ABSTRACT
Mode is a socially shaped and culturally given semiotic resource for making meaning. Image, writing, layout, music, gesture, speech, moving image, soundtrack and 3D objects are examples of modes used in representation and communication. Phenomena and objects which are the product of social work have meaning in their cultural environments: furniture, clothing, food, ‘have’ meaning, due to their social making, the purposes of their making and the regularity of their use in social life. As their primary function is not that of representation and communication, there is a question whether they should be considered as modes – even though we know that they can be used to make meaning and to communicate.
