Written texts have traditionally been verbal in nature, i.e. mostly composed of words, linear, read from left to write, etc.
With the development of computer-based technologies, texts have undergone significant shifts (placed in interaction with other modes of communication in ways unheard of.)
These texts, even their linguistic part alone, cannot be comprehended without a clear idea of how the other modes are contributing to the meaning of the text.
The new text formats challenge the adequacy of traditional linguistic frameworks for their analysis.
The rise of these formats necessitates a reevaluation of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) reading theories rooted in a linguistic view of texts.
To examine texts whose compositional elements fall beyond language bounds, a multimodal framework was deemed suitable as it is a multidisciplinary enterprise that accounts for meaning in all its forms.
Multimodality recognizes that meanings in different modes (script, images, diagrams, color, layout, etc.) are interconnected within a text.
Texts mixing linguistic and non-linguistic modes may benefit learners by offsetting challenges like limited writing system knowledge, vocabulary, grammar familiarity, and reading strategies.
These new textual formats offer new research avenues in SLA as they prompt a reevaluation of existing theories.