The Contrastive Study on Discursive Construction of Identities and the Adaptation in Cosmetic Advertising

Abstract

Discursive strategies are often used in cosmetic advertisements to construct different discursive identities in order to enter larger markets. Based on the graphic advertisements, the article reveals the dynamic selection and construction of discursive identities and their dynamic adaptation in the foundation advertisements of international brands and national brands. It is found that the cosmetic advertisements employ textual features to construct three discursive identities: one explicit identity for marketing purposes and two implicit identities: friend identity and expert identity. Based on the theories of discursive identity and linguistic adaptation, the article explores the dynamic discursive identities in this kind of advertisement discourse and analyzes the ways to dynamically adapt to the psychological, social and physical worlds of the discourse receivers.