This document summarizes a thesis that analyzed the use of English language in advertisements in Guadalajara, Mexico. The study found that 40% of ads used English phrases, while large corporations sponsored over 56% of ads containing English. Overall, the research indicates that while linguistic imperialism is not fully established in Guadalajara, the use of English in advertising is increasing and reflects its growing status as a lingua franca.

1. English Advertisement spaces: and similar in
size: Do they reflect linguistic imperialism in
Guadalajara, Jalisco?

2. English Advertisement spaces: and similar in size: Do they
reflect linguistic imperialism in Guadalajara, Jalisco?
Erika del Carmen Partida Velasco
Thesis adviser: Dr. Adriana R. Galván Torres
University of Guadalajara
Major in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language
Date: May 25th, 2012

3. Focus of the Study
 English linguistic imperialism reflected in the
metropolitan area of Guadalajara : taking into account the
areas of Tlajomulco de Zúñiga , Zapopan and
Guadalajara as such.

4. Objective
 To analyze the preference and, establishment of English
language in the use of some advertisement spaces and
similar in size in Guadalajara.
 The significant data sample was taken from Lopez
Mateos Avenue /Circunvalacion División del Norte/
Circunvalación Oblatos.
 Take into consideration the sponsors promoting English
language in advertising.

5. Theoretical Framework
 Robert Phillipson develops the concept of linguistic
imperialism in 1992 and the premise that supports the
validity of this concept is quoted as:
“ The dominance of English is asserted and maintained by
the establishment and continuous reconstitution of
structural and cultural inequalities between English and
other languages” ( Phillipson 1992:47 ).

6.  A newer version of this concept was released by
Phillipson named linguistic neoimperialism. However,
the author has not defined the time limits of a clear
theoretical framework in contrast to the first concept.
 Nevertheless, it is relevant to present the key words that
Phillipson (2009) highlights in linguistic neoimperialism :
 “English being reconceptualized, from an imperialist tool
to being a multinational tool. English may need to be re-
examined precisely from the point of view of being post-
imperial ” (Phillipson 2009: 56).

7.  Furthermore, it is important to mention the concept of
lingua franca, since it provides a wider perspective of
English language and its international status.
 The definition was proposed by UNESCO in 1953,
which defined the concept of lingua franca as “a language
which is used habitually by people whose mother tongues
are different in order to facilitate communication between
them’’.

8.  Adapting the concept to the purpose of this research, a
lingua franca serves the purpose of a status in a language
of wider communication. In the case of English language,
it serves the purposes of an intranational lingua franca in
a large number of countries.
 Therefore, lingua franca can be defined as the status of a
second language used internationally in specific areas,
such as: politics, economy, news, the media ,advertising
etcetera.

9. Methodology
 The research deals the collaboration of qualitative
(collection of advertisement spaces using English) and
quantitative procedures (determining the type of English
use and sponsors promoting them).
 Furthermore, it is crucial to state that the study is
supported on the basis of a case study research
methodology, bearing in mind a case study basis its
research in the collection and presentation of detailed
information about a particular matter, in this case English
language affecting today’s life perspective.

10.  To prove English linguistic imperialism, a previous
gathering of visual data collected (English advertisement
spaces and similar in size) was categorized in a
preliminary scenario:
• Full Use of English: 31 %
• English and Spanish Use: 12 %
• English predominating over Spanish : 4 %
• Spanish predominating over English: 53 %

11. English Typology
 After that, two main classifications were designed to
obtain more detailed results. Additionally, each
classification presents a sub classification:
English linguistic use Sponsors
One hundred percent English Large corporations
English sentences Independent business
English phrases Schools
English words Other
Table No. 1

12. Data Collection
 A total of 129 advertisements were found including
English and Spanish ones. From this number, 30 of them
were written in English.
 The announcements were classified in a linguistic
instrument as previously mentioned, including:
• English linguistic use
• The sponsors promoting these advertisements : Once
the advertisements were categorized according to the
linguistic category, a second category emerged focusing
on the most relevant sponsors appearing on them.
 Additionally, the final numbers of these advertisements
were divided in different percentages which confirmed
defined results presented in graphs according to the
categories above.

13. Results
Linguistic use of English
•One hundred percent English: 40 %
•English sentences: 3.3%
•English phrases: 43.3 %
•English words: 13.3%
Sponsors
(Including the total percentage of the
linguistic uses in these areas)
•Large corporations : 56.6 %
•Schools: 1.7%
•Independent business : 40 %
•Other: 1.7 %
Table No. 2

14. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
One hundred
percent of
english use
English
sentences
English
phrases
English
words
Linguistic Percentage of
English Use
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Largecorporations
Schools
Independent
businesses
Other
Chart No.1
Chart No.2

15. Conclusion
 English linguistic imperialism starts to gain importance
and it has been sponsored mainly by large corporations
and wit the preference of using it in English phrases,
followed in a minimal difference with One hundred
percent English Use.
 To conclude, it is crucial to state that fact that Linguistic
imperialism itself has not been deeply established but
that it starts to gain relevance in advertising by using
English language.

16.  Generalizing, this research shows a present use of
English as a lingua franca, but there is an opening door
in linguistic imperialism in specific arenas such as
advertising.