A Study of Interactional Metadiscourse and Its Persuasive Function in Advertising Discourse

Abstract

Advertising plays an indispensable role in spreading information and it highly influences and persuades consumers to act in a variety of ways. This paper investigates the distribution and use of interactional metadiscourse in Cosmopolitan in 2022, as well as analyzes the role they play in the construction of persuasion. A total of 50 advertisements were included, and both qualitative and quantitive methods were used in the analysis. Based on the classification model of interactional metadiscourse proposed by Hyland (2005), this study calculated the frequency of interactional metadiscourse in ads and explained how the author used these metadiscourse markers to interact with consumers. Results revealed that attitude markers and engagement markers appeared most frequently. It means advertisers are primarily focused on consumers, as they are effective means of persuasion. The study concluded that interactional metadiscourse successfully fulfills its persuasive function and contributes effectively to the success of ads.