LINGUISTIC DEVICES USED IN ADVERTISEMENTS AND THEIR IMPACTS: A SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF LOCAL PAKISTANI SHOPS

Abstract

This study attempts to explore the use of linguistic devices, tools, techniques, and strategies in the language of local Pakistani shop signs and advertisements. The language of shop signs and advertisements is deliberately lauded with peculiar linguistic and figurative devices to capture viewers' attention and lure customers. This study employs a qualitative research approach. The data has been collected from local shops in Multan and Khanewal. A total of six shop signs/advertisements have been selected through purposive sampling and analyzed semantically using Leech’s Associative meaning and its sub-types. The findings of the study unveil that a number of linguistic strategies, such as connotative meanings, code-mixing, poetic language, and double adjectives, have been employed by advertisers to make the shop signs and advertisements more captivating for the target audience.