ABSTRACT
Multimodality—as it has come to be called—is an inherent feature of all aspects of our lives, as it has been, I believe, throughout human evolution. We can interpret this condition of pervasive multimodality “from above” in terms of the stratal organization of semiotic systems, by reference to the context of culture in which different semiotic systems operate, as suggested by Halliday (1977/2003):
