The discursive construction of identity in Chinese-English bilingual advertising: A critical inquiry

Abstract

This thesis examines critically the construction of identity in the site of Chinese-English bilingual advertising with its focus on modern identity of Chinese people, gender identity and national identity. Drawing on the approach of intertextuality within the paradigm of CDA with which cognitive tools of frame, mental space and blending are integrated, it provides an explanatory account of identity construction and its connection to English mixing. Identities of each category are found overall discursively multiple and hybrid, and the use of English has much more polyvalent role than is often assumed in terms of social meaning and the extent to which it may contribute to identity construction. This is claimed to be closely connected with language ideologies at work.