浅论广告英语的语言特点

随着我国经济体制改革的深入和社会主义市场经济的确立与发展对外经济交往日益频繁出口广告逐渐发展成为企业促进出口销售、开拓海外市场的一个主要手段。

相应地，外国广告的大量涌入也使之成为我国企业和消费者获取商品经济信息的重要来源。

如何恰如其分地运用和理解广告英语以实现广告的目的，已是摆在进出口商、广告人员及广大消费者面前的一个现实问题。

广告英语文体的语言特点1．广告英语的词汇特点广告英语的词汇丰富多彩，但每一个词的选择与使用都服务于“推销商品”这一最终目的，因此它们往往具备鼓动性和感染力。

归纳起来主要表现如下：●形容词及其比较级、最高级的使用。

例如：Famous world－wide gourmet cuisine．Excellent daily specials and mouthwatering desserts．（世界著名的美食烹调。

精美的美日特色饭菜和令人垂涎的点心。

）Tasters richer…… mellower……more satisfying．（口味更浓……更醇……更令人满意。

）●创造新词、怪词以引起新奇感，突出产品的新、奇、特，满足消费者追求新潮、标榜个性的心理。

例如：For twogether the ultimate all inclusive one price sunkissed holiday．（两人共度一个阳光灿烂的假日，一切费用均包括在单人价格之内。

）twogether 取自together之音，又取“两人”之意比together更形象，倍添情趣。

●词汇的重复。

词汇的重复是一种常用的技巧，可以起强调、渲染的作用，而这恰恰是广告语言所要追求的效果。

例如：Easy to use easy to clean easy to assemble．日光牌简便烧烤架广告●使用缩略词和复合词以节省广告篇幅。

广告写作中常尽可能缩短篇幅，以降低成本。

缩略词和复合词的使用比比皆是。

例如：Where to leave your troubles when you fly JAL．乘坐日航班机，一路无忧。

JAL是Japan Airlines的缩写形式。

●“雅”语、“俗”语平分天下，色彩缤纷。

例如：The home of your dreams awaits you behind this door．Whether your taste be a country manor estate or a penthouse in the sky you will find the following pages filled with the worlds’ most elegant residences．（打开门，等着您的就是梦寐以求的家。

无论您想要一座乡间宅第，或者是一间摩天大楼的顶屋，翻开下面几页就可以看到世界上最美的住宅，供您挑选。

）广告中的await，be，manor elegant，residence都是正是场合下才使用的“雅”语词汇，它们在这里代替了“俗语”的wait，is，house，nice，place。

2．广告英语的句法特点●简单短句多，醒目易懂。

例如：Fresh Up with Seven－up．（请饮七喜，倍添精神）。

●并列句多，简洁明了，易于理解；平行结构，加深印象。

例如：Introducing FITNESS magazine．It’s about health it’s about exercise it’s about your image your energy and your outlook．（向您推荐《健康》杂志：说健康、说锻炼、说形象、说精力、说展望。

）●省略句多，语言凝练。

例如：You’ll enjoy relaxed sunny days．Warm crystal clear lagoons．Cool green foliage．Waterfalls．Flowers．Exotic scents．Bright blue skies．Secluded beaches．Graceful palms．Breathtaking sunsets．Soft evening breezes．And food that simply outstanding．（您会享受这阳光明媚的轻松日子。

温暖、清澈的环礁湖，清凉、碧绿的树叶，瀑布，花丛，异样的芬芳，明亮的蓝天，幽静的海滩，优美的棕榈，壮丽的日落，轻柔的晚风。

还有那绝妙的食物。

）从“温暖、清澈的环礁湖”到“轻柔的晚风”，一连串名词短语代替了You’ll enjoy……的句子。

不仅简洁紧凑，而且又鲜明有力。

●祈使句多，具有强烈的鼓动色彩。

例如：So come into McDon ald’s and enjoy big Mac Sandwich．（走进麦当劳，享用大三明治。

）●否定句少。

即使使用否定句，也是为了用其他商品来反衬，或从反面突出产品特性。

例如：We would never say the new Audi A4 is the best in its class．We don’t have to．（我们根本不必说新型奥迪A4同类车中最好的。

没有这个必要。

）●常用主动语态和现在时，给人一种直接感，并暗示商品的持久和永恒特性。

例如：Harmony of style and performance set this new Mazda 6 a part．Qualities are at the heart of every Mazda．（式样与性能的协调一致使新型马自达6与众不同。

质量是马自达的核心。

）3．广告英语的修辞特点有人称其为“半文学体”（sub－literarygenre）（Leech，1969），因此广告中常使用修辞手段。

●比喻（analogy）：Featherwater：light as a feather．（法泽瓦特眼镜：轻如鸿毛。

）●拟人（personification）：Flowers by Interflora speak from the heart．（植物园培育的鲜花倾诉衷肠。

）●双关（pun）：Ask for More．（摩尔牌香烟的广告）●押韵（rhyming）：Hi－fi Hi－fun Hi－fashion only from Sony．（高保真，高乐趣，高时尚，只来自索尼。

）（索尼音响的广告）●重复（repetition）：Dish after dish after dish．People expect us to be better．（一盘一盘又一盘。

人们盼望我们更好。

）浅论广告英语的语言特点摘要广告,顾名思义就是广而告之。

作为一种宣传和传播模式,广告的作用不容忽视,因为它不仅只是一种说服顾客进行消费的技巧,更重要的是,它已逐渐成为社会交流的必须手段之一。

本文通过对大量英语广告实例进行分析,并参照国外着名广告人Guy Cook等的理论,详细剖析了广告的语言特点。

广告在我们今天的社会几乎是无孔不入,它的传播介质多种多样,包括报纸、杂志、电视、广播、网络等。

广告具有鲜明的目的性,即说服顾客进行购买,这种目的性决定了其语言的特色性风格,使其独立于其它文体,在语言学范畴内值得研究。

本文选定这一全球普遍使用的语言,就其应用于广告领域而产生的一些语言学特点和广告本身的社会性特点进行深入分析,希望能对相关领域的研究有一定的借鉴作用和参考价值。

本文共分为五章,第一章追溯了广告的起源,对广告的分类、作用及定义做了简单概要;第二章介绍了广告和文体学的基本定义,广告中,文字和图像的完美结合取决于创意和所用媒体,但它们共同组成了广告语言;第三章从句法学、修辞学、词汇学等理论切入,用大量例子分析了广告英语的语言特点,并从语篇分析的角度对其语言特点进行了剖析;在语篇分析的章节中,引用了Guy Cook的语篇分析模型,并引入了广告问题研究领域新近提出的"文章关联性"等概念;第四章结合了第三章的观点,通过具体英语广告实例对标题中的用词、句子结构、称谓模式、修辞格进行了阐述,分析了广告语言对广告效果的影响;最后一章指出了广告发展的口语化和简单化趋势及其目前存在的模糊性语言特点,揭开了广告华丽词藻下所掩盖的非真实的广告氛围,批判了其模糊性误导消费者的消极一面。

关键词:广告;广告;语言特点AbstractAs a way of propagating and transmitting information, advertising's role connot be underestimated because it is not only an artful technique in persuading people to buy, but also gradually has become a must for social communication which in turn influences the development of society and economy. The purpose of this paper is to study the linguistic features and sociological features of advertising English, in the hope to help copywriters at home markets in their creating process.Nowadays advertising has penetrated into every corner of our life as its transmitting media in many forms: newspaper, magazine, TV, radio as well as network. The goal of advertising decides its language to be simple and direct, distinct from the characteristics of other discourses. Thus an analysis on the linguistic features of advertising English in the linguistic field is worthwhile. Under such circumstances, a study on the linguistic features of advertising English will have practical effects on the composing and translating work of the copywriters.The whole paper is divided into five chapters. The first chapter traces back the origin of advertising and a brief introduction on the classifications, roles and definitions of advertising is presented for the later discussion.The second chapter introduces the theory of advertisements and stylistics, the precise balance of words (either spoken or written) and pictures is determined by the creative concept and the medium used, but the combination of images andwords makes up the language of advertising.The third chapter starts from the theories in syntax, lexicology, rhetoric and ends with the linguistic features analyzed in the field of discourse analysis.The fourth chapter combines the viewpoints from the previous chapter third and explores the effect of the advertising English as a whole advertising process. The last chapter, also the conclusion part, shows that though advertising language appears to be flowery and refined, its content is no better than commonest language could convey. By exposing the various techniques advertisers have employed in their writing, this part hopes to remind consumers that advertising English is gradually attaining the negative and ambiguous role in guiding people to buy.Keywords: Advertising, Advertising English, Linguistic FeaturesChapter 1 IntroductionNo other statement could have summed up the charm of advertisement than what Aldous Huxley has commented. As he has said advertisement as a literary form is the most exciting, the most arduous literary form of all, and the most pregnant in curious possibilities. In his comment he asserted advertisement is a literary form and the copywriting process is the delightful and salubrious exercise for the mind. But all in all, what is advertising, and what makes it unique?1.1 History of AdvertisementAdvertisement emerged from the womb of commodity production and exchange. The condition for the existence of advertising is "at least a segment ofthe population must live above the subsistence level". When this situation occurs it also becomes necessary for "the producers of materially 'unnecessary' goods to do something to make people want to acquire their commodities." (Vestergaard and Schroder 4)The embryonic form of advertising in the world is street cries, which exist even today. Advertising was not unknown in ancient Greece and Rome, but advertising as we recognize it did not start until the seventeenth century in the West. It was at about this time that newspaper began to circulate. Before that, it is printing which was first invented in China and then introduced to the West that played a vital role in the production of print advertising. "Classified" (small ads) types of advertising were dominant before the nineteenth century and style and language used in ads at that time tended to be direct and informative. The industrial Revolution, which began in England in the mid-1700s and reached the United States by the early 1800s, facilitated mass-production of goods. Meanwhile advertising became more and more important in the industrial market. The great breakthrough for advertising came only in the late nineteenth century. Technology and mass-production techniques were then sufficiently developed for more firms to be able to turn out products of roughly the same quality and at roughly the same price. This brought on a crisis of over-production and under consumption which meant that the market needed to be stimulated by advertising. At this time advertising changed its function from proclamation to persuasion. In the twentieth century, advertising developed rapidly alongside the advent of new media-radioand television in succession.According to Richard Pollay's content analysis of two thousand print ads from ten leading magazines in the USA, ads have progressively turned towards the emotional rather than the informative approach and there is a shift seeing human nature as rational to seeming it as emotional.Today in China, while our economic structure is shifting from the entirely planned economy to the socialist market economy system, advertising is becoming more and more active and sophisticated. In 1992, China's advertising expenditure reached $ 862 million, among the fastest growing countries in Asia. This year with the entry of China into WTO, this expenditure figure will undoubtedly rise up, which will support the view that advertising is an indispensable means for providing the information that all market-oriented industrialized societies need for their economies to function efficiently.1.2 Classifications of AdvertisingAdvertising may be classified by medium (newspaper, magazine, radio, television). By target audience (consumer, industrial, business), by geography (international, national, regional, local), or by its function or purpose (product or non-product, commercial or noncommercial, primary demand or selective demand, direct action or indirect action).Because it is difficult to gain access to enough date for English commercials and ads on radio or TV, thus, the subject of this research paper will mainly concentrate on the print advertising.1.3 Roles of AdvertisingAn advertiser's main purpose is to present and exhibit product or service, and to spread the influence and coverage of which to the extent that the potential purchasing population becomes real and actual. Simply put, advertisers try by the various means at their disposal to get people to buy the product or service advertised. Moreover, advertisers want potential purchasers to consider what is advertised to the exclusion of all other similar products or services. They therefore attempt to construct an advertisement that will fully involve the attention of the potential purchaser and which will have a persuasive effect. Advertisers thus create a semiotic world in order to persuade their audience of essential "rightness" of purchasing the product or service advertised.1.4 Definitions of AdvertisingAfter a brief introduction of the classifications and roles of advertising, we now come to the definitions of advertising. From different perspectives or purposes, the definitions might also vary. In English, the word "advertise" has its origin in "advertere" in Latin, meaning "to inform somebody of something", "to bring into notice" or "to draw attention to something", etc. In Chinese, the equivalent term "guanggao" means "widely announce".The father of modern advertising, Albert Lasker said that advertising was "salesmanship in print". Although the definition was given long before the advent of radio and television, and the nature and scope of advertising at that time were considerably different than they are today, this often-repeated saying indicatesthat the ultimate objective of advertising is to sell. Obviously it is not a working definition because we cannot use it to cover all advertisements. Today, a widely quoted working definition of advertising was put forward by Courtland L. Bovee and William F. Arens :" Advertising is the nonpersonal communication of information, usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature, about products (goods or services) or ideas by identified sponsors through various media."(Cook,Guy. The Discourse of Advertising. London: Routledge,1992) Another linguist Bolen defines advertising as a "Paid, non-personal communication through various mass media by business firms, nonprofit organizations, and individuals who are in some way identified in the message and who hope to inform or persuade members of a particular audience." (Carter, Ronald and Goddard, Angela, Reah Danuta et al. Working with Texts. London: Routledge,1997)If the definitions of advertising were too vague and abstract to comprehend, a few words of its function would help to clarify this crucial term. Broadly speaking, advertisements have at least one of two functions: informing or persuading, although overlap may often take place in one single piece. The trick here is that an informative advertisement informs "the customer about goods, services, or ideas and then tells how to get them means of an identified sponsor" (Bolen 6). Examples of informative advertisements are not a few, ranging from flyers to insertions in magazine and newspapers, all of that aim to advertise new products/services or special prices on certain products/services. This type ofadvertisement gives basic, factual information and sometimes shows a photos or an illustration of the product/service to give the target audience a better view about the advertised product.Persuasive advertisements are thus the instruments used by advertisers "who have defined their target audiences and determined the effect they hope to achieve through persuasive advertisements in the media" (Bolen 9). And a persuasive advertisement should try to persuade the potential customers to buy the new product. (Bolen 6) The persuasive function is not only limited to attracting the potential customer into buying a certain object, but also including the selling of services, ideas, norms and values.To summarize, we would get the idea that firstly advertising is a communication process. Secondly, at least a medium is used. Thirdly, this communication process has a definite purpose to convince the target audience. The above three characteristics suggest advertising is closely connected with the society, employing its media, interconnecting with its people and guiding their buying habit. Also in achieving the advertising effect, the advertising language should be vivid and attractive, whose linguistic characteristics would be covered in the Chapter 3.Chapter 2 Theoretical Background2.1 Advertisement2.1.1 Definition and GoalAdvertising is the paid, impersonal communication of information aboutproducts or ideas by an identified sponsor through mass media in an effort to persuade or influence behavior. Not all advertising is alike. Advertisements differ depending on who the message is intended for, where the advertisement is shown, which media are used, and what the advertiser wants to accomplish.(see Table 2.1) Table 2.1Advertising can be classified in four ways: by target, geographic area, media used, and purpose.By Target By Geographic Area By Media Used By PurposeAudienceConsumerBusiness: Industrial Trade Professional Agriculture InternationalNationalRegionalLocal Print: Newspaper MagazineElectronic: Radio Television InternetOut-of-home: Outdoor Transit Direct mail Directories Other media Productive or nonproductiveCommercial or noncommercialPrimary demand or selective demandDirect action or indirect actionThe purpose of copywriting is to persuade or remind people to take some action to satisfy a need or want. But first people need to be made aware of the problem or, if the problem is obvious, of a solution. To create awareness, the copywriter must first get people's attention-for example, by using large type and provocative visuals. Next, the copywriter must stimulate the prospect's interest in the product and build credibility for the product claims. Then the copywriter focuses on generating desire and finally on stimulating action. These five aspects should be present in every advertisement or commercial.Here is the advertising pyramid.2.1.2 Elements of an AdvertisementAs one will see, any advertisement is made up of several elements. Most advertisements used all of them. They include the headline or display line; the illustration; the body copy or text; the theme line or slogan, trade character, seal, and other marks; and the logotype or signature. Each will be considered in some detail below.(1)HeadlinesThe headline or display line appears in most advertisements for several reasons. First, it is an attention-getting device; secondly, it also selects an audience by appealing to a specific group, as this line dose: Arthritics reduce painful inflammation and get stomach upset protection. (An ad for medicine) Finally, it is the key factor in getting people to read the body copy.(2)IllustrationIn addition to headlines, most advertisements contain illustrations. The illustration like the headline, attracts attention, selects the audience, and stimulates interest in body copy. What is more, the illustration can be invaluable in showing the product or product use and explaining graphically certain ideas or situations that are cumbersome to put into words. The old saying that one picture is worth a thousand words has much merit in it.(3) Body CopyTo begin with, some explanation of the word copy is necessary. The job of body copy is to stimulate interest in the product or service or idea being advertised,creates desire for it, and urge action. This is a big task and calls for right words. Although headlines and illustrations clear the way, it is body copy that must carry the burden of the selling job.(4)Theme lines, slogan, trade characters, seal and other marksA number of different marks and devices may appear in an advertisement, including theme lines, trade characters, and seals; For example, General Foods uses the corporate identity symbol in all its advertisements. The automatic use of these elements in the advertisement, however, does not diminish their importance.2.2 Stylistics2.2.1 The Need for StylisticsWhen talking about the English language, one should not be misled into thinking that the label should in some way refer to a readily identifiable object in reality, which he can isolate and examine in a classroom as a test-tube mixture, a piece of rock or a poem. The label of the English language is in fact a complex of many different 'varieties' of language in use in all kinds of situations in many parts of the world. Naturally, all these varieties have much more in common than differentiates them-they are all clearly varieties of one language, English. But at the same time, each variety is definably distinct from all the others.As an educated speaker of English, a student of English is, in a sense, multilingual: for in the course of developing his command of language, he has encountered a large number of varieties, and to certain extent, has learned now touse them. A particular social situation makes him respond with an appropriate variety of language, the language of conversation, the language of newspaper reporting, the language of advertising and so on. But what is stylistics?2.2.2 DefinitionIn the past, men have been intrigued with style and many students of human communication have offered their ideas about it. Some are concerned with clarity-or lucidity, as Aristotle called it. For this ancient Greek critic, it was important that the speaker or writer not only has ideas but that he says them 'in the right way', a way an audience can understand clearly. He also said that style should be neither above nor below the dignity of the subject but must be 'appropriate'. Another student of language and human use of it, the Scottish writer George Campbell, also believed words (the author's diction or word choice) were the foundation of style. He believed the best style comes from diction that the listener notices so little that he is barely 'conscious that it is through this medium diction he sees into the speaker's thoughts' (The sense of style by Geoffrey N. Leech). But unfortunately, they do not clarify matters greatly, at least four commonly occurring senses of the term style need to be distinguished.Style may refer to some or all of the language habits of one person-as when people talk of Shakespeare's style (or styles), or the style of James Joyce. More often, it refers to a selection of language habits, shared by a group of people at one time, or over a period of time, as when we talk about the style of the Augustan poets, the style of Old English 'heroic' poetry, the style in which civil services formsare written, or styles of public-speaking.Style is given a more restricted meaning when it is used in an evaluative sense, referring to the effectiveness of a mode of expression. This is implied by such popular definitions of style as 'saying the right thing in the most effective way' or as 'good manners'. (Investing English style by David Crystal & Derek Davy) Partly overlapping with the three senses just outlined is the wide spread use of the word style to refer solely to literary language. Style has long been associated primarily or exclusively with literature, as a characterized 'good', 'effective', or 'beautiful' writing.p; Of the above four senses, the first and second come nearest to what is meant by style. As a starting-point, the aim of stylistics is to analyze language habits with the main purpose of identifying from the general mass of linguistic features common to English as used on every conceivable occasion. Those features which are restricted to certain kinds of social context are to explain, where possible, why such features have been used, as opposed to other alternatives, and to classify these features into categories based upon a view of their function in the social context。