문화 DNA를 기반으로 한 한국어·영어 광고언어의 의미 구성 방식 비교

초록

This study examines differences in the cultural modes of meaning construction in Korean and English advertising language based on the concept of cultural DNA. Drawing on existing comparative cultural theories, six core dimensions of cultural DNA were identified: communication style (high- vs. low-context), social values (collectivism vs. individualism), thinking patterns (holistic vs. analytical), worldview (situationism vs. essentialism), modes of persuasion (experience-based vs. logic-based), and time orientation (polychronic vs. monochronic). A semiotic analytical framework based on Barthes' (1957/1991) theory of signification was employed to analyze twelve Korean- and English-language advertisements produced within the past decade. The advertisements were selected from corresponding product categories, and their linguistic signs were analyzed through the stages of denotative meaning, connotative meaning, and the myths and ideologies associated with cultural DNA. The findings indicate that Korean-language advertising tended to construct meaning through relational contexts, whereas English-language advertising organized meaning around individual agency and product functions. Korean-language advertisements emphasized high-context communication and relational values at the connotative level, encouraging audiences to participate in meaning construction. In contrast, English-language advertisements presented low-context expression and individualistic values through explicit information delivery beginning at the denotative level. These differences were further represented through the stages of connotation, myth, and ideology. Some advertisements also combined different cultural DNA elements rather than representing a single cultural category, suggesting that cultural meanings in advertising language are constructed through multiple cultural dimensions depending on the communicative context. This study reconstructs cultural DNA as an analytical framework for advertising language and combines it with Barthes' semiotic framework to examine the cultural processes of meaning construction. The findings demonstrate the usefulness of integrating comparative cultural perspectives with semiotic analysis in understanding how cultural meanings are represented in advertising discourse.

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