A COGNITIVE-AXIOLOGICAL APPROACH TO PRINT ECO-ADVERTISEMENTS IN THE ECONOMIST: THE ENERGY SECTOR UNDER SCRUTINY

Abstract

[EN] In this paper we intend to map out some of the dominant values in print advertisements announcing different types of environmentally friendly products and services from energy (oil, electricity, etc.) and heavy industry corporations. We will analyse the qualities and values explicitly linked to ecological samples through metaphors, metonymies and image schemas and the way in which they are introduced in advertising discourse. To this end, we have selected a corpus of sample advertisements published in 12 editions of The Economist, a well-known, prestigious business magazine. The Lakoffian semantics analysis will be used in order to give us a more reliable estimate of values and metaphorical processes linked to environmental topics as well as an account of the cognitive and discursive means used to denote them.