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An Investigation of the Use of Language, Social Identity and Multicultural Values for Nation-Building in Malaysian Outdoor Advertising

Author

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  • Siti Nor Amalina Ahmad Tajuddin

    (Department of Communication and Media, Faculty of Languages and Communication, Sultan Idris Education University, Perak Darul Ridzuan 35900, Malaysia)

  • Noraini Zulkepli

    (Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Languages and Communication, Sultan Idris Education University, Perak Darul Ridzuan 35900, Malaysia)

Abstract

The mass media in the form of advertising is extensively employed in the process of nation-building in Malaysia. Advertising has been used as an important tool for educating the public about State issues, ensuring diverse cultures are equally represented and the multicultural values are emphasized to the fullest. The objective of the present study is to investigate how outdoor advertising, particularly billboards, promotes the language, social identity, and multicultural values of Malaysian society for nation-building. In Malaysia, the extensive use of advertisements has been argued as one of the most powerful mechanisms to enhance Malaysian identity, foster interactions and thus contribute to the process of nation-building even though it is portrayed in a banal and routine way. To achieve its objective, this paper utilizes semiotic methodology to examine 11 billboards to understand the relationships between texts and visuals that communicate messages to the public. The findings revealed that the billboards do not only communicate pro-social messages, but also reflect the language, social identity and multicultural values of Malaysian society towards nation-building. This study expands the work of outdoor advertising within the Malaysian society and contributes to Semiotic Analysis by examining textual-visual elements of billboards.

Suggested Citation

  • Siti Nor Amalina Ahmad Tajuddin & Noraini Zulkepli, 2019. "An Investigation of the Use of Language, Social Identity and Multicultural Values for Nation-Building in Malaysian Outdoor Advertising," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-10, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:8:y:2019:i:1:p:18-:d:196844
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Michael J. Carter, 2014. "Gender Socialization and Identity Theory," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 3(2), pages 1-22, May.
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    Cited by:

    1. Szymon Chmielewski, 2020. "Chaos in Motion: Measuring Visual Pollution with Tangential View Landscape Metrics," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-21, December.

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