THE DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIMODAL PRAGMATIC INFERENCE IN EFL LEARNERS THROUGH MEME INTERPRETATION TASKS

Abstrak

In contemporary digital communication, meaning is increasingly constructed through the interaction of visual, textual, and contextual resources rather than through linguistic forms alone. Internet memes exemplify this multimodal communicative environment by combining images, captions, humor, and intertextual references to generate implicature, irony, evaluative stance, and sociocultural meaning. However, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction continues to emphasize literal comprehension and grammatical accuracy, often leaving learners insufficiently prepared to interpret implicit and multimodal meanings in digital discourse. Addressing this gap, the present study investigates the development of multimodal pragmatic inference in EFL learners through scaffolded meme interpretation tasks. Grounded in Paul Grice’s theory of implicature and multimodal discourse theory proposed by Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen, this qualitative longitudinal classroom study explores how learners gradually develop inferential reasoning across multiple instructional cycles. Fifteen junior high school EFL learners participated in a series of meme interpretation activities designed to elicit implicature recognition, irony detection, stance attribution, and visual-verbal integration. Data were collected through written interpretations, reflective responses, and guided group discussions. The findings reveal a clear developmental trajectory. Initial learner responses were dominated by literal interpretation and surface-level visual description. Learners progressively demonstrated context-sensitive inferential reasoning, effectively integrated visual and linguistic cues, and identified implied meanings, evaluative stance, and sociocultural references embedded in the memes. The study argues that multimodal pragmatic inference develops through scaffolded engagement with digital texts and should be considered an essential component of contemporary pragmatic competence in EFL learning. By providing longitudinal classroom evidence, this research contributes to digital pragmatics and instructed second language learning while highlighting the pedagogical potential of meme-based activities for developing learners’ multimodal interpretive competence.