Presupposition Analysis in Marina Tasha’s Tiktok Advertising Videos

Abstract

Pragmatic presuppositions play an essential role in communication by conveying implicit information. In the digital age, social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok facilitate connections and information sharing, making them ideal places for promotional content. This study analyzed pragmatic presuppositions in Marina Tasha’s TikTok videos advertising food products, focusing on Yule’s (2010) theory of presupposition and Williamson’s (1979) advertising techniques. Although many researchers have explored pragmatic presuppositions, research on TikTok is limited, revealing a gap between theoretical frameworks and digital practices. The objective of this study is to identify the types of presuppositions in the videos, analyze potential misunderstandings arising from trigger words, and explain why these misunderstandings occur. Using qualitative content analysis, this study examined the utterances in TikTok advertising videos. Furthermore, the findings indicated existential presuppositions dominated (87.8%), followed by structural (5.8%), factual (4.5%), lexical (1.3%), and non-factual (0.6%), with no counterfactual presuppositions. Moreover, the study results revealed that the existential presupposition, which explains existence, is the most commonly used in TikTok advertisement videos that focus on the product itself. In addition, the trigger words from the presuppositions highlighted the misinterpretation, which can lead to misunderstanding among listeners. However, in the result, the use of trigger words was intentional in the advertisement function. It can persuade listeners or viewers to be interested in the product.