Sociolinguistic Investigation of Consumer Advertisement in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper investigates consumer advertisements in Nigeria from a
sociolinguistic perspective. It revisits some definitions of sociolinguistics
and advertisement as well as the functions and types of the latter. Related
studies are reviewed to set the research in perspective. The ethnographic
approach is adopted for the study with advertisement samples drawn from
selected Nigerian print and electronic media using Nigerian Pidgin, English
and Yoruba languages. The study reveals that consumer advertisements are
analyzable in ethnographic terms as they constitute a part of the
sociolinguistic realities of the Nigerian society.