ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we examined the interaction between language and the media. We saw how interrelated the media are and how they influence one another and the speech community. We now wish to deal with advertising, a form of persuasion which is directed at large numbers of people by means of the media. Advertising, for example, accounts for almost a third of the space in our daily newspapers and for approximately a tenth of the viewing time of ITV, Channel 4 and the satellite television channels, BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting). Many local radio stations are totally dependent on advertising revenue and it is becoming increasingly difficult to take an outing without being reminded that Guinness is ‘Pure Genius’ or ‘Once driven, forever smitten’.
