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Title Appraisal Narratives of Brands on their Webpage: An Eco-Linguistic Analysis

Author(s) MAHAM MUSTAFA

Abstract iv ABSTRACT Title: Appraisal Narratives of Brands on Their Webpages; An Eco-linguistic Analysis This study ventures into the domains of semiotics and eco-linguistics. The study analyses linguistic devices of appraisal on the web pages of four green beauty brands that are KVD Vegan Beauty, Fenty Beauty, Aveeno, and Juice Beauty. The web pages of these four beauty brands utilize different linguistic devices for appraisal in order to greenwash their products. Stibbe’s 2015 framework is used as a lens to study appraisal and evaluation that is present on the web pages of these brands. In addition to this, it is argued by Stibbe (2015) that stories about an area of life being good or bad are created in the minds of people using these devices which he calls appraising items. Some of the appraising items mentioned by Stibbe (2015) include positively or negatively appraising items that can be explicit or implicit, metaphors, and collocation. The aforementioned linguistic strategies in the discourses have been investigated in this study to see how the appraisal has been constructed. Through the analysis of these linguistic devices, it has been discovered that the four brands construct positive appraisals along the lines of sustainable, natural, clean, and organic. In the study, it is also noted that each brand provides its own perspective on sustainability, natural, organic, and clean. As a result, the positive appraisals that get constructed are consistent with their own ideologies and personal beliefs. Moreover, negative appraisals are constructed by these brands for anything that is not sustainable, clean, organic, or natural. Non-probability purposive sampling technique is used in the collection of data. The study's findings suggest that while many environmental product attributes have meritorious qualities, greenwashing is encouraged and made easily achievable as a result. The study suggests new ways to look at language related to ecological discourse. It further suggests how the creation of negative and positive binaries while talking about environmental issues can have destructive ecological implications. The merits of these green beauty brands have been called into question in this study and the drawbacks that their so-called eco-friendly products and claims can have are highlighted.

Type Thesis/Dissertation

Faculty Languages

Department English

Language English

Publication Date 2023-10-02

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