ABSTRACT
This thesis was a stylistic analysis of language use in advertising, a study of advertisements of selected Pharmacies in Enugu state. The main purpose of the study was to explore and discuss the most common stylistic devices used in advertising pharmaceutical products in Enugu state, and to analyse the stylistic features used in advertising pharmaceutical products. The study examined how the English language used in selected advertisements reflects the AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire and Attention) principle of advertising, and it also proposed suitable linguistic styles that can be used pharmaceutical products in advertising. A qualitative research design and an explorative research design were chosen because of the nature of the study. The researcher used a content analysis to analyse the language used in the selected advertising texts. Judgemental and convenient sampling techniques were used to select a sample of 20 Pharmacies advertisements in Enugu state. The study was informed by the Textual Conceptual Functions (TCFs), it was also informed by the linguistic- stylistics theory, the critical discourse analysis theory, and the use of AIDA principles in advertising, that focused on exploring and analysing stylistic and linguistic devices that were employed in the advertisements. The study revealed that advertisers of the selected advertisements used linguistic devices like adjectives, adverbs, nouns, pronouns and verbs, and they also used different designs, colours, slogans, font sizes, font faces, images and others. The advertisements employed the use of stylistic levels such as grammatical, phonology, graphology, lexicology and semantics. The study revealed that advertisers attract the attention of potential customers through the incorporation of the AIDA principles to increase sales through the use of allusion, metaphor, graphic onomatopoeia, allusion, assonance, alliteration, imagery, neologism, affixation, synecdoche, and others. This study is a great contribution to the field of research in the language used in advertising pharmaceutical products in Enugu state in Nigeria.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
• Introduction
This study aims at presenting a stylistic analysis of language use in advertising, namely of a selection of the advertisements of selected pharmacies (Pharmacies) in the Enugu state. This chapter is detailed with information about the background of the study, the problem statement, the research objectives, significance, limitations and delimitation of the study.
• Background of the study
In the past few decades, advances in marketing techniques have triggered the growth of advertising genres. In today’s world, companies deploy a variety of manipulative language devices in order to distinguish their products from those of their competitors, and also to capture the attention of consumers. While products from companies tend to be similar and do not vary much from each other, marketers utilise language to distinguish their products from those of their rivals’ (Foster, 2001). As such in the business world, it is now widely accepted that the employment of language styles in advertising texts can influence consumer behaviour significantly (Verdonk, 2002).
However, despite this widespread acknowledgement, Sells and Gonzales (2002) earlier warn that caution should be taken when applying language styles in different contexts. They argue that different cultures may have different expectations with regards to stylistic choices and the language employed in advertising genres. As such, while a particular style may be successful in one social setting it may have a negative impact in another. Their findings have since been supported by studies, such as those of Agbede’s (2016), Harlinanda’s (2010), and Qiming’s (2008).
Noticeably, starting from 2005 onwards, the work of Sells and Gonzales appears to have rejuvenated the demand for research in language use and stylistic analysis. Ever since Sells and Gonzales’ findings, several notable studies have been conducted. Li (2009) conducted a stylistic analysis of magazine advertisements of the Atkins Chocolate Bar in China, where-as Duboviciene and Skorupa (2014) analysed stylistic features of texts in advertising slogans in Enugu. Eruchalu (2015) analysed stylistic features of billboard advertisements in newspapers in Nigeria, while Agbede (2016) conducted a stylistic analysis of selected bank advertisements in newspapers from South Africa and Nigeria.
Given this background, a critical discourse analysis was employed, where selected Pharmacies advertisements were explored and analysed to discover the stylistic features and persuasive techniques employed. This stylistic study helped in dissecting advertisements, and as such, it could be used pharmaceutical products to link persuasive language to relevant cultural contexts with the aim of increasing sales.
• Statement of the problem
It is now commonly agreed that stylistic analysis helps in dissecting advertisements and, as such, can be utilised to link persuasive language to relevant cultural contexts (Agbede, 2016; Harlinanda, 2010; Qiming, 2008). Sells and Gonzales (2002) earlier warn that, while language use and linguistic styles could work in a particular scenario, they might not work in a different social setting. This, according to Sells and Gonzales (2002), is because language styles can be viewed in different ways, depending on the target audience and social contexts. Skorupa (2014) advises that, before placing an advertisement, an analysis should be done to determine the language use and contextual settings.
However, there has not been any study conducted on the language styles employed by pharmacies in advertising texts in Nigeria. Instead, a few related studies have focused on other issues. Haulofu (2017) conducted a stylistic analysis of the online advertisements of mobile telecommunication companies, while Nepolo (2015) analysed the stylistic features of figurative language utilised by Diescho in his dictums from January 2014 to December 2015. Salomo (2015) undertook a critical discourse analysis of Metropolitan and Sanlam Nigeria’s English print advertisements in The Nigerian newspaper. However, none of these studies explored the language styles employed by pharmacies in advertisements.
Based on this shortfall, the aim of this research was to conduct a stylistic analysis of the language employed in the texts of the advertisements of selected pharmacies operating in the Enugu state in Nigeria. The study established helped in dissecting advertisements, and as such, could be used to link persuasive language to relevant cultural contexts. It could help Pharmacies to consider proposed recommendations when advertising in order to increase sales.
• Research objectives
In order to achieve the main objectives of the research, the study has:
• explored and discussed the most common stylistic devices employed in advertising pharmaceutical products;
• analysed the stylistic features employed in advertising pharmaceutical products;
• examined how the English language used in the selected advertisements reflects the AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action) principle of advertising; and
• proposed suitable linguistic styles that could be used pharmaceutical products in advertising.
• Significance of the study
This study identified and analysed the stylistic features used pharmaceutical products in advertising, and it examined how language is used to convey meaningful and intended messages in different contexts. The study is significant because it specifically analysed the language use in the advertisements of selected Pharmacies in Ongwediva and Oshakati in Nigeria.
This study also serves as a supplement to the existing literature regarding stylistic analysis in advertising in the English language. Entrepreneurs may benefit from the study by gaining information and knowledge on the use of appropriate language in advertising. The findings of this study will broaden entrepreneurs’ understanding of persuasive language, and that of the AIDA principle in advertising. This study also serves as a basis on which future research could be conducted.
• Limitations of the study
This study only focused on a stylistic analysis of the language employed in twenty (20) advertisements of selected Pharmacies only in Ongwediva and Oshakati. There were some difficulties in collecting some of the advertisement texts, and this could have constrained the sample size that was analysed.
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