)—this study provides a qualitative exploration of mocking enactments across different communicative settings, languages, and modalities. The study achieves three main objectives: (1) illuminating how enactments are used for mocking, (2) identifying the layers of stance-taking at play, and (3) examining the multimodal construction of mocking enactments. Our analysis reveals various different uses of enactments for mocking. Aside from enacting the target of the mockery, participants can include other characters and viewpoints, highlighting the breadth of the phenomenon under scrutiny. Second, we uncover the layered construction of stance on all axes of the Stance Triangle (evaluation, positioning, and alignment). Third, we find that mocking enactments are embedded in highly evaluative contexts, indexed by the use of bodily visual resources. Interestingly, not all mocking enactments include a multimodally exaggerated depiction, but instead, some merely allude to an absurd hypothetical scenario. Our findings contribute to the growing body of literature on multimodal stance-taking, by showing how a nuanced interpretation of the Stance Triangle can offer a useful framework for analyzing layered stance acts.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1379593/fullmockingstanceenactmentdepictionmultimodalityDutch
spellingShingle Clarissa de Vries
Fien Andries
Katharina Meissl
Mocking enactments: a case study of multimodal stance-stacking
Frontiers in Psychology
mocking
stance
enactment
depiction
multimodality
Dutch
title Mocking enactments: a case study of multimodal stance-stacking
title_full Mocking enactments: a case study of multimodal stance-stacking
title_fullStr Mocking enactments: a case study of multimodal stance-stacking
title_full_unstemmed Mocking enactments: a case study of multimodal stance-stacking
title_short Mocking enactments: a case study of multimodal stance-stacking
title_sort mocking enactments a case study of multimodal stance stacking
topic mocking
stance
enactment
depiction
multimodality
Dutch
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1379593/full
work_keys_str_mv AT clarissadevries mockingenactmentsacasestudyofmultimodalstancestacking
AT fienandries mockingenactmentsacasestudyofmultimodalstancestacking
AT katharinameissl mockingenactmentsacasestudyofmultimodalstancestacking