Visual rhetorical literacy In a development communication setting

Abstract

This article reports on a study conducted to clarify whether visual rhetorical codes may be regarded as a significant readability barrier in a development communication setting. The semantic and pragmatic comprehension of three rhetorically encoded posters with a Tuberculosis theme were measured in a study population consisting of 150 high‐literate and 150 non‐literate adult clinic patients in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The results suggest that rudimentary rhetorical codes meant for the semantic level of comprehension (e.g. repetition, opposition, exchange of visual elements) are appropriate for a non‐literate target group, whereas advanced rhetorical articulations intended for the pragmatic level of comprehension (e.g. complex visual rhetorical premises and arguments) should be restricted to high‐literate target groups. In other words, the lower the literacy level of the target group, the lower the level of the visual rhetoric that should be used to engage the viewer.