3.

Methodology

3.1. Research Design

This study employs a mixed-methods case study approach to investigate the rhetoric of
Technical English in Tunisian digital advertisements and its role in shaping consumer
engagement. The research design is primarily qualitative, focusing on visual analysis of
digital advertisements as the main data source, with provisions for future quantitative
data collection through questionnaires to assess consumer responses.

The case study approach is particularly appropriate for this research as it allows for an
in-depth examination of a contemporary phenomenon (Technical English in digital
advertising) within its real-world context (Tunisia), where the boundaries between
phenomenon and context may not be clearly evident (Yin, 2018). This approach
facilitates a holistic understanding of how Technical English functions rhetorically in
Tunisian digital advertisements and how it potentially shapes consumer engagement.

The research design is guided by multimodal discourse analysis (Kress & van Leeuwen,
2020) and visual rhetoric theory (Scott, 1994), which provide frameworks for analyzing
how visual and textual elements interact to create meaning and persuasive effects in
advertising. This theoretical foundation is particularly relevant for examining the
complex interplay between language choice, visual elements, and cultural context in
Tunisian digital advertisements.

3.2. Data Collection

3.2.1. Visual Data Corpus

The primary data for this study consists of a corpus of digital advertisements from
Tunisia that incorporate Technical English elements. The advertisements were collected
through purposive sampling, focusing on examples that demonstrate the use of
Technical English in various contexts and product categories. The selection criteria
included:

1. Digital advertisements created for or displayed in the Tunisian market

2. Presence of Technical English elements (either exclusively or in combination with
other languages)
3. Diversity in product/service categories to ensure representativeness
 4. Recent advertisements (published within the last five years) to reflect
contemporary practices

The final corpus consists of 21 digital advertisements, which were categorized into two
main groups:

1. Traditional Tunisian Products/Experiences (6 advertisements): These

advertisements promote traditional Tunisian cuisine, cultural experiences, and
tourism destinations using predominantly English language with technical
terminology.

2. Commercial Food Products (3 advertisements): These advertisements market

international food products (Danette) in the Tunisian market using a mix of English,
French, and Arabic, with technical terminology appearing across languages.

Each advertisement in the corpus was documented and archived for analysis, with
attention to preserving the original visual quality and textual elements. The
advertisements were primarily static images, which is consistent with common formats
for digital advertising in social media and online platforms in Tunisia.

3.2.2. Future Data Collection (Questionnaire)

While the current study focuses on visual analysis of advertisements, a future phase of
research will incorporate consumer perspectives through questionnaires. The planned
questionnaire will assess:

1. Consumer recognition and comprehension of Technical English elements

2. Attitudes toward the use of Technical English in advertising
3. Self-reported engagement with advertisements featuring Technical English
4. Demographic information to analyze potential correlations with responses

The questionnaire will be administered to a sample of Tunisian consumers representing

diverse age groups, educational backgrounds, and language proficiency levels. The
sampling strategy will employ stratified random sampling to ensure representativeness
across key demographic variables. Implementation is planned following the completion
of the visual analysis phase to allow findings from the visual analysis to inform
questionnaire design.
3.3. Analytical Framework

3.3.1. Multimodal Discourse Analysis

This study employs multimodal discourse analysis (MDA) as a primary analytical

framework, following the approach developed by Kress and van Leeuwen (2020). MDA
provides tools for examining how different semiotic resources (visual, verbal, spatial)
interact to create meaning in multimodal texts such as advertisements. This framework
is particularly suitable for analyzing digital advertisements, which typically combine
visual imagery, typography, color, and linguistic elements.

For the Tunisian context, the MDA framework has been adapted to account for the
multilingual nature of the advertising environment, where code-switching between
Arabic, French, and English is common. Special attention is given to how Technical
English is positioned within this multilingual context and how it interacts with visual
elements to create persuasive effects.

The MDA framework applied in this study focuses on three main dimensions:

1. Representational meaning: How the advertisements represent the world,

products, and experiences
2. Interactive meaning: How the advertisements establish relationships with viewers
3. Compositional meaning: How the elements are arranged and integrated to create
coherent messages

3.3.2. Visual Rhetoric Analysis

Complementing the MDA framework, this study also employs visual rhetoric analysis to
examine how Technical English functions persuasively in Tunisian digital
advertisements. Following Scott's (1994) conceptualization of visual rhetoric in
advertising, the analysis focuses on how visual and verbal elements work together to
create persuasive arguments and evoke emotional responses.

The visual rhetoric analysis examines:

1. Rhetorical appeals: How advertisements use ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion),

and logos (logic) through Technical English
2. Rhetorical figures: The presence and function of metaphor, metonymy, hyperbole,
and other rhetorical devices
3. Cultural resonance: How Technical English interacts with cultural symbols and
values in the Tunisian context
This framework allows for a nuanced understanding of how Technical English
contributes to the persuasive power of advertisements beyond its denotative meaning.

3.3.3. Consumer Engagement Assessment

The analytical framework also includes parameters for assessing potential consumer
engagement based on visual content. Drawing on Brodie et al.'s (2013) conceptualization
of consumer engagement as a multidimensional construct involving cognitive,
emotional, and behavioral dimensions, the analysis identifies visual and textual
elements that potentially trigger engagement.

Markers of engagement in the visual content include:

1. Cognitive engagement: Elements that stimulate interest, attention, and

information processing
2. Emotional engagement: Elements that evoke emotional responses or connections
3. Behavioral engagement: Elements that encourage action or interaction

These markers provide a basis for hypothesizing about consumer engagement with the
advertisements, to be verified through future questionnaire data.

3.4. Data Analysis Procedures

3.4.1. Visual Content Analysis

The visual content analysis followed a systematic procedure to ensure consistency and
rigor:

1. Initial documentation: Each advertisement was documented with descriptive

information including source, product category, languages used, and primary
visual elements.

2. Categorization: Advertisements were categorized based on product type, target

audience, and predominant language patterns.

3. Visual element coding: Visual elements were coded according to the following
scheme:

4. Primary visual subject (product, people, setting)

5. Color scheme and visual tone
6. Layout and composition
7. Branding elements
 8. Cultural references

9. Technical English element identification: Instances of Technical English were

identified and categorized as:

10. Specialized terminology

11. Brand-specific language
12. Technical descriptions
13. Professional jargon
14. Scientific terminology

Each advertisement was analyzed independently by the researcher, with coding

decisions documented to ensure analytical transparency.

3.4.2. Linguistic Analysis

The linguistic analysis focused specifically on the Technical English elements identified
in the advertisements:

1. Language pattern identification: Patterns of language use were documented,

including:
2. English-only advertisements
3. Code-switching between English and Arabic/French

4. Technical English embedded within Arabic or French text

5. Technical English feature analysis: Technical English elements were analyzed for:

6. Lexical characteristics (terminology, neologisms, abbreviations)

7. Syntactic features (sentence structure, phrase construction)
8. Register (formal, informal, specialized)

9. Rhetorical functions (informative, persuasive, evocative)

10. Comparative analysis: Technical English usage was compared across different
product categories and advertisement types to identify patterns and variations.

3.4.3. Contextual Analysis

The contextual analysis examined how Technical English functions within the broader
cultural and commercial context of Tunisia:

1. Cultural context integration: Analysis of how Technical English interacts with:

2. Traditional Tunisian cultural elements
3. Contemporary Tunisian consumer culture
 4. Global marketing conventions

5. Advertising purpose consideration: Assessment of how Technical English serves

different advertising purposes:

6. Building brand credibility

7. Conveying product sophistication
8. Creating international appeal

9. Targeting specific demographic segments

10. Target audience analysis: Consideration of how Technical English potentially

addresses different audience segments based on:

11. Age and generation

12. Educational background
13. Socioeconomic status
14. Language proficiency

3.5. Reliability and Validity

Several measures were implemented to ensure the reliability and validity of the analysis:

1. Systematic coding procedure: A consistent coding scheme was applied across all
advertisements to ensure analytical consistency.

2. Detailed documentation: All analytical decisions and interpretations were

documented with supporting evidence from the advertisements.

3. Theoretical triangulation: Multiple theoretical frameworks (MDA, visual rhetoric)

were applied to provide complementary perspectives on the data.

4. Contextual knowledge: The analysis was informed by an understanding of the

Tunisian sociolinguistic context, drawing on existing literature about language
attitudes and practices in Tunisia (Bejaoui, 2018; Ben Said, 2019; Helal, 2023).

5. Limitations acknowledgment: The limitations of visual analysis without

consumer response data are explicitly acknowledged, with plans for future
triangulation through questionnaire data.
3.6. Ethical Considerations
This research adheres to ethical principles in the following ways:

1. Copyright acknowledgment: All advertisements analyzed in this study are

acknowledged as the intellectual property of their respective creators. The use of
these advertisements for academic analysis falls under fair use provisions for
research purposes.

2. Accurate representation: Care has been taken to represent the advertisements

accurately in the analysis, without distortion or misrepresentation of their content
or intent.

3. Cultural sensitivity: The analysis is conducted with sensitivity to the cultural

context of Tunisia, avoiding ethnocentric interpretations or value judgments about
language choices.

4. Planned informed consent: For the future questionnaire phase, informed consent
will be obtained from all participants, with clear information about the research
purpose and data usage.

5. Data storage and confidentiality: All research data is stored securely, with
provisions for maintaining confidentiality in future phases involving human
participants.

3.7. Limitations and Delimitations

3.7.1. Limitations

The methodology of this study has several limitations that should be acknowledged:

1. Interpretive nature: Visual analysis inherently involves subjective interpretation,

which may be influenced by the researcher's perspective despite efforts to
maintain analytical rigor.

2. Absence of consumer data: The current phase focuses solely on visual analysis
without direct consumer response data, limiting conclusions about actual
engagement effects.

3. Sample size: The corpus of 21 advertisements, while diverse, represents only a

portion of the total landscape of digital advertising in Tunisia.
 4. Static media focus: The analysis focuses on static digital advertisements rather
than including video or interactive digital advertising formats.

3.7.2. Delimitations

The study has been deliberately bounded in the following ways:

1. Geographic focus: The study is limited to digital advertisements in the Tunisian

market, without comparison to other North African or Middle Eastern contexts.

2. Technical English focus: While acknowledging the multilingual nature of Tunisian

advertising, the study focuses specifically on the role of Technical English rather
than all instances of code-switching or language mixing.

3. Digital advertising: The study examines only digital advertisements rather than
including traditional print or broadcast media.

4. Contemporary timeframe: The advertisements analyzed are from recent years

(2020-2025), providing a contemporary snapshot rather than a historical
perspective on advertising evolution.

These limitations and delimitations define the scope of the current research while
suggesting directions for future studies that could address broader questions or employ
complementary methodologies.

References
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Helal, H. (2023). Eat me, eat me tounsi: English in Tunisian linguistic landscapes beyond
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Kress, G., & van Leeuwen, T. (2020). Reading images: The grammar of visual design (3rd
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