ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces how language can be broken down into units—sounds, letters, words, and phrases—and how each unit contributes to the consumer's understanding of the language used in brand communications. It examines different types of meaning and their distinctive roles and impact. The chapter explains three areas of linguistic inquiry—psycholinguistics, sociolinguistics, and semiotics—as they relate to our understanding of language in strategic brand communications. Young children study language in school, particularly grammar and vocabulary, long after they have started to speak their native tongue. The ability to express oneself fluently before formal education results from an implicit understanding of language that individuals develop beginning in early childhood. A morpheme is the smallest unit of language that carries information about meaning or function. The chapter discusses the two general types of meaning: semantic and pragmatic. Sociolinguistics examines how language reflects and contributes to societal dynamics and interpersonal relationships.
