CULTURAL DIMENSIONS IN ADVERTISING Research Paper

CULTURAL DIMENSIONS IN ADVERTISING - Research Paper Example Therefore, the researcher found that a mix of Spanish and English is most effective in these populations, as it mixes accommodation and respect (the Spanish part of the ad) with a positive feeling of linguistic security (the English part of the ad). Meanwhile, in all countries, there is a negative side to advertising. This negative side is that advertising encourages a feeling of inadequacy, and advertising also denigrates traditional social norms. The question that needs to be answered is what are the specific connotations that English convey in the different countries that are covered by the research, and why is advertising considered to be negative in some instances? I. Sociolinguistic Aspects of English Advertising A. In Japan The use of English in the country of Japan is becoming an increasingly popular phenomenon. The attribution of the high number of loan words in Japan dates back to the Meiji Restoration in 1868, in which Japan was transformed from feudal to a modern state by adopting Western civilization (Takashi, 1990, p. 327). There are a high number of English loan words in the Japanese language, much more so than loan words from European nations. English loan words represent 80.8% of Western loan words in Japan, with the other western loan words coming from France, Germany, Italian and Dutch (Takashi, 1990, p. 327). This is because the Japanese study English more than any other foreign language. There is some thought that the Japanese people regard English as representative of something cosmopolitan and international, and modern English words are seen as conveying sophistication and modernity, especially in they are used in advertising. (Takashi, 1990, p. 327). Part of the reason for this is because, before, 1931, English words were used in Japan for new concepts and things (Takashi, 1990, p. 327). Previous studies indicate that Japanese males use English loan words more when talking about academic subjects, as opposed to every day life, while Japa nese females use English when speaking on every day topics, as opposed to academic topics. (Takashi, 1990, p. 328). Other studies indicated that commercials that were aired in European languages, such as English, German, French and Italian, and used Western imagery, such as background music, scenery, and a Western person, conveyed the social values and stereotypes attached to these languages. (Takashi, 1990, p. 328). Still other studies showed that young Japanese girls use English loanwords when they want to appear fashionable. (Takashi, 1990 328). Takashi's (1990) study focused upon the language of contemporary advertising, particularly the usage of English in the Japanese contemporary advertising. The focus was on the use of English loan words in Japanese advertising, with 506 Japanese commercials with English loan words and 413 print advertisements with these loan words. For the purpose of this study, the term â€Å"loan word† denoted any English word that had been morphol ogically, phonologically and syntactically integrated into the Japanese language. The study also delineated advertisements that were aimed at specific populations, such as female, young and old, and sought to discover how loan words were used in these specifically targeted advertisements. The study found a total of 5,556 English loan words