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Techniques of speech influence in the final part of the promotional video for online courses

Ashan Laizina

PhD in Philology

Postgraduate student, Department of Russian language, Tomsk State University

634050, Russia, Tomsk, Lenin str., 36

1375486401@qq.com

DOI:

10.25136/2409-8698.2024.4.70436

EDN:

PCAQIK

Received:

12-04-2024


Published:

07-05-2024


Abstract: Due to the growing number of online courses, authors have to use more and more speech impact techniques in promotional videos to attract listeners and induce them to take action. Advertising video, being an independent speech genre, having a stable composition and certain content, as well as a set of specific linguistic features, requires special study. The aim of the study is to identify the optimal linguistic techniques of RW in the final part of the promotional video for online courses accompanying linguistic educational resources. 117 promotional videos for Massive Open Online Courses in Russian language posted on the open platform were used for the analysis. The main methods and techniques used are: the method of scientific description and stylistic and contextual analysis. The techniques used in the final part of the speech were singled out, their quantitative analysis was carried out: 1) invitation of the listener to the course, 2) appeal to the goal of the listener or the goal of the online course, 3) appeal to quotations, 4) generalizing conclusion, 5) humorous ending, 6) advice for listeners, 7) containing a call to action, 8) farewell. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that 1) for the first time the promotional video for online courses is considered as a complex communicative discourse, i.e. the synthesis of advertising and educational discourse; 2) for the first time the methods of speech impact in promotional videos for online courses are studied. Promotional videos for online courses presented on the platform "Education in Russian" contain a certain set of RW techniques, mainly used in the final part of the video and characterized by a specific set of linguistic means (mainly verbs) that can be embodied in the speech genres of "Advice" and "Wishes".


Keywords:

advertising video clip, online course, advertising text, speech impact, speech impact techniques, educational discourse, advertising discourse, speech genres, speech genre of advertising video clip, mass open online courses

This article is automatically translated. You can find original text of the article here.

Due to the increasing influence of advertising products on the mass audience, advertising is increasingly attracting the attention of researchers. This article discusses an advertising video that serves as a means of familiarizing the listener with a massive open online course (hereinafter referred to as MOOC) and is one of the types of advertising that can have a speech effect.

Speech impact is defined as the influence exerted by the addressee on the consciousness and behavior of the addressee in the process of speech communication [2,3,4,12]. The effectiveness of the impact of the advertising text in an advertising video depends mainly on the linguistic characteristics of advertising, making it original and informative.

Since the media are the means of advertising distribution, the advertising text is considered the main means of attracting the target audience [6, p. 1].

Advertising materials can be presented on various media: outdoor advertising, television advertising, online advertising, audio advertising, image advertising, etc.

One of the types of media for advertising information is a video clip. M.I. Sedova characterizes an advertising video in this way: "a dictematically structured text is a discourse, that is, a thematically organized speech, a speech work designed to emotionally impress the recipient in the process of implementing the main functions of advertising" [10, p. 64]. In other words, M.I. Sedova defines an advertising video from the point of view of a communicative and pragmatic approach, as she draws attention to the peculiarities of communication participants, the conditionality of the choice of language units by the topic and the situation of communication.

The promotional video for the online course also has the characteristics of a public speech, among which: a large number of listeners, the presence of a goal, the selection of material, its study and analysis, the preparation of a speech plan, the structural parts of a public speech [7].

It is worth emphasizing that promotional videos can be presented in various formats (course fragments, subtitle, question-answer format, etc.). The format of the video will affect the content of all its parts: for example, if a video clip consists of fragments of a course, the last statements in it do not serve as the final word.

Speakers use various linguistic means and techniques of speech expression in promotional videos in order to convey a message and attract the attention of the audience, thereby encouraging potential listeners to enroll in the course.

Any promotional video for an online course consists of the beginning, the main part and the conclusion. The beginning includes a greeting from the speaker or his address to the audience (or combines both of these elements). In the main part, the speaker usually presents a summary of the course so that students can assess its complexity and understand who it is intended for. The conclusion may contain a call to the audience inviting them to join the course and wishing them success in mastering the course.

All these structural components of an advertising video may contain speech effects. While watching the promotional video for an online course, viewers may miss some important points in its main part or not pay as much attention to listening to information about the course content as they pay to the beginning of the video. For this reason, at the end of the promotional video, the speaker uses speech influence techniques, thus again attracting the attention of the audience or inviting them to enroll in the course.

As a result of the analysis, the following methods of speech influence in promotional videos for online courses were identified, which are found in the final part of the text:

1. Inviting the student to the course (8 examples).

Many linguists who study the language of advertising emphasize that when creating advertising texts, it is necessary to use verbs more often, since they allow you to create an image in the imagination of the consumer [9, p. 123]. Thus, the most common verb used in the videos for online courses under consideration and expressing a call to action is the verb "invite", which functions in the form of the first person of the unit or plural of the present tense. With his help, the speaker encourages listeners to join the course, to perform a specific action:

So, dear friends. I invite you to an exciting journey through the territory of "realism" [8].

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the lecture "Russian Culture and the world" [8].

And, of course, we invite those who love, who appreciate folk speech, who care about the fate of their native language [8].

The use of verbs in the imperative mood is also one of the most common ways to express an invitation:

Watch, listen, and learn new things! The October Revolution of 1917 will become clearer to you [8].

We also note the use of compositional techniques by speakers, in particular, the technique of parallelism:

Watch, listen, record, and most importantly, use it in practice [8].

The series of verbs presented in the examples above models the sequence of actions that a listener can perform after watching a promotional video. These verbs imply the involvement of students in the content of the course, imply the manifestation of their activity as participants in the educational process.

However, researchers have different views on the appropriateness of using verbs in the form of the imperative mood in advertising texts. E.N. Serdobintseva notes that in advertising, the imperative mood should be used cautiously, since it is known that the force of action is equal to the force of reaction. The author believes that the more demanding the command to the consumer will sound, containing an indication of what to buy or choose where to go and what to discover for himself, the more he will lock himself in and try to avoid an advertising message [11, p. 55].

M.A. Bolotina and I.S. Volkova, on the contrary, believe that imperative constructions contain a communicative intention, which is identified by the addressee of the advertising text as a recommendation, request, advice, and not an order or command. In this case, the distance between the addressee and the addressee decreases, as a result of which the effect on the latter is more effective [1].

2. Addressing the listener's goal or the goal of the online course (6 examples).

When preparing and recording an advertising video, the authors pay special attention to its target audience. So, potential listeners are usually interested in what they can get from completing the course, or what results they can achieve. N.N. Kokhtev notes that the effectiveness of speech increases if it is intended not for the audience at all, but for certain groups of people who have their own interests and goals [5]. If the objectives of the course are clearly presented, its creators can attract students with the same requests.

We highlight the individual and general goals of online courses. An individual goal is what the student wants to achieve in the process of studying this course (the goal may be exam preparation, training in certain skills, abilities, etc.):

Do you have a desire to try to do something stunning, incredible, unexpected for yourself? Make your own documentary! [8].

After studying our course, your knowledge of literature will become much more orderly. Stay with us! Use your chance to pass the exam successfully [8].

The overall goal is understood as a clear presentation by the author of the course of its content and results after completion:

Russian Russian is Excellent, we named our course because we are confident that foreign students who have completed our training will successfully study in Russian at Russian universities [8].

It is also necessary to note the language tools used by speakers to increase the motivation of potential students to complete the course. They are expressed by repeating words with the semantics of effectiveness, thereby forming a positive model of success in the listener's mind:

"If you are interested in journalism, if you want to know what kind of profession it is and whether this profession is suitable for you personally, then welcome, our course is just about that" [8].

Both the individual goals that the student can achieve personally and the general goals are an important factor when choosing a particular course. The purpose of the course presented in the promotional video is also what distinguishes it from advertising on other media: for example, in the promotional video, the purpose of its creation is broadcast directly, openly.

3. Reference to quotations (7 examples).

In the promotional video, the speaker quotes a poem or someone's statement, using them to justify the need to complete the course; a quote is also one of the ways to effectively end the text:

The brilliant Albert Einstein said that psychology is more complicated than physics [8].

 I also want to recall the words of the banker Rothschild, he said about 200 years ago that "those who own information own the world" [8].

Nikolai Berdyaev said: "... even if I do not know the meaning of life, but the search for meaning already gives meaning to life." And Father Pavel Florensky: "if the truth can be sought, then it exists" [8].

This technique is based on the position of the mass addressee of the advertising text: it is assumed that the use of well-known quotes in promotional videos for online courses can increase the credibility of the course and its recognition among the addressees.

4. Summary conclusion (13 examples).

The final part of most of the considered promotional videos ends with a conclusion, which can be presented in various forms: so, depending on the topic, it can be appeals, introductory words, etc.:

Thus, Lermontov's text, focused on folklore traditions, forms a special kind of aesthetic reflection in poetic history [8].

Well, finally, and finally, the last, the last, I think this is the most important thing. The whole world, of course, must unite in order to preserve the house in which we live [8].

The group of modal verbs also has a high frequency in promotional videos for online courses:

I hope that the examples and techniques that I will show you will be interesting to you [8].

And we hope that it will be interesting to you [8].

We wish you a successful study! [8]

The speech genre of wishes is also actively used in advertising texts. In the examples given, the verbs hope and wish are the main members in a compound sentence and express the wishes of the speaker.

5. A humorous ending (2 examples).

Humor helps to make speech memorable and can be presented in various ways: for example, the speaker can play with words. The purpose of humor is also to win over listeners. However, using humor is a risky approach, and it can only be successful if it fits the theme. In addition, when using humor, it is necessary to take into account the specifics of intercultural interaction. So, the existing intercultural differences are that people from different cultures may perceive humor differently. Here are the following examples of the use of humorous means in promotional videos:

If a diplomat says "yes", it means "maybe", if a diplomat says "maybe", it means "no", if a diplomat says "no", then it is not a diplomat [8].

They say that Ostap Bender's famous phrase "I will command the parade" became so aphoristically comic that in the charter of the armed forces it even had to be replaced with "I am entrusted to command the parade" [8].

Such examples help to make the course more interesting and engaging for the audience. However, these examples may not always be understood by listeners: for example, representatives of a foreign audience may not know certain cultural realities, whether they are musical compositions or works of art, films and their characters.

6. Tips for listeners containing a call to action (5 examples).

The interest of the audience largely depends on what the information presented has to do with the listeners personally, therefore, in order to maintain the interest of potential students, information must meet a number of requirements, in particular, it must be timely (can be used immediately in practice), close (touch a person's personal space, his "territory", therefore it is better to use examples from the life of the collective to which the audience belongs, or from the sphere of activity of the listeners) [7, p. 4]. Thus, the speaker will give specific advice that is relevant to the life of the students and, depending on the content of the course, to their areas of interest.:

Every day, try to stop running your thoughts at least once [8].

The operator must love his camera, treat it carefully, and then she will paint the very picture that millions of viewers around the world will admire [8].

Write your own fairy tales, and you will gain the invaluable gift of a storyteller, telling fairy tales to everyone, always and for any occasion [8].

Look at the sky more often, and if possible, look higher and higher [8].

In the examples given, verbs belonging to the "Advice" speech genre are actively used, sometimes expressed in the form of an imperative mood: try, write, look, get up. They also contain information that represents the consequences of following these tips: write fairy tales, and you will gain the gift of a storyteller; if the operator loves his camera and treats it carefully, then she will paint a picture that will be admired by millions.

7. Farewell (1 example).

Another possible conclusion in the promotional video is a farewell. Instead of saying goodbye directly, the speaker can use the phrase "see you soon" to express confidence that all students will come to the course:

See you soon at the course "Digital linguodidactics in the light of the development of artificial intelligence technologies" [8].

Despite the fact that the element of farewell is one of the main structural components in rhetoric, examples of its use are found only once among the 117 videos reviewed in the analyzed videos on the Education in Russian platform.

 

Techniques of speech influence in the final part in promotional videos

Example

Inviting a student to the course

8

Addressing the purpose of the listener or the purpose of the online course

6

Referencing quotes

7

Generalizing conclusion

13

A humorous ending

2

Tips for listeners containing a call to action

5

Farewell

1

 

Conclusion

An advertising video is an independent speech genre, has a stable composition and a certain content, a set of specific linguistic features.

Promotional videos use various linguistic means and techniques of speech expression to convey a message and attract the attention of the audience, encouraging potential listeners to enroll in the course.

All structural components of an advertising video may contain speech effects. At the same time, at the end of the promotional video (conclusion), the speaker uses speech influence techniques more often, thereby motivating the audience to enroll in the course.

Among the methods of conclusion that are found in the considered promotional videos for online courses, the following are highlighted: 1) inviting the listener to the course; 2) addressing the purpose of the listener or the purpose of the online course; 3) referring to quotations; 4) generalizing conclusion; 5) humorous ending; 6) tips for listeners containing a call to action; 7) farewell.

The most common technique in the final part of the promotional video for online courses is a generalizing conclusion.

 The linguistic means of implementing the described techniques included:

verbs expressing a call to action, used in the first person singular or plural form of the present tense; verbs in the imperative mood; modal verbs.

 In addition, in the final part there are elements of different speech genres: advice (expressed in the form of verbs, sometimes presented in the imperative mood; often the speaker's statements contain information representing the consequences of following these tips). Wishes (presented in the form of verbs expressing the speaker's wishes).

The perspective of this study is: 1) the study of speech effects in the initial and main parts of an advertising video; 2) consideration and comparison of the implementation of speech effects in advertising videos for online courses in various disciplines.

References
1. Bolotina, M.A., & Volkova I.S. (2012). Imperative as a means of influence in the texts of social advertising (On the material of Russian and English languages). Vestnik Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, 2, 7-12.
2. Vlasyan, G.R. (2007). The nature of speech influence. Vestnik of Chelyabinsk State University, 20, 31-34.
3. Zheltukhina, M.R. (2004). Specifics of the speech impact of tropes in the language of the media. Dissertation of Ph.D. in Philology. Moscow.
4. Issers, O.S. (2017). Communicative strategies and tactics of Russian speech. Moscow.
5. Kokhtev, N.N. (2013). Fundamentals of oratorical speech: Textbook. Moscow: Flinta.
6. Kulikova, E.V. (2009). Advertising text: linguistic methods of expressiveness. Vestnik of Nizhny Novgorod University, 6(2), 276–282.
7. Levchaeva, N.V. (2015). Public speaking as an effective means of improving the quality of student learning. World of Science and Education, 1, 9.
8. A.S. Pushkin State Institute of Russian Language. (Ed.). (2015). Education in Russian. https://pushkininstitute.ru.
9. Salynova, O.V. (2017). Morphological features of advertising text: Comparative aspect. Foreign languages. Linguistic and methodological aspects, 38, 122-126.
10. Sedova, M.I. (2014). Promotional video. Science and School, 2, 64–67.
11. Serdobintseva, E.N. (2016). Structure and language of advertising texts: Textbook. Moscow: Flinta.
12. Shelestyuk, E.V. (2014). Speech influence: Ontology and research methodology: Monograph. Moscow: Flinta.

Peer Review

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The list of publisher reviewers can be found here.

The article presented for consideration, "Techniques of speech influence in the final part of an advertising video for online courses", proposed for publication in the journal "Litera", is undoubtedly relevant, in which the author turns to the study of manipulative advertising strategies. The article under review examines an advertising video that acts as a means of familiarizing the listener with a massive open online course and is one of the types of advertising that can have a speech effect. As a result of the analysis, the following methods of speech influence in promotional videos for online courses were identified, which are found in the final part of the text. It should be noted that there is a relatively small amount of research on this topic both in domestic and foreign linguistics. Thus, the article is innovative, one of the first in Russian linguistics devoted to the study of such issues. The article presents a research methodology, the choice of which is quite adequate to the goals and objectives of the work. The author turns, among other things, to various methods to confirm the hypothesis put forward. The methodology uses specific methods of linguistic analysis, including comparative conceptual analysis, semantic analysis and content analysis, as well as the methodology of corpus research. This work was done professionally, in compliance with the basic canons of scientific research. The research was carried out in line with modern scientific approaches, the work consists of an introduction containing the formulation of the problem, the main part, traditionally beginning with a review of theoretical sources and scientific directions, a research and final one, which presents the conclusions obtained by the author. The bibliography of the article contains 12 sources published in Russian. We believe that the appeal, including to the works of foreign researchers, could undoubtedly strengthen the theoretical component of the work, including in line with foreign scientific schools. Unfortunately, the article does not contain references to the fundamental works of Russian researchers, such as monographs, PhD and doctoral dissertations. A greater number of references to authoritative works, such as monographs, doctoral and/or PhD dissertations on related topics, which could strengthen the theoretical component of the work in line with the national scientific school. Typos, spelling and syntactic errors, inaccuracies in the text of the work were not found. The comments made are not significant and do not affect the overall positive impression of the reviewed work. The work is innovative, representing the author's vision of solving the issue under consideration and may have a logical continuation in further research. The practical significance of the research lies in the possibility of using its results in the teaching of university courses on the theory of discourse, as well as courses on manipulative language strategies, as well as courses on interdisciplinary research on the relationship between language and society. The article will undoubtedly be useful to a wide range of people, philologists, undergraduates and graduate students of specialized universities. The article "Techniques of speech influence in the final part of the promotional video for online courses" can be recommended for publication in a scientific journal.