Conflict and Language variation in WWI and II dark sites: an exploratory study

Abstract

Online advertisements of tourism sites that focus on the memorial of past war events are in between two contradictory forces, being at the same time places for memorials and resourceful tourist destinations. Dark Tourism sites are defined as places of tourist interest associated with death, violence, disaster, horror, atrocity, or suffering (Lennon & Foley 2000: 3), that have a short chronological distance to the visitor, so the tragic consequences of those events could be still perceived (Lennon and Foley 2000: 11; Stone & Sharpley 2008: 578). Incontestably, dissonance emerges as a consequence of the problematic realization of those sites as entertainment or tourist attractions. This internal fight is reproduced in the texts, especially in advertising where the ultimate purpose of economic benefit is clearly evident, as no matter whether the interpretation of the site is educative, historical or commemorative, the discourse should always integrate elements of commodification and commercial interest either in the text or in the para-text. This sub-genre of tourism advertising uses dark sites as commodities and, thus, tries to sell them to the customer using the typical persuasiveness techniques of the language of Tourism. Nevertheless, the only force that constrains this consumerist approach is the inner assumption of respect that pervades these sites and that compel the text to moderate the typical euphemistic and overly positive denotations and connotations of the language of Tourism. This paper explores the language used in online advertisements of WWII sites in Britain, contrasting its features and the typical assumptions made on the Language of Tourism in this particular genre of tourism advertising.