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English in advertising in Colombia
Author(s) -
MARTINEZ FRANCIA
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
world englishes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.6
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1467-971X
pISSN - 0883-2919
DOI - 10.1111/weng.12163
Subject(s) - advertising , documentation , context (archaeology) , sociology , media studies , function (biology) , history , linguistics , business , computer science , philosophy , archaeology , evolutionary biology , biology , programming language
ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to show and analyze the presence of English on commercial signs in Colombia, a predominantly Spanish‐speaking country from the Expanding Circle (Kachru 1985). It also explores the use of pop culture and social media images and references, as well as the proliferation of copycats or quasi clones in commercial ads (Kasanga 2010; Bolton 2012). The analysis and two small surveys reveal that the presence of English seems to have mainly a decorative and symbolic function, accompanied on occasion with whimsical humor. This paper aims to contribute to the documentation of English in advertising in the Colombian and South American context.