Discurse type

Unit 5 The language of advertising

Lesson 2: Text 2: Advertising as a discourse type

Advertising is a prominent discourse type in virtually all contemporary societies, and I shall assume that you, the reader, like me, the writer, live in a society where it is already well established – or rapidly gaining ground. (It is this assumption which motivates my use of ‘us’.) Because of this prominence, advertising can tell us a good deal about our own society and our own psychology.

Many people decide, when faced with the problem of defining the word ‘ad’, and trying to distinguish ads from similar discourse types, that the crucial distinguishing feature is function, because this is always to persuade people to buy a particular product. They may add that, whatever else it may say, an ad must always contain the name of a product. Yet there are a number of reasons to reject these popular definitions. Firstly, there are discourses described as ‘ad’, which do not sell anything, but plead or warn or seek support. (As I write this chapter, on 15 January 1991, there are ‘commercials’ appearing on US network TV, urging Americans to support their President and troops in Iraq.) Secondly, there are discourses such as poems or songs, which become ads by being used in a particular way (a process which may be reversible, allowing an ad to become a poem). Thirdly, even if the majority of ads have the function of persuading their addressees to buy, this is not their only function. They may also amuse, inform, misinform, worry or warn.

From: Guy Cook, The Discourse of Advertising, 1992

Glossary

• Virtually / v3 t u li; AmE v3 rt -/adv. Almost or very nearly, so that any slight difference is not important.
• Assume / sju m; AmE su m/verb To think or accept that sth is true but without having proof of it.
• Feature / fi t (r)/noun Something important, interesting or typical of a place or thing.
• Reject /r d ekt/verb To refuse to accept or consider sth.
• Plead /pli d/ (pleaded, pleaded AmE also pled, pled /pled/)verb To ask sb for sth in a very strong and serious way.
• Warn /w n; AmE w rn/verb To tell sb about sth, especially sth dangerous or unpleasant that is likely to happen, so that they can avoid it.
• Commercial /k m3 l; AmE k m3 r l/noun An advertisement on the radio or on television.
• Urge /3 d ; AmE 3 rd /verb To advise or try hard to persuade sb to do sth.
• Addressee / ædre si /noun A person that a letter is addressed to.
• Amuse / mju z/verb 1 To make sb laugh or smile; 2 To make time pass pleasantly for sb/yourself.

Comprehension

Exercise 6

Decide whether the following statements are True or False:

1. Advertising is useful in the understanding of our society and psychology.
2. The main function of advertising is to persuade people to buy things.
3. Advertisements always contain the name of a product.
4. Advertising may be used when seeking support in a military intervention.
5. Poems or songs may become advertisements, and vice versa.
6. Advertisements are always amusing.

Exercise 7

Advertisers use a wide range of linguistic resources to make their advertisements work. Match each language resource with