‘Hola, my new cherry!’ Two case studies of isiXhosa advertising in print media

Abstract

In the late 19th century, advertisements in isiXhosa print media were almost exclusively in isiXhosa. Currently, such advertising is predominantly in English. This article examines advertisements in an early isiXhosa newspaper, Imvo Zabantsundu (Black Opinions), and makes some deductions regarding how isiXhosa was perceived as a commercially viable way of reaching different target audiences: a rising black petty bourgeoisie as well as the working class. A statistical analysis of isiXhosa versus English advertisements in the isiXhosa Bona magazine over a 56-year period demonstrates contemporary developments in vernacular advertising. An interrogation of the advertising discourses in that magazine at 20-year intervals reveals trends and developments that could explain the declining use of standard vernaculars in South African marketing campaigns.