Language as the visual: Exploring the intersection of linguistic and visual language in manga

• Main Author: Giancarla Unser-Schutz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven 2011-03-01
• Series: Image and Narrative : Online Magazine of the Visual Narrative
• Subjects: manga; linguistics; visual language; shōjo
• Online Access: http://www.imageandnarrative.be/index.php/imagenarrative/article/view/131

In manga studies, a distinction is made between linguistic text (language) and visual language. However, because linguistic text is mediated by visual structures, there is a a tendency to assume that it is a secondary element. I would argue, however, that examination of both languages might give a better idea of how manga functions, and start that process here by looking at two manga text types: handwritten lines, thoughts and authorial comments. Visually differentiated from other texts, and more common in series for girls (shōjo-manga), I compare them with Ōtsuka's (1994) highly-visual monologues from 1970s/1980s shōjo-manga, and demonstrate similarities to Takeuchi's (2005) mediator and spectator characters, and argue that these texts offer a sense of closeness to authors while also visually-coding data in terms of relevance. While non-essential secondary text, their visual-encoding offers a space of dynamic interpretation, with readerships able to ignore or read them as per their needs.