| | | The Rhetorical Analysis of Advertising English in Psycholoical Perspectives
| | 小学英语教学的论文Chapter One Introduction: （中文标题、摘要及关键字在后面）
Generally speaking,copy-writers expect to beinterpreted rightly by the advertisement.So,before
they start to think about writing an ad,they should know the audience’s consuming motives,their consuming habits,they should know about the marketing and advertising strategies as well,Above all they must know how the target-audeence interpret the ad,According to stratistices,75% information which the audience get is from the wording.So it is essential to probe the theories of language comprehension and memory.Only in this way can copy-writers create more persuasive and effective ads.
Asvertising is something that we are all exposed to.Whenever we open a newspsper or a magazine,turn on the TV,or look at the hoardings in tube stations or on buildings,we are confronted with advertisements.(ad will be a short form of advertisement afterwards.)
Advertising English,as an applied langusge,gradually separates form general English of its unique function.advertising English becomes more and more specified,and at the same time with more differences form genersl English.With the development of society and technology,English advertising is improving and changing too.
China,as one of the members of the WTO,has increasing contacts with other counties.Export
advertising has become one major method which can promote export sales volume for the enterprise and help to exploit the overseas market . Accordingly ,a lot of English advertisements are springing up, which are important sources we can get information from. So how to correctly and appropriately use and comprehend advertising English in order to realize the purpose of the advertising is a big and practical problem .My purpose in writing this dissertation is : first ,help people to understand and use advertising English ; seconds , tell people some characteristics of advertising English ; third ,let people know some creative strategies employed in advertising English .
Chapter Two
Lexical Access
The comprehension process is the construction process . It also includes the utilization process in a broad way( )This process involves three levels , that is ,research on words , on sentence and on discourse . The knowledge of words includes phonological , syntactic , morphological and semantic aspect . We have to access this organized knowledge during language comprehension . So the paper will first probe lexical access which influences people enormously in the comprehension of words .
The process of accessing or retrieving lexical information from memory is influenced by a number of factors . Among such factors are the frequency of the word , its syntactic category , its morphological complexity ,whether a semantically related word has just been encountered , and whether the word is ambiguous etc.
2.1 The frequency effect .
“ When we hear a word in a conversation or see it on the printed page, we stimulate an individual logogen , or lexical detection device ,for that word Logogens can be linked to individual neurons in a gigantic neuronal network , if they are activated , or fired ,they work in Parallel and in concern with many other logogens (or nerve cells ) to create comprehension .High-frequency words ( like the word “word ”) are represented by logogens with hair triggers; they are rapidly and frequently fired . Low-frequency words ( like the words “ logogen” itself ) have very high thresholds of activation and take longer to be incorporated into a system of understanding ” ( Thomas Scovel ,1998:56)
From the above we know ,high –frequency words are those that are commonly used ,so their logogens are easily triggered and words are easily understood . As for low-frequency words ,because they are not commonly used ,the thresholds of activation are very high and the audience will spend more time understanding them . So in advertising , in order to make the target –audience understand the information expressed by advertisements in a short time ,ad-writers often use some high-frequency words which are more easy to access .
1. Getting places in the business world is easier if your banker is there to meet you .
2. We love to fly and it shows.
3. This baby’s nappy is Lux-safe . Safe with the safety that you get with pure soap .
The first example is an ad for Security Pacific Asian Bank ,the verb “ get ”shows the consumer’s possession of the product .G.N.Leech points out some most common verbs in English advertising ,such as : make ,get ,give ,have ,buy ,keep ,need ,use ,love ,and like etc. These simple verbs are often used in our daily life ,so they are high-frequency words .They make the advertisement easy to understand and remember
Coming up next is an ad for Delta AIRLINES . The verb “love ”shows a relationship between advertisers or the advertised profuct and the consumer on one hand and on the other hand the stimulus “love ”is so common and popular that it’s very easy for the target –audience to access . The time for understanding the ad is very short too .
The third example ,an ad for Lux-soap ,is an example of using simple adjectives .In advertising English ,some adjectives are often used such as : good ,new , great ,fine ,nice delicious etc. On one hand ,they are high-frequency words ,on the other hand these words can modify many nouns indicating products and the use of these adjectives makes the ad more acceptable and effective ,for people always long for something good
Now ,we can know the reason why high-frequency words any more popular than low-frequency words in ads , and there is another factor which is concerned with the frequency of words , that is , the length of words . Generally speaking .long words are not emoloyed as frequently as short words , so their threshold of activation is very high ,in other words , they are more complex to understand .That’s why adwriters often employ some short and high-frequency words in ads.
2.2 The morphological effect .
“ From a processing standpoint , it would make sense to distinguish between the affixes (prefixes and suffixes) of a word and the base or root word .This is because the set of morphemes or affixes if relatively small and is used over and over inways that are semantically similar. As a matter of fact ,new linguistic examples occur regularly and are easily interpreted”( David W.Carroll,1999:105)
In advertising , in addition to commonly –used words , the copy writers often prefer using new words which derive from affixes to rare complicated words . That’s because the incoming new information is related to information already stored in permanent memory ,there by enriching the memory representation of the new material . So the ad may be more attractive and persuasive to the audience , they are more likely to take action .
4. Introducing New Sure Roll-On with the most effective antiperspirant formula you can buy Nothing will keep you drier .
5. It gives my hair a top- quality look .
6. If you are a fast runner or have high-arched rigid feet , try a model from our new curved shoes .
In this anti-perspirant formula ad ,the word anti-perspirant is used ,the prefix “anti” with the meaning of “against ” is known to people , and perspirant is also a common word which makes people recall an uncomfortable situation for being in a sweaty ,. So when the word antiperspirant is used ,it can be quickly accessed and gives people a feelin gof relief and makes people feel comfortable .
The following example is a shampoo ad, the reader can understand the meaning of top-quality at first sight .Both “top”and “quality” are common words . “top ” means : “the highest point or part ” . Since buyers are usually sensitive to the quality of the product ,the word top- quality will make the audience pay more attention to the product.
The word “high-arched”is used in the last example,words “high”and “arch”are simple words,and the word “arch”causes readers to have a picture in their minds.Thus we say the new word high-arch,is not strange to the audience.It’s very wise for the ad-writer to use compounds to take the place of other new,maybe strange words.
2.3 The semantic effect.
“A word presented earo lier activates another semantier cally related word,we call this semantic priming”(David Carroll,1999:107).The time to respond to the target in the priming condition is compared with a condition in which no priming stimulus or a different priming stimulus was presented,the time of the former was often shorter than that of the latter.For example:the time needed to classify the target “butter”as a word varied with the priming stimulus,the time was shorter when the prime was “bread”than when it was “nurse”.
In advertising,the use of repetition is the typical device to make full use of semantic effects.In order to give the target-audiencen a deep impressinon,the copy writers usually use some parallel structures and repetitions.
7.Softer,smoother,silkier skin.
8.Leaving your skin supple,smooth and soft,almost like you’ve used a moisturizer.
9.Laboratory tests show that the longer you wear it,the longer your lips stay moist,soft and comfortable.
The first is a moisturizer ad.Three adijctives with comparative degree are used in a row.We can say they are synonyms in this ad,because they share some same qualities of the advertised product.When we read the word “soft”,we associate something smooth and delicate,then we read the next two words ,the impression is deepened.We maybe recall a beautifuln face with the skin soft,smooth,shiny just like silk in our minds.
We generally consider that soap is used to remove dirt,but this soap ad is very unique,because it says it’s just for one part of the body—the face.Face is so important to everyone that we’ll think of the employed to modify the skin. So the first adjective “supplet” makes the next two words “smooth” and “soft” easy to understand, at the same the use of the three adjectives makes the ad more effective and impressive.
The third example is an ad for lipstick. There are many kinds of lipsticks on the market and they are very popular among women.As is know,when you feel dry on your lips,you wear lipstick to make your lip moist and soft, and you’ll feel more comfortable.So the adjective “moist”is a similar priming stimulus of the next two adjectives, “soft”and “beautiful”.Thus,the time of understanding these two adjectives is short,and the ad seems to be easier to understand.
2.4 The admbiguous effect
“The form of ambihuity in which a single word may be interpreted as have more than one meaning is referred to as lexical ambiguity”(Carroll,1999:123).In order to make us well understood,we usually express our ideas in a simple,easy-to-understand way and try to avoid ambiguity.However Ambiguity is not always negative,it can possibly be useful and powerful when it is well controlled.
“Multiple meanings of ambiguous words are briefly activated even in the presence of a strong biasing context”(Carroll,1999:124).However,when both context and meaning frequently point in the same direction,the dominant meaning will be activated immediately,then the secondary meaning is activated.So the copy-writers use ambiguous words,which attract the target audience rather than coufuse them.The pun is a typical device to make full use of the expressing power of ambiguity.
10.Coke refreshes you like no other can.
11.You will go nuts for the nuts you get in Nux.
12.I’m More satisfied
In the first Coke advertisement,at firstglance,we’ll understand the sentence as:coke refreshes you like no other drinks can refesh you.But if we read it carefully,we find the sentence can also be interpreted as this:Coke refreshes you like no other cans of drinks.We say the sentence puns on the word “can”,that is,the word “can”can be interpreted as a modal verb and a noun as well.The contextand the meaning point in the same direction, so we first understand “can”as a model verb,then after careful reading,we know it can also be used as a noun.So the ambiguity will not confuse us,instead it makes the ad more memorable.
The second example is an ad for nuts.It puns no the word “nut”, “go nuts”is a pharse with the meaning of “be crazy over”,and the second “nuts”means fruit consisting of a hard shell enclosing a kernel that can be eaten. So the word “nut with two different meanings makes the ad very interesting.
In the third example, “More”is firstly interpreted as a modifier of “satisfied”,which means a relatively better quality to meet the need of smokers.Then, “more”,with the first letter capitalized,will prompt the reader to be conscious of the brand name of the cigarette in the ad.Hence,the sentence can be interpreted as: “It’s More cigarettes that can make me more satisfied.” We know from the above examples that the right use of ambiguous words will not confuse the audience, instead,it will make ads more impressive,sometimes even humour the audience.
Chapter Three
Sentence Comprehension
The comprehension involves much more than the decoding of sounds,letters,and lexical meanings;it also involves the untangling of the semantics.We hear and read thousands of sentences everyday and respond to many,perhaps most,with barely any notice of their structure.In others,the wording is so cumbersome that we find ourselves struggling to unravel what has been said.But some sentences linger in our memories for years,which is what the copywriters make efforts to pursue.
Comprehending a sentence involves attention to syntactic,semantic and pragmatic factors,each factor plays its own role in the process of comprehension.The following tries to explain facets of the ways the audience comprehend sentences , and why some sentence patterns or sentence structures are often employed in ads.
3.1 The contextual effect
Generally speaking ,we intepret a sentence by trying to analyze is structure andword's meaning.But some of the sentences can't be taken literally. For instance,"Can you open the door?" It is literally a question of one's ability,but it is taken in most contexts,as a polite form of a request.It suggests there is often a difference between the meaning of a sentence and the meaning a speaker is conveying with the sentence.So we should consider how the communicative context influence the sentence comprehension,i.e,how the pragmatic factors come into play."It's generally held that linguistic communication takes place within a context of shared assumptins about communication.These implicit assumptions are referred to as conventions"(Carroll,1999:138).When we communicate with others,both addressees and addressers have a common wish:they can understand and cooperate with each other.So in order to make ads interpreted by the audience correctly,advertisers should obey some cooperative rules and principles.
3.1.1 Obeying some principles
3.1.1.1 To be informative
To be informative means that when we communicate with others,we should supply enough information to let the addressee understand our aims and purposes.Ad--writers often strive to be informative and make the readers know their products. This is essential for them to be so.
13.PURINA KITTEN CHOW.
14.No cigarette gives me more taste.
The first example is an ad for kitten food,it tells readers the advertised product directly in its headline and readers at once understand what's the ad about.The second cigarette ad makes the audiene think:this brand of cigarette can give you more taste than other brands.The audience can also make sure the advertised product is cigarettes.So we can see ad--writers try to give the reders enough information as quickly as possible and attract them to take action quickly.
3.1.1.2 To be truthful
Advertisers try to be truthful when they spread the information of their porducts.Generally speaking,they will not tell lies or talk about something that they believe to be false.The most important basis for ads in the truth.It's illegal to tell a lie explicitly in ads. In order to make the ad believed by the target--audience,the ad--writer always tells the truth of the product,no matter what its strengths or weaknesses are.
15.What it's like to be small but good.
16.We would never say the new Audi 100 is the best in its class.We don't have to .
The first is a hotel ad. It tells the reader the truth:the hotel is samll.But this doesn'tgive us negative effects just because it is the truth and the consumers like to be treated honestly.
The second is an Audi 100 Sedan ad.Although it tells us openly that it is not the best in its class,it will not lower the quality of the advertised product.As we know if the ad boasts that their product is the best, the audience will seldom believe it.So the ad makes the target-audience think the product is more reliable for it dares to tell the truth.Actually,this is a very good expressive way.
3.1.1.3 To be relevant
To be relevant means make your contribution relevant to the aim of the ongoing converstaion.Ad-writers highlight the main idea of the ad, they avoid talking obout something that is irrelevant to the product.In a word ,all that they say is about the product,so the main information is easy to understand.
17.Petal-drops for the girl who wants a petal-soft skin.
18.In just a few drops,this man'sskin in going to feel better.
The moisturizing Bath-Essence is named with Petal-Drips .The adwriter intends to use the word petal to remind people that your skin will be as clear,soft and beautiful as petals after you use the product.So both the phrases "petal-drops" and "petal-soft"are related to the advertised product,which also imply the high-quality of the product.
The sceond example is an ad for male skin moisturizer,words like "skin " and "feel better" are enough for the audience to guess the product.In other words,they are relevant to the product.
There's another important reasom for being relevant.That is ,the fee of advertising is very high,advertisers try their best to express them well in a short time and short length.All that they say is ,of course,relevant to the product.
3.1.1.4 To be clear
If you want to be understood easily,you should try to avoid obscurity,ambiguity,wordiness and disorder in the use of language.People encounter many ads in daily life ,such as in newspapers,in magazines,on billboards.on the radio and on television,they will not spend much time on it if the ad is obscure or difficult to understand,the they will not pay attention to it.So clarity is one of the most important factors.
19.Deliciously simple,simply delicious.
20.Once tasted,always loved.
The first is an ad for a kind of food and the sceond is drink ad. These two ads are very simple,actually the first advertisement uses the figure of speech--repetition.Words delicious and simple are used repeatedly.In fact,the purpose of the use of repetition is to stress the deliciousness of the food ,and at the same time avoid describing it in a wordy way,while the second ad also doesn't narrate the details of taster or strengths of the drink,it just says:Once you taste the drink,you'lllove it.The audience will only love something good,So with this sentence we can imagine how delicious it is!Advertisers always try to avoid obscurity and try to be clear in order to realize the persuasive function of ads.
3.1.2 The infringement of the principles
In conversation,one of te partners will not obey the cooperative principles by intention someties,then the other forces himself/herself to understand the addressee’s intention conveyed by the sentence rather than the literal meaning of the sentence .In other words,people sometimes don’t express themselves directly , instead , they use indirectways to express themselves.This is a common strategy used in the ad.
3.1.2.1 Pretending to be uninformative
In some ads , the ad—writers don’s supply enough information to let the readers know about the products, or sometimes they say too much about the product , and are even wordy.In fact , th s is one of their strategies to attract the readers’ attention.
21.Send me a man who reads!
22.Read this ad Standing up.
We may feel puzzled when we read the headline “send me a man who reads.” We really don’t understand what the advertised product is.It seems very uninformative.Actually the ad-writer tries to attract us to go on reading the text,then afterwards we know it’s an ad for a paper and that the paper is of a high quality.It dares to encourage who are experts to read it.
As for the second ad , we'll feel strange as to why should we read the ad standing up , while we usually read sitting down. After we finish the whole text, we know the ad is designed to remind people of thinking of those who can't stand up and call upon them to donate to the children with infantile paralysis to help them stand up . Ads as we mentioned above may first make us think they don't supply enough information ,actually they arouse our curiosity to go on reading till we get enough information and get a satisfactory answer. So it's an effective tactic in ads.
3.1.2.2 Pretending to be untruthful .
Generally speaking , we try to make our conversation be true of the fact . But sometimes we don't obey the general rule , just want to get an unexpected effect . In advertising ,some ad-writers deliberately don't describe something in a traditional or conventional way . This causes the target-audience to find out the real meaning of the text . The use of figures of speech such as irony ,metaphor and hyperbole is typical of this device.
According to The Encyclopedia Americana,Irony is the expression of actual intent in words that carry the opposite meaning . It'snatural for others to know your feeling if you express it in a direct way . But if you express yourself by saying something which is the direct opposite of your thoughts, then others will be surprised even shocked. Thus what you said will be impressive.
23.If people keep telling you to quit smoking cigarettes, don't listen ,they are probably trying to trick you into living .
24.Hardly your everday liqueur(LOCHANORA liquor)
The first example is an American Cancer Society advertisement . The copy-writers don't follow the traditional way with which persuades people to give up smoking .Instead , they give advice in an opposite way which doesn't accord with the audience's normal thoughts , thus making people feel interesting and instructive .
The LOCHANORA liquor ad doesn't describe the strengths of the liquor explicitly , such as how delicious it is , how tasty it is . Instead it says you can't have it everyday . And all of us know that when something is too precious , we can't enjoy it everyday , of course. This ad , accordingly , stresses the good-quality of the product as well as gets an unexpected effect.
According to The Encclopedia Americana , metaphor is an implied comparison between two dissimilar things an analogy that imaginatively identifies one object with another and either ascribes to the first qualities of the second or invests the first with connotations inherent in the other . Metaphor is everywhere in our lives, it's also welcomde by ad-writers.
25.Sophisticated , sweet-to-drink Pink Lady
26.Soft , enchanting , smiling colour --that's the gift of Focus to your hair.
In the first wine ad , Pink Lady is not only the name of the product , but also the vehicle . It implis that the feeling of drinking the wine is just as happy as the feeling you have with a beautiful lady . In the second ad , "enchanting", "smiling "are usually used to modify persons , but here it is followed by colour . This metaphorical use has such a meaning as the color will enchant you and make you smile satisfactorily . In these ads , the vehicle is given but not the tenor which is the advertised product . It seems untruthful . Actually "metaphors are often used to communicate continuous experiential information,especially information that is otherwise difficult or impossible to express. Where the range of human experience is continuous , words are intrinsically discrete"(Ddavid W.Carroll,1999:143).
As we know that hyperbole is a conscious exaggeration used without intent of literal persuasion. The use of hyperbole stretches a description beyond the truth and makes something seem larger, better , worse etc. Hyperbole doesn't conform to people's common thoughts, thus making a deep impression on the audience.
27.We've hidden a garden of vegetables where you'd never expect , in a pie .
28.The richest , freshest , Irishest taste in all the word .
The first example actually tells us that this kind of pic will supply you with enough vegetables. Howerver,the exaggerating phrase "a garden of vegetables" is employed , which stresses the distinctive strength of the kind of pie in fact. The audience may be so surprised that they remember it very well .As for the second one , because it uses three adjectives with superlative degrees in a row and the three adjectives are consonance with the same ending consnant/t/,the ad , sounds rhythmic which makes the ad have a high memorable value .
3.1.2.3 pretending to be unclear
Communicating with others ,we usually try our best to be clear ,make ourselves understood easily .But sometimes we use some ambiguous words or overelaborate words in order to achieve better influence on our partners. Although ambiguity usually is avoided in our conversation , when it's well controlled , it can get an unexpected-effect . Theat's what the ad-writers want to achieve.
29.Give your hair a touch of spring .
30.A Deal with us means a good deal to you .
The word "spring" in the first example is ambiguous . It can not only mean that the color of your hair will be as fresh as grass in spring , but also mean your hair will be elastic . The second example is ambiguous for the use of the word "deal" ,it has meanings of "many,much" as well as "exchange" . So we can interpret the sentence like this :"if you do business with us ,you'll get a lot " ,or "if you do a deal with us ,we're sure you'll benefit from it ." So instead of confusing us ,these ads give us deeper impressions for their unusual and novel usages.
3.2 Semantic factors
Leech G.N.breaks down "meaning" in its widest sense into seven different ingredients:conceptual meaning ,connotative meaning ,social meaning ,affective meaning . reflected mening , collocative meaning and thematic meaning.He put them as follows:Reflected meaning and collocatie meataning,affectivemeaning and social meaning:all these have more in common with connotative meaning than with conceptual meaning ,they all have the same open-ended,variable character,and lend themselves to analysis in terms of scales or renges,rather than in discrete either this-or-that terms.They can all be brought together under the heading of associative meaning,and to exolain communication on these levels. We need to employ nothing more sophisticated than anelementary “associationist” theoy of mental connections based upon contiguities of exoerirnce (Leech,1981:27-28).The ad-writer should carefully take the above into consideration in wording.
3.2.1 Assciative function of reflected meaning
“Reflected meaning is the meaning which arises in the case of multiple conceptual neaning,when one secnse of a word forms part of our response to another sense”(Leech,1981:16).The ad-writer uses words with abundant reflected meaning,thus the audience can imagine a lot and the ad will seem to be more vivid.
31.The most sensational place to wear satin on your lips.
32.Over 200 tears of careful breeding produced this champion.
In the Lin-stick ad,the ad-writer uses the word satin which reflects its other meanings,such as softness,brigntness in the reader’s mind,The use of the word satin causes the audience to speak highly of its quality.The second ad is for X.O.in which the word “champion”is employed.This word can prompt the reader to think of the best one,and actually the ad implies the high-quality of this X.O..So the use of words with abundant reflected meaning are welcomed by ad-writers.
3.2.2 Associative function of collocative meaning
“Collocative meaning consists of the associations a word acquires on account of the meanings of the words which tend to occur in its environment”(Leech,1981:17).Based on this concept,we know the context will influence the meaning of aword.The ad-wtiter often adopts some adopts some adjectives to modify the nouns,which is liable to make the advertised product seem more attractive.
33.Give your family a treat with Beefy—the tenderest,juiciest steak that ever got inside a tin.
34.Cheese with a real tasta,rich and flavoursome.
As is knon,the function of adjective is to make a description more vivid and attractive.If ad-writers want the audience to imagine a lot,adjectives is very helpful.Two adjectives are employed in the ad for steaks When we have a steak,we would like it cooked tenderly and covered with juice,that means it’s delicious.So the two adjectives “tenderest”and “juiciest”can make the picture come the picture come across our minds.As for the second one,it is and for food in which many adjectives such as delicious,fresh,rich,crisp are commonly used,with these adjectives,the ad may prompt the audience to think of the good taste of the advertised product.
3.2.3 Associative function of social meaning
“Social meaning is that which a piece of language conveys about the social circumstances of its use”(leech,1981:11).Ad-writers understand the word’s social meaning well.For example,they know all ladies strive to keep themselves young and beautiful all their lives,so a certain kind of words are often adopted in the ads for women.As for the older who wants to keep healthy and fit, ad-writers try to satisfy their needs.
35.Tender tailoring.Feminine but far from frilly…gentle on your budget,too.
36.Bright ties.Ties for the cool,and certainly the confident.
In the first women’s clothes ads,such adjectives as tender,feminine,frilly and gentle are used,which completely embody the feminine characteristics.In the second tie ad,as we know most consumers are men, so such adjectives as cool, and confident are employed which correctly meet men’s needs.Ad-wrters always know about the target audience before hand,so that they can choose the right words to affect the target audience.
3.2.4 Associative function of affective meaning
“Affective meaning is often explicitly conveyed through the conceptual or connotative content of the words used”(Leech,1981:15).Someone who is addressed: “you’re a vicious tyrant,and I hate you for it!”We know the feeling of the speaker towards him without doubt.But there are less direct ways of disclosing our attitude.The use of exclamation and colloquial words is typical of this in ads.
37.Oh carlo!
38.Yes—Avis is all over Asia Pacific
Affective meaning is largely a parasitic category in the sense that it expressesour emotions.We rely upon the mediation of other categories of meaning conceptual,connotative or stylistic.The first is a cosmetic ad, “Oh,Carlo!”is very colloquial,and the use of exclamation expresses the women’s high praise at the same time.In the second example, “yes”,as a colloquial word,is employed to show the consumer’s positive feeling for the advertised product—A Car Rental company,it also implies:whenever you ask for Avis,you’ll get a “yes”reply.We know from the above why some colloquial words are popular in ads.
3.3 The syntactic factor
“The first step in process of understanding a sentence is to assign elements of its surface structure to linguistic categories,a procedure known as parsing”(Carroll,1999:131).When we read sentences,we first,of course,parse the sentence with some strstegies.When we read ads,one strategy is often employed,that is the minimal attachment strategy.
3.3.1 The minimal attachment strategy
“This strategy states we prefer attaching new items into the phrase marker being constructed using the fewest syntactic nodes consistent with the rules of the language”(Carroll,1999:134).That means,when people read a sentence, the reading time for a simple sentence is faster than that of a clause,because a clause requires building a new constituent.Look at the two examples: “They argued the mayor’s position forcefully”,and “They argued the mayor’s position was incorrect,the reading time is faster for the former than that of the latter.So simple sentences are more popular than clauses in ads.In other words,we prefer using parallel structures to subordinate structures,the former is more brief and easier to be interpreted.
39.A little gold on belt buckle.A toch of gold on the spacious seats.A sparkle of gold on the drink trays.
40.A Mars a day helps you work,rest and play.
The first is an ad for Airline Company.The word gold is repeated three times and phrases:a little,a touch of,a sparkle of,with similar meanings,are used in a row,which reinforces the memory of the ad.The second is an ad for a candy bar.The ad-writer imitaes the idiom:an apple a day keeps the doctor away and employs a parallel structure instead of a compound sentence.So these two examples are easily understood,the most important reason is that ad-writers use parallel structures instead of compound sentences.
Chapter Four
Sentence Memory
According to statistics,the average Americans are exposed to 1,500 advertisements every day(潘向光，1996：101）.It is impossible for them to notice each ad,let alone remember it.Only a small part of the ads will be retained.So it's not enough for the audience to notice the ad,furthermore,it's necessary for them to remember some key imformation about the product.When they go shopping,they know what brand they want.How to make the reader keep the ad information in mind is a challenging task for advertiser.
4.1 Reducing the amount of information
According to the experimental result:if the number of the words of the headline is below six,then people can remember 34%,if the number is above six,then people can only retain 13%(潘向光，1996：115）.From the statistics,it shows the less the material is,the easier it is for people to retain them.
41.Good taste,Kent style
42.Every time we race,you win
The main function of the headline is to attract the reader's attention and tell them the advertised product.The above two examples are not only simple but also moving.The first example is an ad for Kent cigarette,which directly points out the strength of the advertised product-good taste.It tries to induce the audience to buy the product.The second is an ad for Yamaha motor-cycles,advertisers know that most young men like riding motor-cycles quickly,so they highlight the strength of the advertised product-quickness.Both the two examples show the simplicity and clarity of the ad and the audience can remember them easily.
4.2 Tactics in words
The figure of speech of the ads is one of the most important devices employed by ad-writers,which not only increases the effect of the ad,but also can make the audience remember the ad easily and for a long time.The following shows you how figures of speech such ad Rhyming.Puns and Imitating idioms reinforce the audience memory.
4.2.1 Rhyming
We communicate with each other with language,and speech sounds are a very important part of language.Ad-writers usually employ sentences with rhyme,this is because if a sentence is rhymed,then there are repetitions of identical consonant sounds or vowel sounds in successive or closely associated words or syllables,this kind of repetition reinforces the memory of the ad.
43 All yummy,no tummy
44 My goodness!My Guinness!
The first example is an ad for ice-cream,yummy means delicious and tummy means belly,they are assonance. The use of assonance here makes the ad sound rhythmic,and the repetition of the vowel sounds/∧/,/i/ makes the audience remember the ad easily.The whole sentence can be interpreted like this:although this kind of ice-cream is delicious,you don't worry about becoming fat and having a big belly.
Guinness is the name of the beer,"goodness" and "guinness"are Alliteration and consonance.My Goodness is a colloquial exclamation with the meaning of "high praise",which also indicates the high praise of Guinness Beer.No matter what kind of rhyming an ad would be(alliteration,assonance or consonance),the repetition of some vowel or consonant sounds make the audience blurt the ad out.
4.2.2 Pun
Pun is a figure of speech depending upon a similarity of a sound and disparity of meaning,according to Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetices.There are two kinds of pun:Homograpic Pun and Homophonic Pun.
45.Spoil yourself and not your figure
46.The fastest fast-growth companies rely on Autonomy.(refer to figure 1).
47.Make your every hello a real good-buy.
The first two examples are Homographic Pun.The first Weight-Watcher ice-cream ad is ambiguous with the word "spoil","spoil oneself"means enjoy oneself to heart's content,while "spoil your figure"means damage your shape.So word spoil has two different senses here which are apart from each other and not obviously related.
The second is the headline of Autonomy software ad,it puns on the word "Autonomy".On one hand,the headline means"the fastest fastgrowth companies rely on Autonomy software." On the other hand,it means:if a company wants to grow fast,it must have freedom of selfgovernment.
The third is Homophonic Pun,it's an ad for a telephone company,the ad-writer makes use of homophones,that is,good-buy and good-bye,when we phone somebody we say good-bye at the end.And the sentence actually means:if you use our product,it will be a good deal or good choice,because it will make every phone call good and happy to you.The Pun in ads humours and interests the readers.People have excellent retention of forms as well as meaning of statemants that are high in interactional control.
4.2.3 Imitating idioms
An idiom is a phrase or sentence whose meaning is not obvious through knowledge of the individual meanings of the constiuent words, but must be learnt as a whole.Idioms are very popular in our daily life and people can understand it very well.Ad-writers sometimes create ads by imitating idioms just because such ads can be easily understood.
48. The prose without the con
49. Go with the flow
The first example,the ad for The Times,derives from the popular idiom"the pros and cons"(是非曲直），so we can understand the ad immediately;we won't tell lies,the prose in our magazine will tell you the truth .The second is an ad for female clothes.On one hand,it derives from the famous novel Gone With The Wind,so the audience can remember it easily.On the other hand,ad-writers know well that many women want to be beautiful and fashionable,so the ad just meets the need of the consumer.
4.3 Inferences in advertising
"Elaboration is thought of as a process by which incoming information is related to information already stored in permanent memory,thereby enriching the memory representation of the new material.A particular form of elaborative procesing is the draw of inferences"(Carroll,1991:149).We draw inferences in the course of comprehending new events.With the passage of time,it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish between what was presented and what was inferred.This is especially true in advertising for advertisers are highly skilled at creating impressions about products.Let's look at the following example:
50.Is her skin really this beautiful?
Not without a Little help,it isn't.
Max Factors Foundations are too sheer,too light,to be seen. But the results can't be missed.Choose from: Velvet Balanced Make-up a PH balanced,old-free liquid to maintain your skin's natural acid balance.
Velvet Touch.A Gossamer light,basic foundation to give your skin a fresh radiant look.
Ultra Moisturized foundation that's especially kind to drier skins.Use one of these foundations from Max Factor and they could be asking it of you.Is her skin really that beautiful!
Don't you Love Being a woman?
Max Factor
We'll first study the two questions in the ad.The first is the headline:Is her skin really this beautiful?The ad doesn't give us a routine answer,that is,a yes or an answer,instead,it adopts an honest reply:Not without a little help,it isn't.The key to the second question"Don't you love being a woman?"is "Max Factor"which takes the place of"Yes".So from the two questions,we draw the inference:Max Factor can make our skin very beautiful and make us love being a woman.
So we say advertisers are prevented,on legal grounds,from making false statements about their products,but making false implicatioins is less dangerous.From an advertiser's perspective,implied message are extremely attractive because they can create the same impression as explicit messages without the same legal repercussions.
Conclusion
Although people usually don't admit that they are influenced by ads.Advertising,as one part of our life,increasingly impact on our daily life.It provides us with imformation about things both abroard and at home,it makes the world more active and seemingly small.How do people interpret the ad?How do copy-writers create the ad?All of these questions are very appealing to us.
The thesis analyses the information-receiver's mental process from the psycholinguistic perspective.When a reader is exposed to an ad,there are many factors which will influence the effect of the ad.Lexical access theory demands that copy-writers pay attention to the wording in ads.Sentence comprehension theory reminds the copy-writer that they should notice the structure of the sentence,at the same time they should stress the comprehension of sentence in contexts.Sentence Memory theory indicates that some patterns are very memorable.All of the above are factors that copy-writers can't afford to ignore.
The thesis attempts to study the rhetorical characteristics of advertising English mainly in psycholiguistic and perspectives.However,because my personal knowledge in this field is still limited,the theses is far from perfect,but I’ll make this theses a starting point from which I’ll go further in investigating the rhetorical features of Advertising English in the hope of providing some useful reference for people in thee commercial circle.
广告英语修辞的小学英语教学的论文心理语言学视角
摘要：中国作为WTO成员国之一，与世界各国的小学英语教学的论文联系越来越密切，尤其是贸易交往日趋频繁，进出口业务越来越多。而广告对于产品的购进与售出都起着十分重要的作用。它一方面是我们了解国外产品的信息来源之一，另一方面也是我国产品进军国际市场的一种重要手段，应倍受关注。本文将从心理语言学角度出发，剖析广告英语修辞特色，以便为人们更快速准确地读懂广告英语提供一些参考。不同于那些只对广告语的修辞特色进行描写的文章，本文将从心理语言学的角度来剖析人们怎样解读广告英语，从而解释广告英语的词汇和句法修辞特色的产生。
关键词：广告英语，广告英语修辞特色，心理语言学视角
Bibliography
Bovee,C.L.＆W.F.Arens,1992.contem porary Advertising [M].New Yoyk:Von Aoffmann Press Inc.
Carroll,D.W.1999.Psychology of Language [M].3rd edition.Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Corbett,P.E.＆J.R.Connors,1999.Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student
[M].Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Leech,G.N.1981.Semantics[M].Suffolk:the Chauce Press
Myers,G.1994.Words in Ads[M].New York:St Martin’s Press Inc.
崔刚，1993，广告英语3000句[M]。北京：北京理工大学出版社。
崔刚，1993，广告英语[M]。北京：北京理工大学出版社。
桂诗春，1984，心理语言学[M]。上海：上海外语教育出版社。
潘向光，1996，现代广告学[M]。杭州：杭州大学出版社。
孙晓丽，1995，广告英语与实例[M]。北京：中国广告电视出版社。
文军：1992，英语修辞格词典[M]。重庆：重庆大学出版社。
|
| | |
| | | | <<<<<全文未完>>>>> 全文字数约$$$zishu$$$字 | |
| | |
| |
|
教育论文中心