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Identity and the emergence of South African advertising esperanto: an interdisciplinary approach to multilingualism and the visual in advertising and information copy

an interdisciplinary approach to multilingualism and the visual in advertising and information copy

Stephanie Cawood
University of the Free State
Jaqueline S du Toit
University of the Free State
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Identity and the emergence of South African advertising esperanto: an interdisciplinary approach to multilingualism and the visual in advertising and information copy. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 27(1-2), 81-97. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v27i1-2.1745
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  • Submited: October 18, 2022
  • Published: October 20, 2022

Abstract

There is no formal regulation of language use in the advertising industry to correspond to the
declared commitment to multilingualism in the South African Constitution. A trend in television
advertising, where language diversity, translation, and/or reconceptualisation are circumvented by
conceptualising a visual message devoid of voice-over, is the subject of this article. The purpose
is to consider the extent to which this practice undermines or contributes to the perception of
a homogeneous marketplace and advertising language/esperanto. Visual texts provide a rich
alternative, but carry the inherent burden of the intermingling of text and subtext not conveyed by
means of language. The suggestion is that this global homogenising trend for target audiences,
developed in advertising copy, has since transcended advertising parameters to include all kinds
of copy. Language as marker of culture is being written out of the definition of cultural specificity
as one of the primary means of identifying target audience. By merging their expertise in critical
linguistics, document design and cultural and media studies, the authors offer qualitative and
quantitative data in support of their argument.

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How to Cite
Identity and the emergence of South African advertising esperanto: an interdisciplinary approach to multilingualism and the visual in advertising and information copy. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 27(1-2), 81-97. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v27i1-2.1745

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