HUMOR AND FEAR APPEALS IN PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS DISCOURSE

HUMOR AND FEAR APPEALS IN PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS DISCOURSE

Author:  M.V. Terskikh

Affiliation:  Dostoevsky Omsk State University

Abstract:  This paper describes and systemizes pragmatic and linguistic peculiarities of appealing to fear and humor as counter-directed strategies of increasing PSA texts effectiveness. The author analyzes statements representing speech genres of warning / threat (appeal to fear) or speech genre of joke (appeal to humor) and defines pragmatic and linguistic characteristics thereof.
Methodology of the research is based upon both communicative and pragmatic approaches, with the method of discursive analysis applied. The author evaluates the effectiveness of both above-mentioned communicative strategies and assesses their viability in the context of PSA discourse.
The author comes to the following conclusions: speech strategy ‘appealing to fear’ is still the main tool for forming a system of values in the mass-consciousness and giving value priorities and guidelines. The idea that we can reach our goal only by provoking strong negative emotions is being gradually replaced by a tendency to propose a desired social behavior pattern by provoking positive emotions and using humor as a tool for eradicating ‘society ailments’. Both strategies (appealing to fear and appealing to humor) are characterized as poly-functional ones having a great potential to influence the target audiences through a set of poly-code tools described herein.

Keywords:  PSA discourse, impact, fear appeal, humor appeal, discursive analysis

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Pages:  155-161