English in Southeast Asian advertising

Abstract

Abstract This chapter has three primary goals: to account for the salient features of English in Southeast Asian advertising; to show that multilingual language-mixing and script-mixing is a norm and not an exception; and to uncover and explain deep-rooted biases associated with darker skin in the advertising of beauty care products. Following sociolinguistic and visual semiotic approaches, the mechanisms of bias identification and bias construction are revealed via a multimodal interface analysis. The findings of formal and functional aspects of multiple mixing are presented. For our data collection, a structured sampling of print and digital/internet TV ads from the pan-SEA region is carried out. The conclusions drawn are not only valid for SEA advertising, but may also be generalizable for almost any form of international advertising that is rooted in colourism.