International Brands: A Postcolonial Critical Discourse Analysis

Yagouta Beji

Yagouta Beji Higher Institute of Languages of Gabes, Department of English, Gabes University, Tunisia

Keywords: postcolonialism, critical discourse analysis, Fairclough model, brand taglines

Abstract

This study investigates the language of the taglines used by 100 brands to advertise for their products and the relation of the linguistic representation with the postcolonial identity that is envisaged to be constructed afterwards. The work uses Fairclough’s 1992 critical discourse analysis framework which is composed of the textual description of the discourse chosen first, then the interpretation of the discursive practices encapsulated in the case study and thirdly, the evaluation of the sociocultural meanings and ideas supported by the discourse. The corpus analysis points to the existence of an aspirational messaging and emotional appeal. It also highlights the ideas of a brand differentiation and a value proposition granted by the brands. The idea of the interconnectedness between the product and self-esteem realization fostered the consumerism effect and stressed the importance of technological advancement in a globalizing material world. Industrialization effect on the East-West relation is still encrypted in the post-colonial representation of the producer-consumer relation of knowledgeability, and hence, supremacy and dominance.

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