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Journal of English Linguistics
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"Aren’t We Proud of Our Language?"

Authenticity, Commodification, and the Nissan Bonavista Television Commercial

Ruth King

York University, Toronto, Canada

Jennifer Wicks

University of Toronto, Canada

This article involves an analysis of a television commercial set in rural Newfoundland, Canada in which the main actor’s performance of Vernacular Newfoundland English is accompanied by subtitles consisting of ostensibly humorous nonparallelisms rendered in Standard English. The discursive strategy employed by the ad’s creators, of highlighting difference, "others" the character and by extension actual speakers of the local variety. The appearance of the commercial on national television resulted in intense debate, particularly in Newfoundland and to some extent in mainland Canada. A video parody responding to the original commercial and an online discussion of the issues on a variety of Web sites are also analyzed. The debate focuses on (in)authenticity (in particular, on who has the right to perform the vernacular) and on the commodification of regional language and culture in media representations.

Key Words: authenticity • Canadian English • commodification • Newfoundland English • parody • television commercials • tourism and discourse

This version was published on September 1, 2009

Journal of English Linguistics, Vol. 37, No. 3, 262-283 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0075424209339924
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S. Clarke and P. Hiscock
Hip-hop in a Post-insular Community: Hybridity, Local Language, and Authenticity in an Online Newfoundland Rap Group
Journal of English Linguistics, September 1, 2009; 37(3): 241 - 261.
[Abstract] [PDF]