Linguistic Complexity and Second Language Advertising Audiences: Is There a Case for Linguistic Exclusion?
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Date
2018
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Publisher
Journal of Communication Inquiry
Abstract
In many Anglophone developing countries, the language of most public service
advertising is English, a language that is second rather than primary for audiences.
Set in a dual-language context where English exists alongside several local languages,
as means of interaction, this means that audiences must engage with messages in a
language not necessarily preferred for conversation. In addition, messages are often
carried on radio, a transient medium where meaning can be lost in the temporality of
messages. This increases the task on audiences for processing messages, as the ability
to understand most advertisements becomes contingent on their attainment of
formal education. While this highlights the critical role of the English language in
determining the effectiveness of public service advertisements among second lan guage audiences, it remains understudied in media/communication scholarship. Using
a textual analysis of two public service advertising campaigns in Ghana, the study
unpacks the English used and examines the implications for audience comprehension
Description
Research Article
Keywords
advertising, textual analysis,, culture and communication