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Научная статья УДК 8142:811.11
DOI10.52070/2542-2197_2023_7_875_71
Исследование дискурса индустрии красоты в общей дискурсивной парадигме
Е. Ю. Мельникова
Международная академия бизнеса и новых технологий, Ярославль, Россия
vinel81@mail.ru
Аннотация. Автор предпринимает попытку исследования дискурса индустрии красоты в общей дискурсивной
парадигме на материале современного английского языка. В статье предлагается точка зрения, согласно которой индустрия красоты обусловливает свою языковую репрезентацию и формирует обширное поле соответствующего дискурса в качестве особой коммуникативной среды с ее специфическими характеристиками и ключевыми параметрами, такими как участники коммуникации, ключевые концепты и ценности, хронотоп, коммуникативные цели, речевые стратегии и жанровая дифференциация.
Ключевые слова: институциональный дискурс, дискурс индустрии красоты, хронотоп, участники коммуникации, ключевые концепты, коммуникативные цели, речевые стратегии, жанровая дифференциация
Для цитирования: Мельникова Е. Ю. Исследование дискурса индустрии красоты в общей дискурсивной парадигме на материале современного английского языка // Вестник Московского государственного лингвистического университета. Гуманитарные науки. 2023. Вып. 7 (875). С. 71-78. DOI 10.52070/2542-2197_2023_7_875_71
Original article
The Study of the Beauty Industry Discourse in the General Discourse Paradigm
Elena Y. Melnikova
International Academy of business and new technologies, Yaroslavl, Russia vinel81@mai.ru
Abstract.
Keywords:
For citation:
In the present article, the author undertakes the attempt to study the beauty industry discourse in the general discourse paradigm on the basis of the modern English language. The author concludes that the beauty industry determines its linguistic representation and forms an extensive field of the relevant discourse as a special communicative environment with its specific features and key parameters, such as communication participants, key concepts and values, a chronotope , communicative goals, speech strategies and a range of genres.
institutional discourse, the beauty industry discourse, chronotop, communication participants, discourse concepts, communicative goals, speech strategies, genre differentiation
Melnikova, E. Y. (2023). The Study of the Beauty Industry Discourse in the General Discourse Paradigm. Vestnik of Moscow State Linguistic University. Humanities, 7(875), 71-78. 10.52070/25422197 2023 7 875 71
INTRODUCTION
Since ancient times, mankind has been striving to preserve external attractiveness and beauty. The standards of beauty have considerably altered over the centuries, since beauty is one of the most changeable and subjective categories. At the moment, the beauty industry is one of the fast-growing areas of human activity, which is inextricably linked with both scientific and technological progress and social changes. The confirmation of this fact is the emergence of a huge number of high-tech cosmetic products, innovative cosmetic equipment, specialized beauty centers and clinics offering cosmetology and aesthetic medicine services, hair salons and nail studios, as well as glossy magazines, mass media programs, social media, video hosting sites, blogs devoted to the beauty industry. Thus, the beauty industry forms an extensive field of relevant discourse as a special communicative environment with its specific parameters, characteristics and markers. The relevance of this study is ensured by modern trends in the development of cognitive linguistic science, in which the functional and pragmatic research of linguistic phenomena is given special attention, in particular different types of discourses and their diversity. Moreover, in our opinion, there is lack of research in the area of the beauty industry discourse, namely, there is no clear definition of its typological status and specific characteristics of the sphere of functioning.
OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the current research is to study the beauty industry discourse as a complex linguistic phenomenon in the general discourse paradigm and to identify the key parameters, namely its communicative participants, a chronotope, communicative goals, key concepts and values, speech strategies and genres.
DATA AND METHOD
The following methods were used for the research:
1. Method of discursive analysis, which made it possible to determine the key parameters of the discourse of the beauty industry in modern English, implemented through certain speech strategies and genres;
2. Method of contextual analysis aimed at identifying the linguistic features of messages in the discursive sphere under study within a certain context;
3. Descriptive and comparative methods, with the help of which the results of the practical analysis
of the studied Language material were presented and analyzed.
The basis of the study is the corpus of 1500 relevant texts obtained by the method of continuous sampling in printed and audio-visual sources, such as advertising brochures of cosmetic products, fashion and beauty magazines, websites of cosmetic companies, video hosting sites and podcasts, websites related to the development of the beauty industry.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
At the present stage of science development, the study of discourse is one of the most productive and perspective directions. It should be noted that the discourse definition is characterized by ambiguity and lack of a unified interpretation, since discourse as a complex communicative and cognitive phenomenon, is being researched in social and humanitarian disciplines such as philosophy, sociology, cultural studies, anthropology, political science.
T. A. van Dijk as one of the pioneers of the theory of text, speech acts and discourse analysis defines discourse in two aspects: in a broad sense, as a communicative interaction between the speaker and the listener in a speech or written form, possessing both verbal and non-verbal components, and in a narrow sense, as an oral or written text [Dijk, 2008].
The Russian researcher, V. N. Babayan, defines discourse as speech activity considered as a purposeful social action, a component of human interaction and mechanisms of consciousness (cognitive processes) [Бабаян, 2010].
In modern science, researchers pay great attention to the study of various discourse types, for instance, political discourse (V. Z. Demyankov, V. N. Bazylev, V. A. Maslova), humoristic discourse (V. N. Babayan, L. A. Tyukina, M. A. Kulinich), pedagogical discourse (T. V. Yezhova, N. S. Zubareva, V. I. Karasik), fashion discourse (A. R. Arakelova, F. L. Kositskaya, A. I. Lysova), whereas the beauty industry discourse remains a little-studied phenomenon within the research literature, despite its much more frequent manifestation in social life as opposed to other types of discourse.
In our study we are committed to the sociolinguistic approach suggested by V. I. Karasik, who gives the comprehensive analysis of the existing definitions of the term "discourse" in his work "Language circle: personality, concepts, discourse" and defines it as the text in real communitive situations, that is open to varios interpretations. The scientist distinguishes two types of discourse: personal (personality-oriented), where the speaker acts as a person revealing all the
richness of his inner world, and institutional (status-oriented), the main participants of which are members of certain social institutions and bearers of certain social status (agents) and people who communicate with them (clients) [Карасик, 2004].
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
THE DEFINITION OF THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY
DISCOURSE
After analyzing a large amount of relevant sources, we consider the beauty industry discourse as institutional status-oriented discourse, which exists within the framework of professionally oriented communication, related to the development of cosmetology and aesthetic medicine technologies, the invention and production of cosmetic products or equipment, the provision of cosmetic services, as well as the protection, evaluation, marketing and sale of beauty products and services by means of texts, audio and video materials in mass media, marketing, advertising and social networks [Мельникова, 2022].
It is essential to note that the beauty industry discourse can also have a personalized form, for example, the conversation of close friends about novelties and trends in the art of makeup.
The distinctive characteristic of the beauty industry discourse is its versatility and variability.
On the one hand, it can be considered as a key component of the advertising discourse, which aims to promote cosmetic products, procedures and services by influencing potential consumers through various types of advertising texts. On the other hand, the discourse under study can be characterized as an independent one, since it covers a wide sphere of social activity and is implemented in a variety of communicative acts within a given sphere.
Moreover, the beauty industry discourse has a clear thematic focus, key concepts, intensive communicating interactions and language markers.
SPECIFIC FEATURES OF THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY DISCOURSE
The data analysis in the process of the current research allowed to identify intensive neologization and professional terminology as specific features of the beauty industry discourse.
In the present work we consider neologisms as words or word combinations which reflect new socio-cultural phenomena and which are new either in their forms or meanings.
The total number of neologisms found in the discourse under study is more than 500 linguistic units that can be divided into several thematic groups (Diagram 1).
Diagram 1. Thematic groups of neologisms in the beauty industry discourse
The findings of the study showed that the neologisms mostly perform the nominative function as they name new phenomena constantly appearing in the beauty industry due to its progressive development and the impact of technology, COVID-19 and societal issues.
Thus, the three most extensive groups of neologisms are represented by words describing new beauty trends, makeup techniques and cosmetic procedures, that are being automatically fixed in the lexical layer of the beauty industry discourse, for instance, hyper-personalization (Vogue) - focusing on consumer intimacy in beauty industry to create a personalized, engaging, and immersive consumer experience, redefined masculinity (Allure) - avoiding gender stereotypes in cosmetics and expanding the range of products and services for men, waterless beauty (Harper's Bazaar) - cosmetic products formulated without water but with various kinds of butter, waxes and oil-soluble active ingredients), fermented beauty (Forbes) - the skincare routine with products containing fermented ingredients such as green / black tea, probiotics or fermented mushrooms, bejeweled beauty (Elle) - make up made with crystal face jewels inspired by the popular TV show "Euphoria", ethereal skin (Marie Claire) - light, airy, and delicate makeup. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly influenced the at-home beauty tech sector giving a giant push to the development of global beauty devices market, which in turn led to the emergence of neologisms, for instance, 3D nail printer (Vogue) - a mini portable smart device that can print any pattern on the nails, 3D augmented reality mirror (Forbes) - a digital mirror that allows customers to try out different makeup products online in real-time mode, skin gym face trainer (Cosmpolitan) - a beauty tool to release tension from the facial muscles and enhance the skin's texture, etc.
The study showed that one of the key features of the beauty industry discourse is its professional language, which generally meets all the requirements applied to professional languages and can be divided in three layers according to Hoffman's classification, namely scientific, professional and consumer's ones [Hoffman, 1985].
The first layer is quite similar to the language used in the field of science and features high concentration of specialized terms, strictly regulated syntax and a significant amount of highly abstract professional vocabulary, for instance:
The botulinum toxin works by invading nerve cells, where it releases an enzyme that prevents muscle contraction. In recent years, scientists have determined that the enzyme binds to specific sites
on proteins called SNAREs, which form a complex in the synapse between nerve and muscle cells (Stanford University).
The second layer, characterized by a low degree of abstraction, a large number of terms and a relatively free syntax, is used by specialists in aesthetic medicine, cosmetologists, hairdressers, nail artists, experienced consumers, for instance:
There are several studies on beauty from within, especially in the last year. It is clear that the gut microbiome influences skin health and look. Probiotics have been associated with acne reduction and improvement in the skin's physical parameters (Cosmeticsdesign).
The third layer of the professional language of the discourse under study is marked by terminological units with low-level abstractions and free syntactic structures. It is used in everyday life by ordinary consumers and sellers in the beauty industry, for instance,
Most people keep their face beautification as a secret but she told about it on Facebook. She made a detailed post about SMAS facelift. She is a beauty influencer and has always believed in Beauty Tech (Cosmopolitan).
KEY PARAMETERS OF THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY DISCOURSE
The study of the beauty industry discourse as a communicative phenomenon formed on the basis of institutional relations, where a person acts as a representative of a certain social group, allows to highlight its key parameters, such as its communication participants, a chronotop, key concepts and values, communicative goals, speech strategies and genres.
Participants of the communication environment of the beauty industry discourse can be divided into the following groups (Figure 1).
The first group "Addressers" includes developers of innovative technologies in the field of cosmetology and aesthetic medicine, manufacturers of cosmetology products and equipment, beauty industry specialists, providing relevant services.
The second group of "Addressees" is represented by direct consumers of cosmetic products and services of the beauty industry.
The third group "Intermediaries" consists of "connecting links" between addressers and addressees, such as sellers of cosmetics products
Figure 1. Participants of the beauty industry discourse
and equipment, marketing companies, advertising agencies, journalists, designers, marketers.
It should be taken into consideration that the communicative interaction of the participants of the given discourse can be both actual and remote, virtual, which is implemented by means of certain text types and has at the same time indirect realization in time and space.
The beauty industry discourse also has a specific chronotope which is defined in sociolinguistics as a unity of time and a prototype place where speech acts of the communication participants occur. Thus, the chronotope of the discourse under study can be a beauty parlor, a nail art studio, a perfumery and cosmetics store, websites of cosmetics companies, glossy magazines dedicated to beauty and fashion, promotional brochures of cosmetics brands, informative catalogues of cosmetics equipment, video blogs of make-up artists, etc.
THE COMMUNICATIVE GOALS AND KEY CONCEPTS OF THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY DISCOURSE
The communicative goal is"a strategic result on which the communicative act is directed"1 [Клюев, 1998, p. 11]. We consider the communicative goals as mental anticipations of the communication participants of the desired result of the communicative act, as well as orientation of consciousness on getting the necessary result.
1 Here and further below the translation is ours. - E. M.
The findings of the study showed that the beauty industry discourse has the following communicative goals:
1. The intention of the addresser to prove to the addressee the significance of the main concepts, namely beauty, youth, health as a major source of confidence and happy interpersonal relationships, as well as a proof of success and financial viability:
Why do we put an age limit on success?
30 Celebrity Hairstyle That Will Make You Look
Younger. You'll want to bring this to your stylist before
your next hair appointment (Harper's Bazaar).
No Shame In Wanting To Look Younger - It Is Natural
And You Might As Well Live Longer (Forbes).
The examples show that for so long there has been a societal pressure on women to aspire to have a more youthful appearance, claiming beauty to be one-dimensional and superficial. This communicative goal is translated by various informational sources such as fashion and beauty magazines, beauty blogs, social media, makeup, skincare and cosmetics brands, profiting off of having women trying to retain a younger, youthful appearance, thus inspiring a fear of getting older and creating a mindset in women that looking youthful gives worth and meaning.
2. The intention of the addresser to demonstrate to the addressee brand new cosmetic products or services and provide the detailed information about their ingredients, effectiveness and benefits:
Figure 2. Key concepts of the beauty industry discourse
Coolsculpting is an FDA-approved treatment used to remove excess stubborn fat. This non-invasive procedure works by freezing fat cells without damaging surrounding tissue (Glamour).
Made with 98% ingredients of natural origin, the Restoring Treatment Oil, instantly soothes skin discomfort (dryness, tightness), nourishes even the most reactive skin, and protects against external aggressors (Clarins).
3. The intention of the addresser to make an emotional impact on the addressee with the help of mediators in order to create a sustainable motivation to purchase cosmetic products or services:
Discover French science-based skincare with FILOR-GA, your new go-to for high-performance anti-aging skincare (Filorga).
The innovative, non-invasive, quick, and painless radio frequency (RF) body treatments help you achieve the body of your dreams (Cosmopolitan).
The existence and development of discourse is impossible without a certain conceptual field. The correlation between discourse and its concepts is mediated by means of such cognitive processes as perception, comprehension and interpretation.
V. I. Karasik defines the concept as a unit of Linguo-cuLturoLogy, "a muLtidimensionaL semantic formation in which vaLue, figurative and conceptuaL sides stand out" [KapacuK, 2002, p. 91].
The key concepts of beauty industry discourse are connected with its key vaLues which are broadcast through communication between participants (Figure 2).
SPEECH STRATEGIES
OF THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY DISCOURSE
Speech strategies impLy pLanning the process of communication depending on the specific communicative setting and personaL characteristics of communicating entities, as weLL as impLementing the devised pLan. In other words, a speech strategy is basicaLLy a compLex of speech actions aimed at achieving communicative goaLs [LittLemore, 2003].
The typicaL speech strategies of the beauty industry discourse are presented by Figure 3.
I. The informative strategy of the beauty industry discourse focuses on providing the addressee with the actuaL information about new cosmetics products, equipment or services, for instance:
Mink Launches 3-D makeup printer: stream your makeup on-demand. The Mink printer is the worLd's first 3D makeup printer enabLing users to bring their beauty content to Life, instantLy transforming images into wearabLe makeup. Designed to be uLtra portabLe and compact, the printer weighs onLy 2.2 Lbs and measures 8'' x 6'' x 4'' (PR Newswire).
A fusion of beauty and technoLogy, Ninu is the Latest breakthrough in scents. The rechargeabLe device Launched at CES 2021 and wiLL save you the endLess hours of wandering into a perfume shop, wondering which scent to choose (The Modems).
II. The instructing strategy is aimed at informing the addressee about the aLgorithms of the use
Figure 3. Speech strategies of the beauty industry discourse
of cosmetic products or conducting a specific cosmetic procedure by means of logical, accurate and stereotypical texts that are characterized by the clear structure, division into paragraphs and sub-sections, targeted at facilitating the text perception and highlighting the main information. The prescriptive nature of the texts is implemented primarily through the use of the infinitive which creates a more categorical expression of motivation, for instance, the instruction for the use of the ampule serum:
1. To get the most out of your ampoule, always apply it on clean, dry skin.
2. For a quick way to pamper your skin, mix a few drops of the ampoule into your moisturizer each morning.
3. When you're doing your makeup, mix ampoules into your foundation to get extra glowing skin (Kiehl's).
III. The evaluation strategy is implemented in the process of forming a high positive assessment of the proposed cosmetic product, equipment or service combined with the use justification.
The anti-ageing treatment, ultra-concentrated in NCEF with revitalising ingredients (vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, coenzymes, amino acids) activates new cells for a clinically proven anti-ageing result (the use justification): skin quality is visibly renewed, the complexion is illuminated, wrinkles are smoothed and the skin's firmness is restored (the final result by means of positive evaluation) (Filorga Laboratories).
IV. The persuasive strategy is directly connected with the communicative goal aimed at proving the importance of key concepts and values of the beauty industry discourse in modern life and the urge to stay beautiful and attractive:
Get to know 50 everyday habits that can make you look younger and be self-confident (Glamour).
V. The motivational strategy creates a positive internal incentive for the consumer to buy a certain cosmetic product or service by means of describing favourable prospects
Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster for Face designed to be mixed with any moisturizer to create a radiant, even, made-to-measure tan. Just 2-3 tanning drops mixed with any face moisturizer, and you're golden! (Clarins)
The motivational strategy is also carried out by methods of comparison, for instance comparison of the past and present characteristics
Innovative ingredients ensure that your skin cells start functioning like young ones and helps to postpone their current age transformation (Lancome).
GENRES OF THE BEAUTY INDUSTRY DISCOURSE
According to G.Y. Solganik, the genre as a linguistic notion is a set of more or less stable characteristics of the texts, including images, universally recognized speech forms, sanctioned by society and the usual ways of combining speech units, speech structures, etc. [Co^raHMK, 1991].
We consider the beauty industry discourse as a new discourse hybrid that exists at the intersection with other types of discourse such as medical, educational, scientific, advertising, legal, commercial, Internet discourse, which in turn determines the variety of its genre forms.
Thus, the speech genres of the beauty industry discourse include the protocol of performing cosmetic procedure, instructions for the use of cosmetic products, webinars on make-up techniques, scientific articles about innovations in aesthetic cosmetology, patent for the equipment manufacture, make-up training manuals, advertising brochure, cosmetics reviews by beauty bloggers, etc.
CONCLUSION
The dynamic development of the beauty industry as a reflection of the political, economic and socio-cultural results in creating an extensive field of relevant discourse as a special communicative environment. The distinctive characteristic of the beauty industry discourse is the variability of its typological status.
The conducted study shows that the beauty industry discourse has its specific features, namely intensive neologization and professional terminology that can be divided into scientific, professional and consumer's layers.
The key parameters of the beauty industry discourse identified during the study are as follows:
1. three groups of communication participants: "Addressers", "Addressees" and "Intermediaries;
2. the main concepts: youth and beauty, while the concept of "beauty" is now closely associated with good health and self-improvement;
3. a chronotop: a beauty salon, a barbershop, a cosmetics website, a makeup and beauty blog, etc.;
4. communicative goals, including the intention to prove the significance of the main concepts , as well as to demonstrate brand new products in order to create a sustainable motivation to purchases;
5. speech strategies: informative, instructing, evaluating, persuasive, motivating. ones;
6. genre differentiation: genre varieties of the beauty industry discourse is due to its intersection with other types of institutional discourse.
СПИСОК ИСТОЧНИКОВ
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REFERENCES
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ИНФОРМАЦИЯ ОБ АВТОРЕ Мельникова Елена Юрьевна
старший преподаватель кафедры массовых коммуникаций Международной академии бизнеса и новых технологий
INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR Melnikova Elena Yuryevna
Senior Lecturer of the Department of Mass Communications International Academy of business and new technologies
Статья поступила в редакцию одобрена после рецензирования принята к публикации
20.03.2023 19.04.2023 17.05.2023
The article was submitted approved after reviewing accepted for publication
