I need essays on langage in advertising!
May 30, 2008 12:27 PM Subscribe
Can anyone direct me toward an essay [preferably vetted] on the use of language in advertising/media?
I really enjoy the work of William Lutz so anything that is remotely similar would be great, however I do not have any restrictions.
Bring it on, please.
I really enjoy the work of William Lutz so anything that is remotely similar would be great, however I do not have any restrictions.
Bring it on, please.
This is a little more broad than you're looking for, but there's a half-hour CBC radio show called The Age of Persuasion about advertising, and they definitely talk about language every so often. You can stream the episodes from that link. There's also a Recommended Reading list that you might find interesting.
posted by pocams at 12:57 PM on May 30, 2008
posted by pocams at 12:57 PM on May 30, 2008
Response by poster: I agree the question is a bit vague, let me focus in more. Basically, I'm interested in the way language is used (technically/grammatically) to persuade the public to buy goods and/or to convince them that the product they're reading a description of is really the product for them.
An example:
"Helps in relieving coughs" The word 'helps' implies that it can aid in relieving coughs but doesn't make any promises. When a consumer sees, "helps in relieving coughs," they are convinced that it will help them, etc.
posted by 913 at 1:59 PM on May 30, 2008
An example:
"Helps in relieving coughs" The word 'helps' implies that it can aid in relieving coughs but doesn't make any promises. When a consumer sees, "helps in relieving coughs," they are convinced that it will help them, etc.
posted by 913 at 1:59 PM on May 30, 2008
Best answer: Here's a website for a Stanford course called "The Language of Advertising." It includes a list of references.
I read a few books on language and advertising for a thesis several years ago, but I don't really remember what any of them were like (and whether they were any good). Regardless, here's a couple of suggestions based on a cursory scan of my bibliography/lit review:
Lars Hermerén, English for Sale: A Study of the Language of Advertising (1999) -- Don't know how easy this is to find, but from scanning my lit review, I think it's right up your alley. He basically does an inventory of the various linguistic/rhetorical features of advertisements, and considers what purposes they might serve.
Torben Vestergaard and Kim Schrøder, The Language of Advertising (1985) -- also probably useful. Also probably hard to find. This one is a comparison of ads aimed at women and ads aimed at men. Combination of content analysis and semiotic analysis, focusing on the language of the ads.
posted by pluckemin at 3:58 PM on May 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
I read a few books on language and advertising for a thesis several years ago, but I don't really remember what any of them were like (and whether they were any good). Regardless, here's a couple of suggestions based on a cursory scan of my bibliography/lit review:
Lars Hermerén, English for Sale: A Study of the Language of Advertising (1999) -- Don't know how easy this is to find, but from scanning my lit review, I think it's right up your alley. He basically does an inventory of the various linguistic/rhetorical features of advertisements, and considers what purposes they might serve.
Torben Vestergaard and Kim Schrøder, The Language of Advertising (1985) -- also probably useful. Also probably hard to find. This one is a comparison of ads aimed at women and ads aimed at men. Combination of content analysis and semiotic analysis, focusing on the language of the ads.
posted by pluckemin at 3:58 PM on May 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
Best answer: You might be interested in the works of George Lakoff and Michael Silverstein. Learning more about discourse analysis in general could also be helpful.
posted by bubukaba at 3:58 PM on May 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by bubukaba at 3:58 PM on May 30, 2008 [1 favorite]
I liked Attack of the Zombie Copy by Erin Kissane, a short, sweet, and wry piece that was the Halloween 2005 "issue" of the web design magazine A List Apart.
posted by XMLicious at 5:55 AM on May 31, 2008
posted by XMLicious at 5:55 AM on May 31, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
All advertising is communication using language. What exactly are you looking for, here?
posted by rokusan at 12:52 PM on May 30, 2008