A Study Of Ideologies In Advertising Discourse

This dissertation argues that advertising discourse, like any discourse in general, is never an instrument neutrally conveying information, but ideologically invested. Therefore the study aims first to provide a theoretical background and methodology for the analysis of ideologies in advertising discourse, and secondly to apply the methodology to a set of advertising texts (both English and Chinese) to examine how advertising represents ideologies through the use of language.Critical discourse analysis (CDA), which is a combined theoretical and methodological approach, is used as the basis and framework of analysing ideologies in advertising discourse. The theoretical suggestions of CDA involve perspectives of discourse, ideology and power. Ideologies are"common-sense"assumptions which are implicit in the conventions according to which people interact linguistically, and of which people are generally not consciously aware (Fairclough, 1989); Ideology has a material existence in the practices of institutions. Discourse, as a mode of action, is political and ideological practice. Discourse not only reflects ideology, but also of necessity, constructs ideology. Discourse, ideology and power are inseparable from one anther, with ideology and power both inherently residing in discourse, but with ideology being the most fundamental element that constrains the existence and change of power, for"the exercise of power, in modern society, is increasingly achieved through ideology, and more particularly through the ideological workings of language"(Fairclough, 1989).Ideology invests language in various ways at various levels, and it is considered as a property of discourse events as well as discourse structures. Hence our study of ideology in advertising is necessarily text-oriented analysis. Therefore the three-dimensional discourse analysis framework by Fairclough (1995) is adopted in which text is linked with discourse practice and social practice, and text analysis is linked with institutional settings and sociocultural contexts,through the description of text features, interpretation of discourse practice and explanation of social practice. It is through the mediation of discourse practice (discourse production and consumption) between text and social practice that text analysis can uncover ideological meanings of discourse.In describing the text features, we are not giving an integrated description of all the possible features of a specific text, but one grammatical feature, for the sake of the examination of the ideological meaning of one particular feature in advertising texts. What are chosen to be analysed in this research involve modality, person system, transitivity system and intertextuality, which are common in advertising discourse. Each item is explored in an independent chapter, following the basic procedure of from description of the grammar item, through the ideological function of it to the emphatic case study of sample texts. Each analysis of sample texts basically involves the three dimensions of description, interpretation and explanation. By analysing each of these grammatical or textual features in the sample advertising texts, this study finds that each feature represents its own implicit attitudinal meanings or world-views, which serve the power relations between the participants in advertising discourse, and further reflects the hegemonic struggles and changes in ideologies.Suggestions of this study involve further explorations in the updating of both paradigms and levels of analysis, systematic comparative study of ideological representations both in English and Chinese advertising discourse, and the study of cultivating the readers'critical awareness of language in general as well as of advertising discourse.