Linguistic innovations in a multilingual digital advertising context in Tanzania: a translanguaging perspective

ABSTRACT

This paper explores linguistic innovations from commercial banks’ digital ads in Tanzania. Using translanguaging theory in analysis, this study unravels various linguistic innovations employed by advertisers in a bid to persuade potential clients. Data for this study were screen-captured from the banks’ Facebook accounts by using Microsoft’s Snip & Sketch app. A thorough analysis of 90 ads was accomplished through document review. The findings institute several linguistic innovations such as the use of multiple languages. Some of them extend beyond the advertising policy. Others are code-switching, adoption of foreign words, slang and idiomatic expressions, blending, truncation, vowel lengthening and denominalisation. These findings bring to surface dramatic linguistic transformations in physical and virtual advertising spaces from mid-2000s to early 2022 in Tanzania. It is contended that the prospect of digital advertising vis-à-vis linguistic innovations in Tanzania is projected to thrive further as long as advertisers tally with global advertising trends and linguistic dynamics.

KEYWORDS:

• Digital ads
• Facebook
• linguistic innovation
• translanguaging
• Tanzania

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 In this paper, the terms ‘linguistic innovation’ and ‘linguistic creativity’ are used synonymously.

2 Codeswitching and code-mixing are treated interchangeably in this study.

3 Burna Boy is a popular Nigerian music artist.

4 This elongation has been adopted from the song by Whozu, Rayvanny and Ntosh Gadi whose lyrics are: muda wetuuuu wa kukimbilia mbele ‘our time to run forward’

5 Wananchi is a nickname for Young African Sports Club. It was conceived when the club began collecting contributions from members and the public in general to support the wellbeing of the club. Hence, it was referred to as it belonged to the citizens.

6 Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair, previously known as Sabasaba, is a trade fair which takes place on 7th July every year. Initially, it was a Farmer’s Day, and it was known as Sabasaba holiday. In Kiswahili, saba means ‘seven’. Thus, Sabasaba is a reduplication of saba, since it takes place on July 7th every year.