Surendra Prasad Ghimire
Receiving clarity in a text’s message has increasingly become a challenge, especially when relying solely on language. In this brief paper, drawing ideas from Ferdinand de Saussure, Gillian Rose, Roland Barthes, and my own experience, I argue that the meaning of a text can be better understood through the interplay of verbal language and visual images. The main objective of this article is to clarify how this interplay helps derive the message from a text by reducing confusion and misinterpretation. This discussion is significant as it highlights how language and visual imagery work together to support clear communication.
Drawing from Ferdinand de Saussure, Gillian Rose in her book Visual Methodologies discusses that linguistic signs are conventional, with no natural connection between the signifier and the signified. On the other hand, visual signs are not entirely arbitrary; their meanings are sometimes motivated. In this context, Roland Barthes pointed out that language complements visual images, and visual images complement language, minimizing vagueness and slipperiness in meaning. From my experience, I found that I could understand visual artworks more clearly when they were accompanied by captions or explanatory text in galleries. Likewise, I found it easier to analyze written texts when supported by visual images.
With the growing dominance of visual culture, the combination of language and imagery has become even more important. I have noticed how images are now often added to written texts, and text is also frequently embedded within images. For example, photographs often come with captions or price tags, and many printed books have been adapted into video or audio formats using the latest technologies. Similarly, visual media like films and paintings are better understood through discussions with artists or reading their reviews. This shows how visual images and language are deeply connected and essential in clarifying meaning.
Although language and visual imagery each have unique qualities, the methods used to analyze visual images often come from the study of language. Compositional interpretation, which helps us observe and interpret visual structure, has roots in the historical study of art. Semiology, another approach, comes from structuralism. Likewise, discourse analysis, largely developed by Michel Foucault in the social sciences, helps us understand how visual images function in social contexts. These visual methodologies offer diverse perspectives on imagery, considering viewers’ social and economic contexts such as class, gender, sexuality, and geography.
Visual images and verbal language work together to clarify meaning because both are based on systems of signs. Semiotics, rooted in Saussure’s ideas, teaches us that signs are made up of the signifier (sound or image) and the signified (concept or idea). Saussure argued that linguistic signs are arbitrary, whereas visual signs can have a more motivated relationship. For instance, the word “cat” and a picture of a cat have different ways of signifying meaning. This is where the concepts of iconic, indexical, and symbolic signs become useful. Iconic signs have a resemblance to what they represent, indexical signs are linked to their referent, and symbolic signs are completely conventional. Thus, visual images help ground abstract or arbitrary linguistic signs, and vice versa, creating a clearer message.
Additionally, images and language complement each other because various academic disciplines have adopted visual images as central to their study. Humanities, history, anthropology, geography, and other fields have embraced visual culture. Cultural studies have also recognized the power of visual images from popular media—such as advertisements, films, and graphic novels. Like language, visual images are not neutral; their meanings are shaped by social and cultural contexts. Hence, the study of images has crossed disciplinary boundaries and become essential to multiple fields of knowledge.
A good example of this integration is seen in Al Jazeera’s live news coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war. Viewers can follow the story even without understanding the narration, thanks to the power of visual imagery from the war zones. Meanwhile, for viewers who understand the language, the narration deepens their understanding. The combination of visuals and language ensures a clearer, more accessible message. It reduces confusion and provides a more complete understanding of the event.
In conclusion, verbal language and visual images must complement each other to enhance clarity. Both rely on sign systems shaped by culture and society. When used together, they reduce ambiguity and deepen understanding. As shown through theory and personal experience, the interplay of verbal and visual elements plays a crucial role in making communication more effective.
(Surendra Prasad Ghimire is a researcher whose work has been published in several national and international publications. His areas of research interest include Subaltern Studies and Resistance Studies. He has also taught language and literature at Hetauda School of Management and Social Science, Hetauda, Makawanpur. He can be accessed through surendra.ghimire7@gmail.com.)
