Virgin Blue on the e-speak bandwagon

The register of this text is maintained as relatively informal through the use of popular and well known initialisms with e-communicative origins, as well as the adjectival colloquialism “rad”, and the lexically flexible “like” utilised in conjunction with the intensifying adverb “totally”. Although this text is presented in a written mode, the aforementioned factors which contribute to the text's informal register also render it to resemble a more spoken mode of language. This is also exemplified in the use of commas. In speech, they would signal pauses, given the speaker time to think whilst holding the floor.

It is likely that the audience are not accustomed to encountering text of such an informal register in an advertisement, therefore the use of this language functions to encapsulate and maintain the viewer's attention as it has a comedic or novel effect.

The lexeme “like” serves an unconventional and often stigmatised purpose within this text. In contemporary times, it has acquired more versatile functions and is used pervasively in English. When functioning in one of its several non-tradition uses in English it is considered completely grammatically incorrect from a prescriptivist point of view. Despite this assertion, “like” works effectively in this context as a focus marker to emphasise the most important information.

The use of “like” in this context is a relatively universal element of non-standard English, as are the initialisms OMG and LA. However, the natures of emphasising adverb “totally”and the trendy, modern adjective “rad” are inherently American. They are both features of a sociolect known as “Valley Girl” which originated in the 1970's and faded out during the 90's. That which was dubbed as “ValSpeak” was characterised predominately by the idiolects of affluent Southern Californians. While it is true that some aspects of Valspeak have escaped the confines of SoCal and permeated a multitude of non-standard variants of the English language (such as ours), it could be argued that the choice to utilise these particular quantifiers were in fact designed to be an intentional reflection of the destination of LA which the text advertises.

Inference is born through the author's expectation that the audience will be capable of recognising and deciphering meaning from the two relatively contemporary initialisms; “OMG” and “LA” which appear in the text. The presumption and subsequent inference is highly reflective of the ever-increasing pervasiveness of newly coined neologistic initialisms such as those which appear in the text. By adopting an informal tone through utilising these lexemes, the author is embracing the ongoing permeation of the English Language at the hands of features within the e-communication mode of language. It could be argued that this functions to develop rapport with the audience, as well as lessen the social distance between a large corporation and a younger demographic.

The abbreviation of what was presumably intended to read “December 1st” can be attributed to the need for an economised text in which features which can be ascertained from contextual cues are ellipsed. In this context, the omission could have been necessitated by the size and content restraints on the advertisement. However, it could have also serve a dual function in aiding in the consistency of the informal register.

The phrase “Every day a new idea takes off” which accompanies the Virgin Australia logo is a clever play on the figurative connotations associated with the compound verb “take off”, which appears frequently within the semantic field of things airline related. The lexical ambiguity of this verb and its subsequent range of connotations enables the audience to decipher the author's intention that the phrase be interpreted metaphorically. Though the same epiphany could be reached by considering the logical impossibility of a hypothetical construct “idea”, physically “taking off”.

The use of the two logos and their respective phrases ensures that the advertisement is capable of appealing to both an international and Australian audience, thus broadening the potential scope of the commercial and rendering it accessible to a wider demographic.

The imperative statement featured at the bottom of the advertisement functions to maintain the equilibrium between the formal and informal components which constitute the text. It counteracts the joviality and playfulness conveyed in the crux of the text and serves as a reminder to the advertisement's primary function (which is presumably to attract customers)