Die intensionele afwyking van die norme van Standaardafrikaans in advertensies

Abstract

The intentional deviation from the norms of Standard Afrikaans in advertising. The visibility of Afrikaans in the market place (media) and the growth of a different type (non-Standard) of Afrikaans in industries such as the music, film, publication industry, et cetera may be indicative of the symbolic and instrumental positioning of Afrikaans in the market place, in contrast to the hostility sometimes experienced in the tertiary education sector. The advertising industry is one such public sphere where Afrikaans is used. Language is used in a distinct manner in different genres which often deviates in a specific way and for specific reasons from the norms of Standard Afrikaans. To classify language as a deviation implies measurement against one or other norm. In the analytical section of this article, the norms (internal, external and universal) of Standard Afrikaans will be applied to print advertising language to motivate the functionality and acceptance of such (strategic) deviation in the construction of a plausible marketing message. Based on the theoretic principles of text linguistics, the intentionality and acceptance of the deviations of the prescribed norms play a significant role in constructing an implied marketing message. This does not imply the acceptance of unintended language errors but intended deviations of the prescribed norms that have a functional (communicative) market-driven role accepted by the intended audience. The study concludes with an overview of the most evident grammatical characteristics of the Afrikaans language in advertising.