Language pollution on billboards is a phenomenon that poses a major threat to linguistics integrity and cultural heritage. This issue showed via incorrect language use, wrong vocabulary, spelling mistakes and slang expression. This will have an impact on language education and cultural identity.
Existence of new vocabulary in advertisements aligns with globalization growth which accelerates evolution that ignores linguistic rules. Historically, billboards have been a medium to convey clear and concise messages to audiences.
Shift towards a highly sensational and attractive language will spoil the Malay Language grammar standards. Although there are laws from the local responsible agency to use Malay language exactly and correctly , this law is often looked at with one eye. Even if there is enforcement, the action is only seasonal.
Grammatical errors are one of the most prominent examples of language pollution on signs. Such errors confuse readers and lead to the erosion of language skills, particularly among schoolchildren who are still developing linguistic competence.
There is no doubt that advertisements have limited space to describe everything, but there are numerous vocabulary possibilities that can be substituted without taking away from the original meaning of the advertisement. For example, there are billboards with “anniversari". vocabulary. The right term is "anniversary.".
Spelling mistakes on billboards can have serious consequences for both the companies involved and the public's view of their brand. Billboards are a type of advertisement that aims to capture people's attention quickly and efficiently.
A spelling error not only diverts attention away from the intended message, but it also undermines the business's professionalism and credibility. For example, a restaurant that offers a "gourmet menu" but misspells it as "menu gourmet" raises concerns about their attention to detail.
Furthermore, in today's digital age, such errors cause the content to spread swiftly on social media, badly impacting the product or service. Mistakes on billboards can be widely circulated, garnering mockery and harming corporate reputations.
This can cause potential clients to lose trust in the firm. As a result, resolving issues quickly and transparently can help to reduce errors. Indeed, efforts to emphasize the necessity of quality control in all modes of communication should be expanded.
The usage of slang and nonstandard language on billboards is becoming increasingly widespread. While this can make adverts more targeted to specific audiences, it reduces the formality of the wording.
The normalization of vulgar language in public places results in no obvious distinction between the formal and informal registers. This complicates language learning and causes confusion in professional settings.
Language pollution on billboards has a substantial impact on language teaching. Educators seek to develop right language skills in children, but the appearance of wrong language in public spaces undermines this endeavor.
Students are exposed to language versions that do not adhere to educational standards, making this challenge difficult for educators.
Language is the most important cultural identity. Language pollution that appears on advertisements can weaken cultural heritage, as the language used in advertisements often prioritizes commercial interests over linguistic rules.
This shift caused the loss of linguistic diversity and the weakening of cultural ties maintained through language. The use of a mixed language between Malay and other languages makes billboards not support the national language.
The use of clear and proper language in public settings promotes social cohesiveness by ensuring that all members of the community understand the message. Language pollution on billboards will impede communication, particularly among non-native speakers and those with poor reading levels. This will create social divisions and prevent community togetherness.
From a commercial standpoint, language pollution can harm brand image. Companies that fail to use appropriate language in marketing are viewed as unprofessional or negligent.
This might result in a loss of consumer trust and brand loyalty. As a result, consumers have the choice of switching to different products and services.
Language pollution on billboards is a problem that needs to be solved holistically from a number of angles. It is advisable for advertisers to give importance to grammatical precision and clarity, possibly through the engagement of linguists in the composition of billboard copy.
To guarantee higher quality standards, regulatory agencies or authorities may set rules for the language used in advertisements. The critical problem of language pollution on billboards has an impact on national cohesion, cultural legacy, and language instruction.
Language development is unavoidable, but linguistic integrity must be preserved in public discourse by upholding standards. By taking care of this problem, we can make sure that billboards serve their intended promotional function without sacrificing the correctness and richness of the Malay language.
WRITER DR NORFAIZAL JAMAIN & NUR AFIFAH ABD RAHMAN HALAWA, Department of Malaysian Languages and Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya. Can be contacted via email
This article is translated from the original Malay article. It is the author's personal view and does not necessarily represent the view or official position of RTM.