The multimodal expression of gratitude: the interplay of words and pictures in thank-you cards

This paper examines the linguistic and visual components of over 90 print, non-pop-up thank-you cards within the frameworks of speech act set analysis (Blum-Kulka et al. 1989) for the linguistic component, and Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2021) social semiotic analysis, integrated with Unsworth and Cleirigh’s (2017) framework on intersemiotic relations, for the visual component. The linguistic component of the texts is analysed in terms of head acts and supportive moves, identified partly inductively and partly based on the literature (Ahar and Eslami-Rasekh 2011; García and Kleifgen 2016; Eisenstein and Bodman 1986, 1993; Schauer and Adolphs 2006). The visual component is examined through the analysis of representational structures and compositional arrangements, paying special attention to the intersemiotic relations between verbal and visual elements. The cards include direct, occasionally repeated, head acts (e.g., “thank you”; “With sincere gratitude and warmest thanks”). These are often typographically enhanced through bolding or capitalisation and are sometimes characterised by plays on words. The cards may also include supportive moves, such as complimenting the benefactor (“life saver”) and acknowledging the impact of the benefit (“That means everything”). The analysis reveals three primary intersemiotic relationship types: humorous engagement, whereby visual elements enable or reinforce intersemiotic wordplay; aesthetic enhancement, whereby images provide visual pleasure; and semantic support, whereby visuals clarify or emphasise verbal expressions. Food imagery most often serves a humorous function, while floral elements primarily provide aesthetic enhancement, and animal imagery demonstrates versatility across all relationship types. Overall, the study demonstrates that multimodal thank-you cards employ intersemiotic coordination strategies that transform routine politeness acts into opportunities for social bonding, suggesting that multimodal analysis can enhance our understanding of how different semiotic resources are co-deployed in positive facework.