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Title CRITIQUING THE ECOLOGICAL CONCERNS: A STUDY OF PAKISTANI MEDIA DISCOURSE FROM AXIOLOGICAL-COGNITIVE LINGUISTICS PERSPECTIVE

Author(s) SABAH SHAFIQUE

Abstract Advertisements announcing various ecological concerns or green advertisements are prevalent which draw attention towards the investigation of their verbal and visual modes of communication. The study focuses on the value study, analyzes the language of Pakistani print advertisements from ecological point of view and critically evaluates the reflected ecological concerns of the advertising companies in general sense. It adopts axiological-cognitive linguistics perspective since it accommodates the doctrine of values from cognitive linguistic perspective. The main aims are: to study values; highlight metaphors, metonymies, image schemas and colors for their role in encoding of ecological values; and to investigate how advertisers utilize or exploit the cognitive tools for reflecting ecological concern. The categories extracted via inductive approach of the content analysis; conservation, reduction, renovation, saving, environmental protection, eco-friendly, natural, preservation, ecological, recycling and nature are the dominant ecological values found in the selected discourse of advertisements. The advertisements by NGOs and government campaigns are spreading environmental consciousness; therefore marked as greening while the other companies selling products are promoting consumption in disguise of ecological concern; therefore regarded as greenwashing with exception to the advertisements of National Bank of Pakistan and Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited. The striking resemblance in linguistic encoding of the ecological values for both greening and greenwashing advertisements is quite thought-provoking which highlights manipulation and exploitation of cognitive tools by advertising companies. The most commonly exploited ecological value in selected sample is eco-friendly which suggests contesting and revising Pakistani media discourse of advertisements at linguistic levels. The study was delimited to the ecological perspective for advertisements but the axiological parameter could have been extended or replaced by Critical Discourse Analysis to gain more insight into the manipulation and power play by these NGOs and government campaigns.

Type Thesis/Dissertation

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Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2020-12-24

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