Semiotic Analysis of Pakistani Clothing Brands Advertisements using Barthes’ Theory

Authors

  • Muqddas Shahzadi University of Okara
  • Amina Maqbool University of Okara

Keywords:

Barthes’ theory, linguistic message, non-coded iconic, coded iconic, symbolic, denotative/connotative analysis, clothing advertisement

Abstract

The language of signs is used to convey the meaning through indirect method which is often symbolic. Semiotics is the study of signs, and it helps to interpret the symbolic connotations of the signs. The signs used in the advertisements not only attract the customers but also present the norms and customs of society. This study aims to conduct the semiotic analysis of the clothing brands advertisements to unveil the use of signs in order to convey deeper meanings. Barthesian theory of semiotics is used as the research framework as it covers all the desired aspects needed for such kind of analysis. For this research, the advertisements of Pakistani clothing brands are selected, and all the three messages mentioned by Barthes i.e. linguistic, non-coded iconic and coded iconic are analyzed denotatively and connotatively. The researchers used both the male and female clothing brands advertisements for conducting the analysis. The study found the cultural representation of Pakistani society in these advertisements. Moreover, the advertisers use the dominant signs which have a direct impact on the public. They try to manipulate the consumers by linking their products with the social norms and cultural practices of the Pakistani society.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adams, Y., Matu, P.M., & Oketch, O. (2014). Multimodality in Safaricom Advertisement Communication in the Kenyan Daily Nation Newspaper. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 3(6), 403-409.

Afisi, O. T. (2020). The Concept of Semiotics in Charles Sanders Peirce’s Pragmatism. Trends in Semantics and Pragmatics, 271-274. Afrin, S., & Muniruzzaman, S. M. (2020). Image Becomes Language: Media And Capitalism In Barthes’ Rhetoric of the Image. European Journal of Literary Studies, 2(2), 1-11. Ali, S., & Ullah, Z. (2015). Semiotic Insight into Cosmetic Advertisements in Pakistani Print Media. International Journal, 2(1), 689-705.

Azim, M. U., Hussain, Z., Bhatti, A. M., Iqbal, M., & Chohan, M. N., (2017). Caught between ‎the extremes: A comparative study of state owned news channel and a private news ‎channel. Hamdard Islamicus, 40(2), 301-314. ‎

Baltzly, Dirk (2019) "Stoicism". In Zalta E. N. (ed.), the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring Edition). Stanford University.

Barthes, R. (1977). Rhetoric of the Image: Image Music, Text, Ed. and trans. Stephen Heath, New York: Hill and Wang.

Barthes, R. Image-Music-Text, trans. S. Heath (1964); rpt. London: Wm. Collins Sons and Co., pp. 32-51. 1977.

Barthes, Roland (1964) Elements of Semiology, publ. Hill and Wang.

Barthes, Roland (1972) Mythologies, (A Lavers Trans.). New York: Jonathan Cape, Ltd. (Original work published 1957).

Bhatti, A. M., Azhar, M. A., & Jalil, M. K. (2020). Hybridity in TV Commercials constructing the ‎modernity: A critical discourse analysis approach. Competitive Social Sciences Research ‎Journal (CSSRJ), 1(1), 39-59‎

Bignell, J. (2002). Media Semiotics: An Introduction. Manchester New York: Manchester University Press

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2022, March 21). Roland Barthes. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Roland-Gerard-Barthes

Chandler, D. (2002). Semiotics: The Basics. London: Routledge.

Cook, G. (2001). The Discourse of Advertising. London And New York: Routledge.

Danesi, Marcel (2010a). The History of Philosophy as Semiotic Process: A Note on John Deely’s Monumental Four Ages of Understanding, (178), 23–37.

Danesi, Marcel (2010b). Semiotics of Media and Culture in Cobley, Paul (ed.) The Routledge Companion to Semiotics, London and New York, Routledge Taylor and Francis Group

Durant, A. & Lambrou, M. (2009). Language and Media. London: Routledge.

Dweich, Z. A., & Al Ghabra, I. M. M (2020). Birth and Growth of Semiotics. International Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, 10(4), 269-276.

Henault, Anne (2010) The Saussurean Heritage, in Cobley, Paul (ed.) The Routledge Companion to Semiotics, London and New York, Routledge Taylor and Francis Group.

Hugh. (December 21, 2009). The Rhetoric of the Image – Roland Barthes (1964). Traces of the Real.

Hussain, A., Pathan, H., & Shah, W. A. (2021). Semiotics Analysis of Food and Beverages Billboards in Hyderabad, Sindh. Journal of Literature, Languages and Linguistics, 81, 1-11.

Iftikhar, M., & Islam, M. (2017). Construction of Female Identity in Pakistani Television Commercials (November, 2015-April, 2016): A Semiotic Analysis. Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies, 14(1), 81-110.

Iftikhar, M., Aziz, F., & Latif, F. (2011). Femininity in Pakistani Advertising: Portrayal of Gender Relationships & Islamic Values in Pakistani Television Commercials. Pakistan Journal of Islamic Research 21(1), 19- 32.

Isfandiyary, F.H. (2017). The Aspects of Semiotics Using Barthes’s Theory on A Series of Unfortunate Events Movie Poster (Doctoral dissertation, Diponegoro University).

Kalsoom, I., & Ali, O. S. (2019). A Critical Discourse Analysis of Language Used in Advertisements of Fairness Products in Pakistan, Journal of New Media and Mass Communication, 86, 18- 25.

Keller, Simon (2000) An Interpretation of Plato’s Cratylus, Phronesis, XLVI4, koninklijke Brill, PP. 284-305

Kilbourne, J. (1999). Deadly Persuasion: Why Women and Girls Must Fight the Addictive Power of Advertising. New York, NY: Free Press.

Leeds-Hurwitz, W. (1993). Semiotics and Communication: Sign, Codes, Cultures. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum associates, Publishers.

Mahmood, H., Arif, S., Tariq, R., & Yazdani, N. Y. (2022). Semiotic Approach Towards Analyzing TV Advertisements: A Critical Discourse Analysis. International Journal of Management Research and Emerging Sciences, 12(2), 102-133.

Manetti, Giovanni (2010) Ancient Semiotics in Cobley, Paul (ed.) The Routledge Companion to Semiotics, London and New York, Routledge Taylor and Francis Group

Modrak, Deborah K. (2001) Aristotle’s Theory of Language and Meaning, University of Rochester, Cambridge University Press

Moin, M., & Fatima, M. (2021). An Educational Insight of Media Discourse in Pakistani Print Advertisements: A Semiotics Study. Pakistan Journal of Educational Research, 4(4), 257-266. Mustafiz M. (2019). Semiotic Study on Bangladeshi Clothing Brands Advertisements. The World Association of Scientists and Professionals, 2(12), 182-195.

Oehler, Klaus (1987) An Outline of Peirce’s Semiotics, in Krampen, Martin et al., Topics in Contemporary Semiotics: Classics of Semiotics, New York, Plenum Press.

Okuyama, Y. (2016). Japanese Mythology in Film A Semiotic Approach to Reading Japanese Film and Anime. London: Lexington Books.

Patel, N. C., & Bhutiani, S. R. (2018). A Semiotic Approach Through Print Advertisements: The Changing Indian Urban Male. Global Observations of the Influence of Culture on Consumer Buying Behavior, 146–170. IGI Global.

Peirce, C. S. (1940). Justus Buchler. Philosophical Writings of Peirce.

Peirce, Charles. (1902). The Basis of Pragmatism, Harvard: Harvard University Press.

Sathvika and Rajasekaran. (2021). A Visual Analysis of Advertisements in Feminism: Logics and Illogicality. International Journal of Social Science and Human Research, 04(08), 2176-2180.

Sathvika, R., & Rajasekaran, V. (2022). A Semiotic Analysis of Saussure and Barthes’s Theories Under the Purview of Print Advertisements. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 18(1), 386-396

Schramm, Wilbur, and Porter W. E. (1982). Men, Women, Messages, and Media: Understanding Human Communication, Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., New York, U. S. A.

Seung, T. K. (1989). Kant’s Conception of the Categories. The Review of Metaphysics, 43(1), 107-132.

Shaikh, M., Bughio, F. A., & Kadri, S. A. (2015). The Representation of Men and Women in Advertisements: A Critical Discourse Analysis. The Women-Annual Research Journal of Gender Studies, 7, 108-141.

Short, T. L. (2007). Peirce’s Theory of Signs. Cambridge University Press. Syahdini, R. Z. (2019). Semiotic analysis of l’oreal Paris advertisement (Doctoral dissertation, Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim).

Syakur, A. A., Rusdiawan, R., & Sukri, M. (2018). Text of Cigarette Advertisement: A Semiology Study of Roland Barthes. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Culture, 4(3), 72-79.

Umberto Eco. (1979). A Theory of Semiotics. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Williamson, J. (1978). Decoding Advertisements; Ideology and Meaning in Advertising. London: Marion Boyars. Yakin, H. S. M., & Totu, A. (2014). The Semiotic Perspectives of Peirce and Saussure: A Brief Comparative Study. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 155, 4-8.

Downloads

Published

2024-05-10

How to Cite

Shahzadi, M., & Maqbool, A. (2024). Semiotic Analysis of Pakistani Clothing Brands Advertisements using Barthes’ Theory. Competitive Linguistic Research Journal, 5(1), 21–47. Retrieved from http://clrjournal.com/index.php/clrjournal/article/view/22