ABSTRACT
The chapter advocates for a multimodal understanding of argumentative communication, recognising that verbal, visual, and other semiotic modes all contribute to the expression of the core elements of the argument and to the understanding of the reasoning that connects them. It explores theoretical and methodological considerations related to three core questions that are common to the various approaches to the study of multimodal argumentation: the identification of arguments in multimodal communication, their reconstruction, and their evaluation. By discussing existing proposals and presenting analyses of examples of pictographs, photographs, and advertisements concerning plastic pollution, the chapter demonstrates how systematic attention to the semiotic properties of argumentative texts and their situational and institutional context enhances the interpretation and reconstruction as well as evaluation of multimodal argumentation, thereby improving the depth and quality of the argumentative analysis of communication.
