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廣告英語的模糊性的探析
廣告英語的模糊性的探析 [Abstract] Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it. It is thus clear that advertising has played a decisive role in today’s business world. The issue of whether advertising languages are attractive and persuasive or not has became the point of attention. So thorough and theoretical studies on language features of English advertising helps improve both the understanding and designing of successful advertisements. After a brief introduction to advertising, advertising language, fuzziness and fuzzy linguistics, the thesis is focused on the linguistic realizations of fuzziness in advertising English from the following two perspectives: the semantic realization and rhetorical devices. In the semantic analysis, fuzzy qualifiers, numerical fuzzy quantifiers, fuzzy verbs, descriptive adjectives and symbols and abbreviations are analyzed to reveal fuzzy nature that are used by advertisers to achieve their persuasive ends. While in the rhetorical devices, punning, metaphors, and euphemism which make language more vivid and create more boundless association and imagination are discussed. Then the thesis concludes with a brief summary of the article and points out the limitations of the study.
[Key Words] advertising English; fuzziness; semantic and rhetorical analysis
【摘 要】 廣告業(yè)被認(rèn)為是一條通過耗盡人類智慧賺取錢財(cái)?shù)目茖W(xué)之道。很明顯,廣告在今天的商業(yè)世界已發(fā)揮著舉足輕重的作用。廣告語言能否具有誘惑力和說服力已成為關(guān)注的焦點(diǎn)。因此對(duì)英語廣告語言系統(tǒng)、全面地研究,可以提高對(duì)廣告的理解,構(gòu)想出成功的英語廣告。論文在簡(jiǎn)短地對(duì)廣告,廣告語言,模糊性和模糊理論進(jìn)行介紹之后,主要對(duì)以下兩種模糊實(shí)現(xiàn)形式進(jìn)行分析。一、語義模糊。這一類廣告通過使用模糊限制詞、模糊數(shù)量詞、模糊動(dòng)詞、修飾性形容詞以及符號(hào)和縮略語等具備模糊性的語言來突破日常行為的規(guī)范,使詞語在表達(dá)字面意義的同時(shí)又暗示其多重含義,形成詞語含義的未定性,激發(fā)了讀者的聯(lián)想和想象,吸引他們的注意并提起他們的興趣,從而對(duì)廣告本身的說服力起增強(qiáng)作用。二、修辭格(雙關(guān)、暗喻、委婉語)的使用,使廣告語言更具生動(dòng),引發(fā)讀者無限的想象和聯(lián)想。最后結(jié)論部分中,論文對(duì)主要概念和內(nèi)容做出了總結(jié),提出了全文的局限性。
【關(guān)鍵字】 廣告英語;模糊性;語義和修辭分析
1. Introduction
With the rapid development of the world economy and globalization, advertising has played a vital role in promoting sales, providing services and building images. Based on the fact that China remains lagging behind the west in both physical attraction and persuasiveness in advertising, thorough and theoretical studies on the language of advertising have become an urgent need.
In our daily life, fuzzy language has been employed in communication on various occasions’ negotiation and public speaking. Though many linguists have been exploring fuzzy theory and fuzzy linguistics heavily, the understanding of fuzziness hasn’t been satisfactory and perfect. As a not well-established register, advertising English has its unique features compared with English for other purposes. Fuzziness function in advertising English plays a positive role in human communication.
Through linguistic realizations of fuzziness in advertising English from semantic angle to rhetorical devices in the text, the purpose of the paper is to make people equip with a better manipulation of fuzzy advertising, so as to prepare them for producing more successful advertisements, then arousing people’s interest in ads, stimulating people’s needs of consumption, and enticing people to make purchase in products.
2. General ideas of advertising and its language
What is advertising? What does advertising originate from? Why does it come into being? What is its language like? The following is going to explain them.
2.1 The definition and development of advertising
In etymological studies, the word “advertise” in Middle English is spelt as “advertisen” meaning “to notify” and in old French as “advertir” or “advertises”. We find two records have the same explanation of “to notice”. Further studies rooted out its origin in Latin as “advertere”, meaning “a means used to draw attention from the public to something and lead them to some direction”. [1] Nowadays, the scholars from different countries hold different opinions about the explanation of advertising, but remaining the similar meaning basically. An explanation is widely accepted by American Marketing Association as following:
Advertising is the nonpersonal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature, about products, services or ideas through the various media. [2]
It is not difficult for us to find out four components of advertising from the explanation above.
First, advertising is directed to the general p 廣告英語的模糊性的探析ublic rather than individuals.
Second, the information conveyed by advertising can be commercial or non-commercial. (Commercial advertising seeks profits, while noncommercial advertising sponsored by government or nonprofit organizations is used to publicize the organization, seek donations or call for some actions beneficial to society.)
Third, advertising reaches us through a channel of communication referred to as a medium, such as: TV, radio, newspapers, magazines and so on.
Fourth, any advertising is launched by identified sponsors or organizations with a given purpose, either commercial advertising or public interests advertising.
Indeed, advertising is the result of high degree of development of commodity economy. In order to make their goods sell well, tradesman and merchants tried every means to trigger the consumers to buy their products. Henry Sampson described the beginning of advertising in his work History of Advertising as below:
There is little about that the desire among tradesmen and merchants to make good their wares have an existence almost as long as the customs of buying and selling, and it is but natured to suppose that advertisements in some shape or form have existed not only from time immemorial, but almost for all time. [3]
Until now, with the rapid development of the world economy and the acceleration of globalization process, advertising has played a very important role in today’s business world. Advertising, with its persuasive function and taking action function, helps a business to create the products and corporate identities, not only realize the development of the business, but also increase the value of its goodwill, and win the confidence of the consumers.
2.2 Features of advertising language
Since the advertising aims at drawing attention from the public and leading them to some direction, and thus the language of advertising is language that is used in efforts to persuade or otherwise entice people to purchase products or services. Toffler in his Future Shock approaches the language of advertising as a language of finely engineered, ruthlessly, purposeful messages, intending to trigger a special response from the consumers. This point of view is echoed by linguist Peter Trudgill, who said, “The wording of advertisements is, in most cases, carefully crafted to meet particular ends. Sometimes it is intended to inform, but more often, and more importantly, to persuade and influence.” [4] David Ogilvy also said, “Every word in the copy must count, advertise what is unique.” [5]
In other words, the ultimate goal of advertising is to sell. Thus, advertisements must be presented with a type of language that is persuasive in nature, concise, vivid, visual, and with emotion and appeal, that is, the language of advertising conveys the most complicated meaning with the simplest language and is loaded with persuasive intentions for sales promotion or other purposes.
Look at an example: “Romantic, Mysterious, Italian”. Three adjectives are put together, concise and sprightly, giving expression to deep connotation. Another example “Big thrills, Small bills”. This is an advertisement sponsored by the taxi center. Anyone enjoys the excitement to the largest extent as long as paying the less money. The word “big” stands in total contrast to the word “small”, the end syllable of the word “thrills’ and “bills” remains same, which creates a sense of rhythm. The cases below also explain the ideas above well.
(1) Look again. A lifetime of perfect coordination. (CUSTOM EYES from Revlon)
(2) Let the New York Times find you.
(3) The benefit of foresight, the world in 1993.
(4) So much flavor that you’ll never miss your high “tar cigarette.”[6]
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