Linguistic Imperialism

In his ’92 disquisition, Linguistic Imperialism, Robert Philippson defined English linguistic imperialism as

“The dominance asserted and retained by the establishment and continuous reconstitution of structural and cultural inequalities between English and other languages.”

Philippson saw Linguistic Imperialism, as the forced administration of a language over one people, at the hands of another, a demonstration of power if you would; showcasing the military and economic might of the acting party.

However, economic and military brawns are not sufficient on their own to expand and secure the boundaries of one’s influence. Linguistic Imperialism, succeeded in serving as the perfect tool of empire as it brought upon aspects of the dominant culture along with the language, thereby securing itself amongst those foreign to it.

In our modern Anglophone society, a prime example of linguistic imperialism would be popular culture. Based on the tastes of ordinary people, popular culture acts as the conglomeration of the global mainstream, permeating every level of society.  As such, popular culture has come to dictate most aspects of our everyday life, In particular how we converse and the language in which we do so. As a young child, my familiarity with the English language was foremost through television, radio and the Internet. Surrounded by these influences on a daily basis I was enveloped by the English language and despite the fact that Hindi was my native tongue, English soon became my preferred method of communication. The inevitable drawback to this though was that Hindi steadily phased out of my life as it served no use to me and I wasn’t exposed to it on a regular basis.

Now on a personal level, the gradual withdrawal of my native tongue did not bear any dire repercussions on my person. However, was this to happen to an entire community or people, that is when a problem would arise, for then the language and the culture it embodies faces the likelihood of being permanently phased out, as it no longer serves any use.

Luckily, with over 182 million speakers, Hindi is far from this calamity. However the fortune of a thriving speaking populous cannot be attributed to all languages and with the renewed prominence of English in popular culture in part to mass media it should come as no surprise that nearly half the world’s 6,500 languages face extinction.

Processed Bovine Waste... Native Advertising

Over the past decade, cooperate influence in the media has steadily grown more, and more prominent.

As a result, the distinction between editorial content and advertising has grown increasingly blurrier. And this issue, had become especially problematic in regards to the news.

Dwelling in such an information rich society, we are exposed to countless advertisements on a daily basis. As such, many individuals grow accustomed to the constant barrage of commercial endorsement, and advertisers are left with the challenge of breaking through the noise and captivating their attention. This is where native advertising comes into play.

At its very core, native advertising is simply the masquerade of advertisements as legitimate new stories. Seemingly normal pieces of content are stamped with tiny disclaimers and contain messages that are often blatant endorsements.

A superb example of this would be an article released last year by the New York Times on the subject of Women Inmates.

The feature, written by Melanie Deziel, was about women in prison and its intended audience as one might expect were the readers of the New York Times and presumably those interested in the article’s subject matter.

Now, the sincere nature of the article, coupled with its use of statistical claims and statistics, casts it as a serious piece of journalism, however in reality, it is nothing more than an elaborate paid post.

As the disclaimer at the very top of the article highlights, the article is a promotion for the second season of Orange in the new Black. And one might ask, why the advertisers choose to showcase the show in such a manner.

The article dwells into a matter very similar to the plot of the TV show it’s advertising, and in many regards acts as a twisted call to action. Having read the article, readers are left wanting to follow through and subtle references scattered throughout the text hint to a solution; watch Orange is New Black.

Now, this post acts as a more positive example of native advertising: the reporting is real and the sponsored branding is kept to low.

However, not all advertisers are so lenient, and this form of advertising has compromised the integrity of the news, as consumers can increasingly not tell the difference between what is credible information and mere cooperate jargon.

Recent studies further support this and show that less than half of visitors to news sites could distinguish native advertising from actual news and of course they can’t because native advertising, is supposed to blend in.

Food Crisis in the Sahel

Paper 1 – Text 2:

Analysis:

At first glance one might suspect, ‘Food Crisis in Sahel,’ an article released late 2011 on the Oxfam website, to be nothing more than your typical informative, charity piece. However upon closer inspection one would find that it were truly an advertisement for the Oxfam charity. While the article is no doubt informative, it structure closely follows that of the ‘Problem/Solution’ trope, a staple that has come to define modern advertising. This theme is particularly evident, through the construction and order of the article; “Emergencies, Food Crisis in Sahel, The situation in Sahel” and "What Oxfam is doing.” In presenting the article in such a manner, Oxfam’s efforts are cast in positive light and as the solution to the growing crisis in the African region. Besides this technique, the article employs a number of others, which can be examined under the lenses of Audience/Purpose, Content/Theme, Tone/Mood and Style/Structure.

From the article’s use of language, outlook on western Africa and format, one can infer that its target audience would be those already interested in Oxfam and who originate from more economically developed countries. Once may reach this conclusion on account of the lack of personal, more intimate terminology throughout the text, coupled with the knowledge that charities on a whole depend on the contributions from able benefactors. This would suggest that the audience is not from the same region as the article but one that is more well to do. Finally, the goal of the article as might suppose, is to inform readers of the situation in Sahel and in doing so persuade them to donate towards Oxfam, in support of their ‘noble’ efforts in the region.

The text denotes the likelihood of an upcoming food crisis in the Sahel region of West and Central Africa and divulges a number of statics and facts to support its claims. The article opens with a brief introduction, catching the reader up on the ongoing situation in the Sahel and Oxfam’s stance on the matter. Following the introduction, further context on the region is provided, in addition to a number of bleak predictions appertaining to the effected nations.  The use of riveting adjectives and expressions in these sections; "early warning systems," "crisis", "dangerous" and "vulnerable," cater towards the sense of urgency, provoking a response or call to action.

Building of this notion it is then interesting to note Oxfam’s actual work in the region, which the article provides only a single example of, ‘co-op vegetable gardens program.’ Aside from this, all the other works mentioned are only goals and what the charity hope to achieve. This then acts as a superb example of a ‘so what?’ claim, as a bulk of the article is composed of mere aspirations and little of what Oxfam have already accomplished. Despite this the tone of the article is one of confidence and a surety and is supported by the many statistical facts throughout the piece. These straightforward statements such as, "we will be reaching" and "vulnerable populations can be protected" assure the audience and cast Oxfam in confident, secure light.

The main literary devices utilized in the article are logos, pathos and ethos. As the article opens, the reader is met with words such as like ‘humanitarian aid,’ and ‘vulnerable,’ examples of ethos, as ethics and moral beliefs are drawn on to coax the reader.  Further manipulation is used in the placement of these phrases. For example the line "if early and effective action is not taken" is purposefully set before "costly to lives and livelihoods". The effect of this is that it vests the responsibility of taking action upon the reader, placing them in a moral dilemma and through the use of ethos encourage them to do what is right.  In the second paragraph ‘The Situation in Sahel,’ the reader is presented with a number of demographics, an example of logos as it assures the reader of the legitimacy of the article. Furthermore, the article presents a number of plausible arguments to support its claims and this combination of statistics and feasible arguments, seals Oxfam’s reputable status while imbibing the reader with the sense of urgency.

The final passage makes use of both logos and pathos to sway the reader. The prime example of this would the article’s use of the pronoun ‘we’, tugging on the reader emotional strings as it draws them in as part of the solution. Furthermore the article states that "300,000 children die from malnutrition-related diseases in a 'non-crisis' year," an example of pathos, as the mention children is far more likely to incite an emotional response. The placement of this sentence at the end of the article causes it to be the final image the reader is left it. With such a negative image instilled in their mind; one of children suffering, the reader is subsequently far more likely to offer any assistance.

The structure of the text is fairly coherent. The article opens with a visual of an elderly woman riding a donkey in an arid wasteland, presumably the Sahel region. The desolate, dry nature of the picture’s setting would suggest that the woman is not in a very fortunate position. In addition, the very fact that she’s traveling and in all likelihood moving, would suggest that her situation is not preferable and that she has been displaced. Pictures often acts as effective means to convey emotion as they provide a 'face' the viewer can relate and identify with and many times text alone is not sufficient to make such a lasting impression. The same intelligible font is used throughout the text, however different fonts are used for the headings, drawing the reader’s attention to them.

In all, the stylistic and grammatical choices culminate in an effective piece that engages the reader on a personal level and in doing so coerces them into supporting the Oxfam charity.