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Mass Media and the Linguistic Marketplace

2005; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 30; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1177/0196859905281888

1552-4612

Richard K. Popp,

Media, Gender, and Advertising

This article applies theories of the political economy of language to examine howlinguistic acts in media are used to create distinction by tapping into ideas about the functions of language in society. From this standpoint, language ideology serves as a mode of leverage for media institutions. A discourse analysis investigates press coverage of two texts that have used language in conspicuousways. Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer purportedly introduces children to bilingualism. This bilingualism serves as capital, converted into notions of educational merit and cosmopolitanism, that distinguishes Dora from other children's programs. Mel Gibson's use of ancient languages in The Passion of the Christacts as capital for notions of historical authenticity and mysticism that helped counter the film's critics.