LINGUISTIC AND IMAGE MANIPULATION IN
COMMERCIAL ADVERTISEMENTS ON BILLBOARDS
A Thesis
Submitted to the English Applied Linguistics Study Program
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
The Degree of Magister Humaniora
By:
RAHMA JUWITA
Reg. No. 8116111016
ENGLISH APPLIED LINGUISTICS STUDY PROGRAM
POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL
i ABSTRACT
Juwita, Rahma. Registration Number: 8116111016. Linguistic and Image Manipulation in Commercial Advertisements on Billboards. English Applied Linguistics Study Program. Postgraduate School, State University of Medan. 2016
The manipulation through advertising has become an issue the consumers are facing on almost a regular basis. This research study analyzes nine visually manipulated print ads that captured from billboards in several Medan city streets. This study is conducted in qualitative descriptive method in which the research analysis is conducted through three levels of analytical framework of Critical Discourse Analysis based on Fairclough that engulf micro level analysis (text description), meso level analysis (discursive techniques description), and macro level analysis (social and cultural phenomena). The research analysis is centered on the description of linguistic and image manipulation in the advertisements, the description of discursive techniques, and the descriptive explanation of ideological assumptions through the social and cultural phenomena that are implied in the advertisements. The results point out that manipulative strategies occur vastly and variously both in linguistic and semiotic aspect such as the major use of declarative, adjectives, disjunctives and pronouns in linguistic aspect; and the major use of symbolical representation, color saturation, illumination, and large size of particular objects in the advertisements in visual semiotic aspect. In addition, the results indicate that the manipulative adverts reproduce certain ideology that relates to social cultural phenomena in people’s life. As the chosen advertisements contain with texts and images that manipulated through the application of digital image editing software to elicit particular effects which make the advertisements look convincing, dramatic and vivid even though they are made-out illusion or fantasy, this research then is able to uncover the hidden messages of the manipulative commercial advertisements that are actually far from the truth and reality about the advertised products.
ii ABSTRAK
Juwita, Rahma. Nomor Registrasi: 8116111016. Linguistic and Image Manipulation in Commercial Advertisements on Billboards. Program Studi Linguistik Terapan Bahasa Inggris. Sekolah Pascasarjana , Universitas Negeri Medan. 2016
iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Alhamdulillah, all the praise, honor and power belong to Allah SWT, for giving the writer blessing, mercy and endless love, especially in the process of accomplishing this thesis. In writing this thesis, the writer was helped by many beloved people and therefore the writer would like to express her greatest gratitude to :
1. My parents (H.M.Yacub Tasim & Hj.Siti Kasih Simarmata) for their unless love, attention, affection & financial support, and my soulmate (Edwin Sidik S.Pd) for his unique affection, sense of humor, bold support, brilliant ideas, & inspiring experiences.
2. Prof. Dr. Hj. Sumarsih, M.Pd, her first thesis advisor and Dr. Anni Holila Pulungan, M.Hum, her second thesis advisor for their guidance, advices, suggestions, affection and patience in supervising and guiding the writer to finish this thesis.
3. Dr. Rahmad Husein, M.Ed., the Head of English Applied Linguistics Study Program and Dr. Anni Holila Pulungan, M.Hum., the secretary of English Applied Linguistics Study Program for the assistance in providing the academic administration while the writer studied in the faculty, especially in the process of completing this thesis.
4. Her thesis examiners, Prof. Dr. Busmin Gurning, M.Pd., Prof. Dr. Sri Minda Murni, M.S., and Dr. Rahmad Husein, M.Ed. for the valuable advices and suggestions.
5. Bang Farid, who has helped her in providing the academic administration.
iv
7. The Head and the employees of digital library and reading room of postgraduate of UNIMED, for providing an opportunity for the writer to conduct the research and helping her in the administration.
8. Her beloved cousins: Noni & Yeni “Ramen Sojoy Naruto” and Dini & Dea “One Piece Café” for their help, hospitability & kindness whenever the writer is in need.
9. Her beloved friends: Syarifah “Ipeh”, Rosa “Bundo”, “Wak” Saleh, “Wak” Rhony Manullang, Vidya, and her classmates, English Applied Linguistics XX-A for the prayer, support, love, laughs and friendship.
10. Those whose name cannot be mentioned one by one for their help and support. Thanks for everything. May Allah bless us. Amin.
Medan, 27 Juli 2016
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CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION & SUGGESTION
5.1 Conclusion
After analyzing the data deliberately, the conclusions are drawn as follows:
o Advertisements should be represented as a continuum of text functions which is
fluctuating between "informing" and "manipulating". There are two forms of manipulation that produced from the linguistic aspects and visual semiotic aspects in the image of the advertisements. Linguistically, commercial advertisements tend to make use of declarative sentences and adjectives in manipulating potential buyers by describing and informing them about the product quality and the advantages or other promising claims of the advertised products through the creative choice of words that are aimed to manipulate and influence the minds of people.
o Through the help of the agent of advertisers who have skill in editing or manipulating
image of an advertisement, the product companies use artificial visualization effects such as symbolic representation, color saturation, illumination and other visual aspects to suggest something about their products without directly claiming it to be true in people’s mind.
o From the manipulation in advertisements through both the use of language and
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products, the companies decide to manipulate the consumers to align the interests of the consumers with their interests and goals.
5.2 Suggestion
After the conclusions of the study are already taken, then, some useful suggestions can be produced as follow:
• It is suggested for anyone who read this research and could be potential buyers to be more mature & aware in realizing which argument of an advertisement is real and which is bad and, if advertisers use fallacies, it’s expected that the consumers know better.
• It is suggested for other researchers to study about the language and image manipulation used in advertisements or any other discourse through the analytical framework of Critical Discourse Analysis.
• It is suggested for other researchers who want to conduct a research by applying Critical Discourse Analysis in other research fields, such as politics, teaching and learning and so on.
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