The Au Pair Cultural Exchange Program Advertising: A Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract

Advertising is everywhere, and the effects of advertisements on people are notorious. Consequently, through ads, you can convince the audience to follow an ideology or to acquire certain products. The following article examines the au pair cultural exchange program online advertisements from a Critical Discourse Analysis perspective. The article sets out to explore the linguistic features used in the au pair program advertisements that persuade participants to become au pairs and hosts. The analysis was achieved through a three-dimensional framework (Fairclough, 1994; 2001; 2003). This model demonstrates the correlation between linguistic forms, discourse, and social practices. The findings imply that advertisers use different linguistic forms and strategies to persuade Mexican girls from the age of 18 to 26 years old to enroll in the cultural program, as well as US citizens’ families who are persuaded to host someone.