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Theses and dissertations (Arts and Design)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/8

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    Analysing visual culture in selected Pentecostal church advertisements in Nigeria : a case study
    (2019) Agbede, Grace Temiloluwa; Makombe, Rodwell; Mheta, Gift
    Using a multimodal framework, I analyse and appraise discursive and visual elements used in billboard and poster advertisements by Pentecostal churches in Nigeria. Pentecostalism is one of the most rapidly growing movements in Nigeria with approximately 40 million adherents. It is also amongst the most radical denominations which divorces followers from the cultural and spiritual ties which bind them to African societies. Some scholars believe that the phenomenal growth of Pentecostal churches in Nigeria poses a challenge to mainline churches in the country. This is why it is important for academic studies to be undertaken to investigate this movement’s strategies of disseminating the gospel. The study employs a qualitative case-study approach to examine the language (written and visual) of church advertisements in Nigeria. Since Christianity is a belief system based on Biblical teachings, this study also investigates how the Christian belief system manifests itself in the language of advertising. Purposive sampling was employed, and data were collected from posters and billboards. The linguistic and visual elements of the selected data were analysed in relation to the cultural context of church advertising in an attempt to determine the role of such sociocultural influences on communication. The study shows that Pentecostal churches employ different strategies to convey their messages to target audiences. These include the use of extensive visual multimodal techniques; brevity (fewer words and more visuals); prophet-centrism; problem-solving as attraction; Biblical allusion; use of sociolinguistic features; the exclusion of women as advertisers; and the use of computer language. Importantly, as a new contribution to knowledge, the study proposes an Afrocentric model for analysing visual culture in church advertising – a model which is a first of its kind. The Bible and Jesus Christ, as focal points for Christian belief, constitute the foundation of church advertising. Other strategies for advertising derive from this foundation, although each advertisement differs depending on how each church and/or man of God interprets specific Biblical teachings.
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    Stylistics in advertising : a comparative analysis of selected bank advertisements in newspapers and magazines from South Africa and Nigeria
    (2016) Agbede, Grace Temiloluwa; Makombe, R.; Makhubu, R.L.
    This study investigates how language is used to communicate meaning in bank advertisements. It also examines stylistics in advertising with specific focus on selected bank advertisements in South African and Nigerian newspapers and magazines. Stylistics is a branch of linguistics which studies the principles, and effect of choice and usage of different language elements in rendering thought and emotion under different conditions of communication. Advertising is a form of communication used to help sell products and services. Adverts are not only designed to fascinate, but also to achieve their persuasive goal. This study shows how language is used in bank advertisements to convey messages to the public. The stylistic elements employed in the analysis of bank adverts included graphology, phonology, lexis, syntax and cohesion. The use of capitalization and repetition for emphasis, phonemes and Gothic writing to attract the attention of readers and images to stimulate customers’ aspirations were some of the findings of the study. Given that studies on language use are still of high interest to linguists, this study critically interrogates the effectiveness of language choice in bank advertisements. The conclusion is that stylistic devices are important in advertising as they attract customers to the services and products being advertised.