A study of rhetorical devices used in selected car advertisements in the Namibian newspaper
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Date
2014
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Abstract
The language of car advertising is viewed as unique and completely different from everyday language. The rhetorical elements and unusual linguistic arrangement of words make the language of car advertisement special and unique. This study seeks to examine the rhetorical devices in selected car advertisements, to examine the language used in car advertisements, and to explore rhetorical structure and strategies in selected car advertisements. This is a desk study, whose research was done using existing sources. The research is qualitative in nature, as the collected car advertisements from The Namibian newspaper were critically examined from a rhetorical point of view and subsequently arranged according to brand names. Similarly, slogans from the advertisements were placed next to each type of make or car they belonged to in a table. Forty car advertisements were selected for analysis of rhetorical strategy, language, and rhetorical structure. The selection of car advertisements was based on the availability of car advertisements in the chosen newspaper; in the situation where the advertisement was repeated, a sample of one advertisement was chosen. The samples of car advertisements were taken from The Namibian newspaper dating from January 2012 to December 2012. All forty car advertisements studied were found to entail some of the persuasive moves suggested by Hashim (2010), including establishing credibility, introducing offer, offering incentives, and soliciting a response. The finding contains new moves that are not part of what Hashim suggested. The characteristics and the nature of language employed by most car advertisers in Namibia are slightly different, if conclusions drawn by Hashim are anything to go by. Moreover, Hashim suggested pressure tactics as one of the rhetorical moves in his study. The language used in car advertisements is well crafted. The examined car advertisements were found to contain slogans, aggressive language, comparative, and superlative form. Beyond the persuasive moves suggested by Hashim, commands and directives are other forms of persuasive techniques detected following the analysis of 40 advertisements.
Based on the findings of this study, recommendation is made that further study or research be undertaken into car advertisements to explore rhetorical strategies unique to Namibia. This study is a considerable input to the study of rhetorical advertisement in Namibia.
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A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the Master of Arts in English Studies.
Keywords
Rhetorical devices