Pragmatic Analysis Of Identity Construction In Food Advertising Discourse:An Adaptation-theoretic Perspective

In verbal communication,identity construction is a pragmatic strategy employed by the speaker to meet his or her practical needs in the dynamic process of discourse production.In advertising discourse,identity construction is an indispensable means for the advertiser to spread specific information about a certain product or service to the target audience so as to affect the audience's ideas and behaviors and achieve marketing objectives.A pragmatic study of identity construction in advertising discourse is thus of great significance not only in theory,but also in practice.The present study adopts Adaptation Theory as the theoretical framework and employs the qualitative research method to analyze the phenomenon of identity construction in advertising discourse.To be more specific,the goal of this study is manifold,including exploring the types of identity constructed in advertising discourse,explaining how the advertiser constructs identity in advertising discourse to adapt to practical needs,and summarizing the effect of identity construction on advertising discourse.The study investigates identity construction in advertising discourse by taking identity as a microscopic concept such as the individual quality of communicators in interaction,not as a macroscopic social category such as role identity in the traditional sociology.Following Simon's(2004)“Self-Dimensional Identity Model'',the present thesis divides identity into two types,namely rational identity and emotional identity.Rational identity constructs an image of self-confidence,objectivity,and professionalism,while emotional identity constructs an approachable image and shows respect for the audience.It can be found that identity construction is a dynamic process.Advertisers need to make choices based on product features and adapt to various contextual variables.Moreover,different types of identity play different roles.Comparatively,the construction of rational identity is product-oriented whereas that of emotional identity is customer-oriented.All in all,the employment of identity construction in advertising discourse adapts to the social development and conformsto the audience's demand.By examining the relationship between advertising discourse and identity construction as well as the contextual variables affecting identity construction in discourse,the present study will hopefully help not only the advertiser to understand the importance of constructing identity or image in advertising discourse,but also the consumer to recognize the types and strategies of identity construction in advertisements.