The language of Italian television sales

Abstract

The diffusion of private television networks in Italy during the past decades has seen an increase in the use of television sales. The analysis of a selection of videorecorded programmes (taken from various Italian television networks in 1991) has shown a peculiar mixture of characteristics (oral/written discourse, formal/informal speech, specific/general terms) and a message structuring which reflects the opposite needs of popularisation (due to the audience) and specialisation (due to the products advertised).