Linguistic Analysis of Gender Representations in Magazine Advertisements: Breaking the Semiotic Codes

Authors

  • Luqman M Rababah

    English Department, Jadara University, Irbid 21110, Jordan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i4.8521
Received: 22 January 2025 | Revised: 13 March 2025 | Accepted: 21 March 2025 | Published Online: 2 April 2025

Abstract

This research examines gender representation in Jordanian magazine speech using the terms Jameela (beautiful), Rozana (rose), and Mustakilah (independent). This qualitative study explores these terms’ language patterns, contextual meanings, and gender representation implications. The study corpus includes 2021–2022 Jordanian magazines of diverse genres and demographics. Document analysis examines linguistic and gender themes in the text. The study’s collocational patterns for each term illuminate magazine discourse’s connections and meanings. Jameela is associated with aesthetic and feminine qualities including beauty, fashion, elegance, and grace. Rozana’s collocates include love, scent, delicacy, and flower, emphasizing femininity and romance. Mustakilah emphasizes women’s agency and autonomy through promoting independence, empowerment, ambition, and self-reliance. These results match gender representation studies on print advertisements and leisure publications. Language reinforces gender stereotypes and social norms. This research illuminates Jordanian magazine discourse’s gender portrayal and linguistic peculiarities. This study challenges prejudices, promotes gender equality, and creates more inclusive narratives by critically evaluating media gender depiction’s language components. The research emphasizes media literacy and awareness to counteract prejudices and empower women by recognizing cultural and socioeconomic factors in gender depictions. The results advance gender representation studies in Jordanian media.

Keywords:

Gender Representation; Gender-relevant Nouns; Collocational Patterns; Contextual Meaning; Societal Expectations; Femininity; Gender Stereotypes; Social Norm; Media Discourse

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How to Cite

Rababah, L. M. (2025). Linguistic Analysis of Gender Representations in Magazine Advertisements: Breaking the Semiotic Codes. Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(4), 296–306. https://doi.org/10.30564/fls.v7i4.8521

Issue

Vol. 7 , Iss. 4 (April 2025): In Progress

Article Type

Article

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Copyright © 2025 Luqman M Rababah

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This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.