This course investigates the intricate relationship between language and advertising through the lenses of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), Social Semiotics, and Multimodal Discourse Analysis. Students will explore how language and visual imagery are used in advertising to persuade, inform, and influence audiences. The course covers key theories and methods for analysing the linguistic and visual elements of advertisements, revealing how these elements work together to create compelling and ideologically charged messages. By engaging with these frameworks, students will develop critical skills to analyse and produce effective advertisements, enhancing their understanding of the role texts and images play in the advertising industry.

Although these theories share common foundations and are interconnected, each offers distinct perspectives and methodologies, addressing different aspects of communication. SFL provides a linguistic foundation; social semiotics broadens the scope to include cultural and social contexts; and multimodal discourse analysis examines the integration of various communicative modes—such as text, images, gestures, and layout—that convey, reinforce, or challenge ideological messages and reveal underlying assumptions and power structures. Special emphasis will be placed on using advertising texts as data to uncover these dynamics. Together, these frameworks offer a holistic approach to understanding the intricate dynamics of language and communication within advertising, providing valuable insights into the interplay of advertising techniques, communicative strategies, and underlying ideological messages. Each theory has applications in various fields, from linguistics and communication studies to media and cultural studies, enhancing the interdisciplinary nature of the course. Through these frameworks, students will gain a deep understanding of how language functions in social contexts, how meanings are created and interpreted through various semiotic resources, and how multiple modes of communication work together to construct ideological meaning in print and digital media ads and related texts.

It is important to stress that although this course largely focuses on the theories of language and visual communication with an emphasis on the analysis of advertising texts, its aims are not purely theoretical. The course is designed to equip students with practical tools and analytical skills that can be applied in real-world contexts. By treating advertising texts as data, students will enhance their understanding of language and visuals and develop the ability to critically analyse and effectively utilise various forms of media and communication in their professional and personal lives.

 

• Explore the representation of narrative and conceptual relations between people, places, and things depicted in diverse texts and images, with a focus on advertising texts;
• Analyse the dynamic interaction between the producer and the viewer of visual imagery, specifically in the context of advertisements;
• Examine the use and significance of modality in both linguistic and visual communication within advertising texts;
• Investigate how information value, salience, and framing are realised through linguistic and visual elements in advertisements;
• Study the theoretical framework of multimodality within a social-semiotic perspective, particularly as applied to advertising;
• Understand semiotic modes, meaning potential, and materiality in the creation of signs, using advertising texts as primary examples;
• Utilise multimodal discourse analysis techniques to uncover hidden assumptions and power dynamics that influence the conveyance and interpretation of information in advertising contexts.

 

1. Communicate clear insights about linguistic and visual structures in advertising texts, the interaction between image producers and viewers, and how producers’ messages and attitudes are conveyed through multimodal compositions during individual oral presentations within group projects;

2. Explore, interpret, and critically analyse language and visual communication in advertising texts (e.g. advertisements, magazine layouts, and websites for promotional materials and advertising campaigns), identifying how images convey contrasting ideological meanings, and presenting a coherent, succinct, and visually appealing analysis through an academic poster and visual essay;

3. Collaborate on a visual essay using an online digital whiteboard and produce a group video focused on advertising texts, applying semiotic and multimodal concepts to assess their manifestation in textual and visual structures, and examining how social and communicative functions are mediated through linguistic and visual semiotic resources;

4. Evaluate peer-delivered video presentations and provide constructive written feedback through online peer reviews.

Lectures will present key concepts and frameworks for visual semiotic analysis, with a special emphasis on advertising texts. Students will be introduced to research methods applicable to this field and explore critical issues related to culture, power, and ideology in advertising. Interactive class activities will include polls, ungraded quizzes, and the analysis of case studies, along with opportunities for students to reflect and engage in discussions.

Assessment is by 100% coursework, consisting of:

• Class participation, discussion and presentation (20%)
• Academic poster (30%)
• Group research project (50%)

A list of required and recommended readings will be provided.