Convergence of English in Russian TV commercials
2005; Wiley; Volume: 24; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1111/j.0883-2919.2005.00433.x
ISSN1467-971X
AutoresІрина Петрівна Устинова, Tej K. Bhatia,
Tópico(s)Swearing, Euphemism, Multilingualism
ResumoAbstract: Russian TV commercials are under the influence of Western advertising discourse. The presence of English and an English-Russian mix as the main source of linguistic creativity is a salient feature of Russian TV commericals. Three fourths of commercials shown on Russian TV during the last five years employ a bilingual mix. English is present in abundance in many structural components in the layout of Russian commercials, especially in brand name, name of the company, logo, wrapper, and attention-getter. Creativity is also observed through using structural patterns influenced by English, exploiting multiple meanings and ambiguous interpretations, using literary devices and figures of speech, as well as employing social meanings and connotations. The English usage in commercials is explained by functional, social, and psychological reasons: English serves as an external code to attract the attention of the customers, as a source of cross-cultural creativity and as a marker of Westernization, internationalism, modernization, innovation, and prestige.
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