Han, Sung-il. 2012. A Study on City Brand Slogans‐ Focusing on expression methods and contents. The Sociolinguistics Journal of Korea 20(1). pp. 317-343. The objective of this study was to analyze the expression methods and contents of 246 city brand slogans in Korea. Conclusions drawn from this study are as follows. First, a large percentage of the city brand slogans used Roman characters in their expression and English was used frequently. This may be unavoidable for acceptability in the age of globalization, but the problem is that they were improvised hurriedly without a process for building up consensus with local residents. Second, the slogans consisted of 1‐2 words, satisfying the requirement of simplicity. Third, they utilized ambiguity, rhythm, etc. adequately and this shows that various linguistic expression strategies are necessary in developing city brand slogans. Fourth, abstract words were used frequently in city brand slogans, and some of them were redundant among cities and therefore failed to differentiate their respective cities. Fifth, while many of the materials of city brand slogans were abstract and sensuous motifs, only a few of them were historical and cultural motifs. Accordingly, it is necessary to find historical and cultural motifs and develop them into images. A city brand slogan representing the visions and goals of the city clearly based on the local image is very important for enhancing the brand value of the city. Therefore, brand slogans should be developed through elaborate investigation of natural scenes, geographical conditions, traditions, cultural uniqueness, social characteristics, etc. For these efforts, there should be a ground for close cooperation among local selfgoverning bodies, local residents, and related experts.

• 한성일(가천대학교) | Han, Sung-il