Persuasive Language in English Print Advertisements: A Stylistic Analysis of Some Selected Newspapers, Magazines, Posters, and Billboards
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Date
2025
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Université Mouloud Mammeri Tizi Ouzou
Abstract
This dissertation adopts stylistic analysis to investigate the stylistic features of English print advertisements using a mixed-method approach. The study is grounded in the principles of linguistic stylistics and persuasive discourse, drawing on Leech’s (1966), Dyer’s (1982), and Shams’ (2020) views on how language constructs meaning and persuasion. It also incorporates Mukarovský’s (1964) and Shklovsky’s (1965) concepts of foregrounding and defamiliarization to explain the memorability of advertising discourse. McQuarrie and Mick’s (1996) taxonomy of figurative devices was adopted as a guiding model, though only their identified figures were applied to classify rhetorical devices, supported by Harris’s (2018) framework for rhetorical analysis.. It has three main objectives: first, to identify the lexical, syntactic, and rhetorical features of advertising language; second, to identify the most frequently used syntactic and lexical features, along with rhetorical devices in selected samples; and third, to compare stylistic patterns across different advertising media, including newspapers, magazines, posters, and billboards. The study combines quantitative frequency analysis with qualitative interpretation, analyzing a random sample of English print advertisements collected from various internet sources. Drawing examples from print media, the research identifies a wide range of stylistic features that contribute to the persuasive function of advertisements. Common syntactic features include imperatives, interrogatives, exclamatory and declarative forms, ellipsis, sentence fragments, and varied sentence structures. Lexically, advertisements often feature adjectives, adverbs, compound words, neologisms, personal and possessive pronouns, as well as culturally embedded terms. Rhetorical devices such as metaphor, alliteration, hyperbole, assonance, consonance, and personification are employed to capture attention and improve recall. The findings show that syntactic devices like ellipsis, imperatives, and simple sentences are especially prevalent, aimed at evoking immediate engagement. Lexical analysis highlights the frequent use of action verbs, adjectives, and personal pronouns to convey urgency and emotional appeal. Rhetorical analysis emphasizes consistent use of metaphor, alliteration, and assonance to enhance memorability. Comparative analysis across media types reveals distinct stylistic tendencies, reflecting how language is tailored to the communicative goals and audience expectations of each platform.
Description
59p. : Ill. en coul. ; (+CD-Rom)
Keywords
Advertisement, Advertising Language, English Print Advertisements, Lexical Features, Media, Rhetorical Devices, Stylistic Analysis, Stylistic Features, Syntactic Features
Citation
Language and Communication