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[摘 要]As a mass communication,advertising has some special features and functions of its own.And the copywriters always use some devices to achieve its objective.This thesis aims to study the rhetorical devices used in advertising English such as alliteration,rhyme,metaphor,pun,personification,and hyperbole.
[关键词]advertising English rhetorical devices
[中图分类号]G2[文献标识码]A[文章编号]1009-5489(2010)06-0108-02
Ⅰ.Introduction
With the development of economy,advertising plays a more important role in establishing brand awareness,building image,promoting international business,etc.It provides a valuable service to society and its members through defining for consumers the meaning and the role of products,services,and institutions.And the language of advertising has a powerful influence on people and their behaviour because it uses some special devices such as rhetorical devices.
Ⅱ.Advertising English and Its Functions
According to American Marketing Association,the most popular definition of advertisement is as follows:Advertisement is the non-personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about the products,services or ideas by identified sponsors through the various media.Thus,advertisement is a type of mass communication between certain sponsors and a certain target audience.It provides information of products to consumers with an aim to persuade them to take action.There are two main functions of advertising:informing and persuading.The latter is the primary function,which means,the overriding function of advertising is to persuade or manipulate the potential consumers to buy a product and accept the ideas,values,and life styles which are associated with the product.And the informative function serves for the purpose of exerting the persuasive effect at its best.
Ⅲ.Rhetorical Devices in Advertising English
A successful advertisement can always trigger the consumers'purchasing action.In order to achieve this objective,advertisements frequently use some special devices such as alliteration,rhyme,metaphor,pun,personification,hyperbole and so on.These rhetoric devices are so impressive and persuasive that they can contribute to draw people's attention,arouse their interest and desire,at the same time,convince them and finally push them into action to buy the products.
1.Alliteration and Rhyme
Alliteration is also called head rhyme or initial rhyme and it refers to the repetition of the initial consonant cluster in stressed syllables.It is frequently used in advertising English because it can add cadence and power to the sentence and make the advertisement more impressive.For example,
Health,humour and happiness...Gifts we'd love to give.(The Saturday Evening Post)
In this advertisement,health,humour,happiness have the same head rhyme[h],which makes the advertisement impressive and easy to remember.Furthermore,it uses ellipsis to leave us more room to imagine that this newspaper will bring you more goods than these three aspects.
Rhyme is the identity of sounds between words or verse lines extending back from the end to the last fully accented vowel and not further.Just like alliteration,rhyme is also commonly used in advertising to help memory.For example,
Hasty,Tasty.(Fast Food Restaurant)
There are only two words in this advertisement,but they can appropriately express the features and advantages of this restaurant.Moreover,these two words with the same rhyme make the sentence reads rhythmic and give us a deep impression.Therefore,alliteration and rhyme are two useful devices to persuade people into action.
2.Simile and Metaphor
Simile is an explicit comparison between two things that are essentially unlike,yet are alike in a certain respect.Simile is a powerful device in description,explanation and persuasion.By comparing an unfamiliar thing to something that is better known,or by making comparison of familiar objects out of people's expectation,the copywriter can make his ideas more clear and vivid.For example,
Like a good neighbour,State Farm is there.(State Farm Insurance)
In this advertisement,insurance company is compared to a good neighbour with the figurative word"like",which is frequently used in simile.Almost everyone in America knows the teaching sentence in the Bible"Love thy neighbour as thyself".Now there is the State Farm Insurance standing besides you at your service and the feeling of kindness will arises spontaneously.Therefore,this simile can cause resonance and make itself persuasive.
Metaphor is an implied analogy which imaginatively identifies one object with another and helps transfer the qualities of one thing to another naturally.It is one of the most popularly used rhetorical devices in advertising English.With metaphor,copywriters can make their advertisement more specific and vivid.For example
Something within you is Dior.(Christian Dior)
French perfume has a long standing reputation and this is an advertisement made for its new launched perfume Poison.It makes you wondering is it the heart of glamor or the heart of evil.It gives you more room for imagination and make it successful to break the world record of sale.
3.Personification
Personification is a device of expression in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form.By comparing lifeless objects to thinking beings,personification can make any product familiar and accessible to the average people,no matter what function it serves or in what way it works.For example,
Your Car Knows.(Amoco)
She has her own spirit and it graces everyone she comes near.(Lauren)
Car is personated in the first advertisement and it can identify whether the petrol is good or bad.Can you deny Amoco if your car choose it? The second one is an advertisement of Lauren perfume and the word"she"refers not only to the beauties who love Lauren perfume but also to the perfume itself.The use of personification makes this product more attractive.Personification gives life to the products that advertised and makes the advertisement interesting and easy to remember.It naturally pulls the reader closer to the message and push them into action to buy.
4.Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to emphasize a point,to create humor,or to achieve some similar effect.Superlatives such as"the finest","the best",the"greatest","the purest" are prevalently used in advertisement.Surely not all products of the same class can be"the best"or"the finest".However,in advertisement,hyperbole is used to emphasize,to attract people's attention,and to persuade people to buy the products.For example,
If you are looking for the place that has everything,there is only one place to visit.And that is New York.It is a whole world in a city.
It is an advertisement to attract people to travel in New York.If you want to have a journey round the world you have on other choice but to come to New York.It is a little exaggerating but it can draw people's attention and arouse their desire to go there.
5.Pun
Pun is the use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more meanings or different associations,or the use of two or more words of the same or nearly the same sound with different meanings,so as to produce a humorous effect.Pun is frequently used in advertisements because it can attract the interests of the target audience with its wits and humours.The use of pun in an advertisement can create a wonder and widen the image of a product.For example:
The unique spirit of Canada.We bottled it.(Whisky)
This is the headline of an Whisky advertisement.The word"spirit"can be understood not only as the"consciousness",the"soul"of Canada,but also as a unique wine of Canada.Furthermore,"bottled"means not only"to place in a bottle"but also means"concentrate".Therefore,this advertisement conveys dual meaning.One is the apparent meaning:The unique wine of Canada is placed in bottle for you;The other is the implicit meaning:The unique national consciousness of Canada is concentrated on us.This kind of expression makes the advertisement concise,interesting and easy to remember.
Ⅳ.Conclusion
This thesis analyses the rhetorical devices such as alliteration,rhyme,metaphor,pun,personification,and hyperbole in advertising English.The use of rhetorical devices contribute to draw people's attention,arouse their interest and push them into action to buy the products.Furthermore,this study is helpful for the good translation and creation of an advertising.
[参考文献]
[1]Angela Goddard.The Language of Advertising:Written Texts.London:Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.
[2]Arens,William F.Contemporary Advertsing. IRWIN,1994.
[3]赵静.广告英语[M].北京:外语教学与研究出版社,1992.
[4]郭贵龙,等.广告英语文体与翻译[M].上海:华东师范大学出版社,2008.
[5]徐有志.英语文体学教程[M].北京:高等教育出版社,2007.
[6]黄任.英语修辞与写作[M].上海:上海外语教育出版社,1996.
[收稿日期]2010年3月26日
[作者简介]李红:辽宁大学外国语学院2007级研究生。
[关键词]advertising English rhetorical devices
[中图分类号]G2[文献标识码]A[文章编号]1009-5489(2010)06-0108-02
Ⅰ.Introduction
With the development of economy,advertising plays a more important role in establishing brand awareness,building image,promoting international business,etc.It provides a valuable service to society and its members through defining for consumers the meaning and the role of products,services,and institutions.And the language of advertising has a powerful influence on people and their behaviour because it uses some special devices such as rhetorical devices.
Ⅱ.Advertising English and Its Functions
According to American Marketing Association,the most popular definition of advertisement is as follows:Advertisement is the non-personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about the products,services or ideas by identified sponsors through the various media.Thus,advertisement is a type of mass communication between certain sponsors and a certain target audience.It provides information of products to consumers with an aim to persuade them to take action.There are two main functions of advertising:informing and persuading.The latter is the primary function,which means,the overriding function of advertising is to persuade or manipulate the potential consumers to buy a product and accept the ideas,values,and life styles which are associated with the product.And the informative function serves for the purpose of exerting the persuasive effect at its best.
Ⅲ.Rhetorical Devices in Advertising English
A successful advertisement can always trigger the consumers'purchasing action.In order to achieve this objective,advertisements frequently use some special devices such as alliteration,rhyme,metaphor,pun,personification,hyperbole and so on.These rhetoric devices are so impressive and persuasive that they can contribute to draw people's attention,arouse their interest and desire,at the same time,convince them and finally push them into action to buy the products.
1.Alliteration and Rhyme
Alliteration is also called head rhyme or initial rhyme and it refers to the repetition of the initial consonant cluster in stressed syllables.It is frequently used in advertising English because it can add cadence and power to the sentence and make the advertisement more impressive.For example,
Health,humour and happiness...Gifts we'd love to give.(The Saturday Evening Post)
In this advertisement,health,humour,happiness have the same head rhyme[h],which makes the advertisement impressive and easy to remember.Furthermore,it uses ellipsis to leave us more room to imagine that this newspaper will bring you more goods than these three aspects.
Rhyme is the identity of sounds between words or verse lines extending back from the end to the last fully accented vowel and not further.Just like alliteration,rhyme is also commonly used in advertising to help memory.For example,
Hasty,Tasty.(Fast Food Restaurant)
There are only two words in this advertisement,but they can appropriately express the features and advantages of this restaurant.Moreover,these two words with the same rhyme make the sentence reads rhythmic and give us a deep impression.Therefore,alliteration and rhyme are two useful devices to persuade people into action.
2.Simile and Metaphor
Simile is an explicit comparison between two things that are essentially unlike,yet are alike in a certain respect.Simile is a powerful device in description,explanation and persuasion.By comparing an unfamiliar thing to something that is better known,or by making comparison of familiar objects out of people's expectation,the copywriter can make his ideas more clear and vivid.For example,
Like a good neighbour,State Farm is there.(State Farm Insurance)
In this advertisement,insurance company is compared to a good neighbour with the figurative word"like",which is frequently used in simile.Almost everyone in America knows the teaching sentence in the Bible"Love thy neighbour as thyself".Now there is the State Farm Insurance standing besides you at your service and the feeling of kindness will arises spontaneously.Therefore,this simile can cause resonance and make itself persuasive.
Metaphor is an implied analogy which imaginatively identifies one object with another and helps transfer the qualities of one thing to another naturally.It is one of the most popularly used rhetorical devices in advertising English.With metaphor,copywriters can make their advertisement more specific and vivid.For example
Something within you is Dior.(Christian Dior)
French perfume has a long standing reputation and this is an advertisement made for its new launched perfume Poison.It makes you wondering is it the heart of glamor or the heart of evil.It gives you more room for imagination and make it successful to break the world record of sale.
3.Personification
Personification is a device of expression in which inanimate objects or abstractions are endowed with human qualities or are represented as possessing human form.By comparing lifeless objects to thinking beings,personification can make any product familiar and accessible to the average people,no matter what function it serves or in what way it works.For example,
Your Car Knows.(Amoco)
She has her own spirit and it graces everyone she comes near.(Lauren)
Car is personated in the first advertisement and it can identify whether the petrol is good or bad.Can you deny Amoco if your car choose it? The second one is an advertisement of Lauren perfume and the word"she"refers not only to the beauties who love Lauren perfume but also to the perfume itself.The use of personification makes this product more attractive.Personification gives life to the products that advertised and makes the advertisement interesting and easy to remember.It naturally pulls the reader closer to the message and push them into action to buy.
4.Hyperbole
Hyperbole is a figure of speech in which exaggeration is used to emphasize a point,to create humor,or to achieve some similar effect.Superlatives such as"the finest","the best",the"greatest","the purest" are prevalently used in advertisement.Surely not all products of the same class can be"the best"or"the finest".However,in advertisement,hyperbole is used to emphasize,to attract people's attention,and to persuade people to buy the products.For example,
If you are looking for the place that has everything,there is only one place to visit.And that is New York.It is a whole world in a city.
It is an advertisement to attract people to travel in New York.If you want to have a journey round the world you have on other choice but to come to New York.It is a little exaggerating but it can draw people's attention and arouse their desire to go there.
5.Pun
Pun is the use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more meanings or different associations,or the use of two or more words of the same or nearly the same sound with different meanings,so as to produce a humorous effect.Pun is frequently used in advertisements because it can attract the interests of the target audience with its wits and humours.The use of pun in an advertisement can create a wonder and widen the image of a product.For example:
The unique spirit of Canada.We bottled it.(Whisky)
This is the headline of an Whisky advertisement.The word"spirit"can be understood not only as the"consciousness",the"soul"of Canada,but also as a unique wine of Canada.Furthermore,"bottled"means not only"to place in a bottle"but also means"concentrate".Therefore,this advertisement conveys dual meaning.One is the apparent meaning:The unique wine of Canada is placed in bottle for you;The other is the implicit meaning:The unique national consciousness of Canada is concentrated on us.This kind of expression makes the advertisement concise,interesting and easy to remember.
Ⅳ.Conclusion
This thesis analyses the rhetorical devices such as alliteration,rhyme,metaphor,pun,personification,and hyperbole in advertising English.The use of rhetorical devices contribute to draw people's attention,arouse their interest and push them into action to buy the products.Furthermore,this study is helpful for the good translation and creation of an advertising.
[参考文献]
[1]Angela Goddard.The Language of Advertising:Written Texts.London:Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd.
[2]Arens,William F.Contemporary Advertsing. IRWIN,1994.
[3]赵静.广告英语[M].北京:外语教学与研究出版社,1992.
[4]郭贵龙,等.广告英语文体与翻译[M].上海:华东师范大学出版社,2008.
[5]徐有志.英语文体学教程[M].北京:高等教育出版社,2007.
[6]黄任.英语修辞与写作[M].上海:上海外语教育出版社,1996.
[收稿日期]2010年3月26日
[作者简介]李红:辽宁大学外国语学院2007级研究生。