A multimodal analysis by the GeM model: the homepage of the Ministry of Environment in Brazil

ABSTRACT: This article analyzed how language from the homepage of the Ministry of Environment in Brazil is presented. The investigation relies on the principles of multimodality, social semiotics and on the studies carried out by the Social Semiotics Theory and the Genre and Multimodality model (GeM). The article intended to demonstrate which the recurrent elements in the Ministry's official page are and how both the base and the layout structures from the GeM model contribute to a higher degree of modal features in the language used in the governmental site. The online environment investigated is notably characterized by multimodal language and is in accordance with the Brazilian society's demand for adequate access to the official contents issued by the government.