Abstract
Advertisements, as a distinct register or text type, are characterized by particular patterns of language with underlying meaning of purchasing a promoted product (Toolan, 1988). Thus advertisement is a good example of the creative use of persuasive strategies which can be illustrated through language. This study aims to explore amulet advertisements as examples of persuasive discourse widely found in Thailand. In the Thai context, the advertising of amulets and Buddha images seem prevalent in a wide range of printed media – leaflets, newspapers, magazines, and books. Data for this paper are drawn from three amulet advertisements (collected from March 2005 to March 2007). All of them are taken from Thailand’s best selling printed newspaper – Thairath. The linguistic framework used in this study is Systemic Functional Linguistics, initially developed by Michael A. K. Halliday. Two key aspects of SFL are analysed – context and lexicogrammar strata. Based on the Thai context, three contextual values – field, tenor, and mode are discussed. In terms of lexicogrammatical analysis, the study will focus on an exploration of three metafunctions – textual, interpersonal, and experiential.
Highlights
Buddhism is the main religion of Thailand
In the Thai context, amulet advertisements are prevalent in a wide range of printed media – leaflets, newspapers, magazines, and books
A linguistic analysis of amulet advertisements has yet to be undertaken, especially how the language of persuasion is grammatically characterized in amulet advertisements
Summary
Buddhism is the main religion of Thailand. More than 90 percent of Thai people are Buddhists. The Buddhist elements can be seen through different forms - Buddhist monks, Buddhist items, Buddhist architecture, and religious services. Nowadays the rigour of Buddhist practice has changed. An orthodox understanding of the Buddhist teaching, Dharma, Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses has become corrupted by a superstition-stained belief in the power of Buddhist trinkets, images and amulets in the belief that they will bring luck and protection to possessors. In the Thai context, amulet advertisements are prevalent in a wide range of printed media – leaflets, newspapers, magazines, and books. A number of studies have investigated the role of mass media in the commercially Buddhist materialism (Wongsasuluk, 1993; Pavavimol, 1994). A linguistic analysis of amulet advertisements has yet to be undertaken, especially how the language of persuasion is grammatically characterized in amulet advertisements
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