MULTIMODAL TRANSFORMATION OF LANGUAGE COMPETENCES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: FROM LINEAR TEXT TO “DESIGN OF MEANING”

Abstract

The article justifies the necessity of integrating the concepts of multimodality and digital rhetoric into the educational process of non-philological specialties (agricultural, economic, and veterinary profiles). In the conditions of digital determinism and the «attention economy», traditional linguistic competence is transformed into the ability to design complex semiotic spaces. The author considers multimodality as a «new literacy», where language acts as only one of many resources within a holistic «meaning design». Special attention is paid to the functional-action approach in teaching disciplines such as «Ukrainian Language for Professional Purposes», «Business Communications», and «Academic Writing». A practical methodology for working with graphoderivates and graphixates (a combination of Cyrillic, Latin, and symbols) in branding and professional naming is described. It is proven that the creation of creolized texts by students stimulates critical thinking, develops skills of rhetorical flexibility, and strategic communication planning. The transition from the «refined scholarship» of academic writing to science communication strategies is analyzed, where multimodality becomes a key tool for interaction with stakeholders. The author concludes that the formation of multimodal literacy transforms language training into a strategic asset for a future specialist capable of constructing signs of social action in an innovative digital environment.