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1、Stylistic feature of English in advertising AbstractNowadays 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 ch
2、aracteristics 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 co
3、pywriters.This paper presents an analytical study of the language features of English advertisements at lexical, syntactic and discourse levels. It is hoped that through the detailed survey of three types of advertisements: namely, daily consumer goods advertising, technical equipment advertising, s
4、ervice advertising, similarities and differences in advertising language features can be summarized and possible reasons will be given in the light of the meaning, and function of language.This paper will be presented in four parts. The first part is the introduction and the last conclusion. The sec
5、ond part introduce the element of an advertising. The focus of the paper is laid on the three middle parts which respectively analyze language features at lexical, syntactic and discourse levels. The conclusion of this paper is drawn from the data analysis. In the analysis, examples from the corpus
6、will be given; figures, tables and graphs will also be offered to make the paper understandable and persuasive.It is hoped that the study can shed light on the language features of advertisements and also provide help to copy writers and advertising English learners.Key words: English advertisements
7、; feature; similarities; differences 内容摘要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。作为一门语言艺术，广告英语的语言特色及社会功能，都受到越来越广泛的重视。本文选定英语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,以探求其文体特点。本文旨在通过对书面英语广告的语言分析总结出广告英语在词汇句法篇章上的语言特点。广告英语作为一种应用语言，因其所具有的特殊效用已逐渐从普通英语中独立出来而发展成非规范的专用语言。本文通过分析日用品广告科技设备广告服务业广告总
8、结出广告英语在此三类广告中的相同点与不同点，并且根据语言的意义，风格及功能解释广告英语的共性以及广告英语在不同类型广告中的特殊性。 本文分为四章，首先简单概括广告英语的基础知识，包括广告的定义、作用以及分类，说明英语广告研究的重要性；第二章介绍英语广告的构成特点，这些结构的不同决定了不同的部分的语言特性；第三章论述英语广告的主要语法特点，从词汇、句法及篇章特点切入，通过分析不同类型产品的广告进行分析其语言的构成及特点；第四章总结广告英语的语言特点以及在不同领域的广告中形成不同的表达方式。本文作者衷心希望此论文的分析结果能给英语广告的写作者以及广告英语的学习者提供帮助。 关键词: 广告英语；特征
9、；相同点；不同点 ContentsAcknowledgements. iAbstract (English).iiAbstract (Chinese)iii1.Introduction.12.Elements of an advertisement.23.Stylistic feature of English in advertising.33.1Lexical features.33.1.1 Coinage and anagrammatic spelling.33.1.2 Few verbs.33.1.3 Weasel words.43.1.4 Pun and alliteration.5
10、3.2Syntactical features.63.2.1Similarities. Differences. 63.2.283.3Discourse features .93.3.1 Body copy of an advertisement.93.3.2 Differences in body copy.94.Conclusion.10Works Cited. 121. IntroductionWe live in a world of advertising. As a kind of mass media, advertising plays a very important rol
11、e in modern society and permeates very espect of social life. As its trans mitting media in many forms: newspaper magazine, TV, radio as well as network. Advertising tells the consumer what a specific product, brand or service should do when it is used and thus helps him or her to understand and eva
12、luate experience with the products and services that he or she uses. On the other hand, by making people aware of products, service and ideas, advertising promotes sales and profits. The goal of advertising decides its language to be simple and direct, distinct from the characteristics of other disc
13、ourses. Thus an analysis on the linguistic features of advertising English in the linguistic field is worthwhile.Naturally, advertisements in English have become an important means of communicating ideas, demonstrating a variety of linguistic features of its own. The present study attempts to examin
14、e these features at the lexical, syntactic and discourse levels, in the hope of bringing them to light and, thereby, offering help to advertisement writers and language learners.According to the Definition Committee of American Marketing Association(Fang Wei 12), advertising is defined as follows:Ad
15、vertising is the nonpersonal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products, services or ideas by identified sponsors through the various media.Advertising may be classified by medium (newspaper, magazine, radio, television). By target audience (consume
16、r, 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 Engl
17、ish commercials and ads on radio or TV, thus, the subject of this research paper will mainly concentrate on the print advertising. An advertisers 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 p
18、opulation 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. The
19、y 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 adverti
20、sed.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 lo
21、gotype 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: Arthrit
22、ics 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, sel
23、ects 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
24、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
25、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 Fo
26、ods uses the corporate identity symbol in all its advertisements. The automatic use of these elements in the advertisement, however, does not diminish their importance.3. Language charateristics of English advertisingWith the rapid development of our social economy, advertisement has already become
27、an indispensable part of our daily life. Its glamour and extensiveness lie not only in its functions but also in its language. Though artistic value of advertising language is not so high as that of novel and poetry, it has own special feature. 3.1 Lexical featuresIn order to make the information ac
28、cessible to audience effectively, the choice of words in advertising is very cautious and skillful. The aim of the advertiser is quite specific. He wishes to capture the attention of the members of a mass audience and by means of impressive words to persuade them to buy a product or behave in a part
29、icular way, such as going to Hawaii for all their holiday needs. Both linguistic and psychological aspects are taken into consideration in the choice of words. Sharing the same purpose of advertisingto familiarize or remind consumers of the benefits of particular products in the hope of increasing s
30、ales, the techniques used at the lexical level by advertisers do not vary markedly.3.1.1 Coinage and anagrammatic spellingCoinage is a word or phrase that has been invented recently. That is so many new coinage in English advertising, this word is very lively and interesting that make the people pay
31、 attention and spread the news of goods effectively. For example:When you have been voted best airport in the world two years in a row, what do you do for an encore? Create an Airtropolis. (Singapore Chan Gi Airport) “Airtropolis” is a new coinage, it is equal air + (me) tropolis. The former meaning
32、 of Metropolis is “some of the commercial activity city ”. air + troplis that means: the airport have many flight number, fully course, installation complete is a suitable transfer airport.3.1.2 Few verbs are used G. N. Leech, English linguist, lists 20 most used verbs in his English In Advertising:
33、 Linguistic study of Advertising In Great Britain (Fang Wei 20). They are: make, get, give, have, see, buy, come, go, know, keep, look, need, love, use, feel, like, choose, take, start, taste.All these verbs listed above are also popular in the corpus we built.You will often read such sentences in a
34、n advertisement:Buy x. Use it. We make X will give you what you need. Youll love x. Get x. Fox example:Well make this quick. (Hertz Car Return) Get great coverage thats so weightless and water-fresh. (ALMAY) All you need is a taste for adventure. (Millstone Coffee) Youll love it even more with the 2
35、.1 megapixel C-2000 ZOOM. (Olympus Camera) Dont have much of a personality? Buy one. (Honda Motor) All these frequently used verbs are monosyllabic and most of them have Anglo-Saxon origin that is the common core of English vocabulary. Linguistic study shows English native speakers tend to use words
36、 of Anglo-Saxon origin, because native words have comparably stable meaning. In advertising, these simple words can win the consumers by their exact, effective expression and a kind of closeness. Etymological studies show that the 20 verbs listed before, except use and taste which are from ancient F
37、rench, all are Anglo-Saxon origin. Even the two words, use and taste have long become indispensable lexical items in the stock of common core vocabulary of the English people, developing their stable meaning and usage.3.1.3 Use of weasel words A weasel word is defined as “a word used in order to eva
38、de or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position” according to Webster Dictionary (Philip 176). The use of weasel words has become a device in advertising. Weasel words make people hear things that arent being said, accept as truth that have only been implied, and believe things that
39、have only been implied and suggested. Lets take a look under a strong light at several frequently used words. Help Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice Cocktail helps maintain urinary tract health. It helps control the bacteria in this system. A breakthrough way to help stop wear-out Help finance the video e
40、quipment. All the examples shown are from our corpus. 23% advertisements of all samples use the word help. These helps can be omitted because they have lost their original meaning: aid, assist. Yet, help in advertising English is never redundant. It has magic power in advertisers eyes. Help is the g
41、reat qualifier; once the advertiser says it, he can say anything after it. Help qualifies everything. The audience has never heard anyone say, “This product will keep you young,” or “This toothpaste will positively prevent cavities for all time.” Obviously, advertisers cant say anything like that, b
42、ecause there are not any products like that made. But by adding that one little word help, in front, they can use the strongest language possible afterwards. And the most fascinating part of it is that the readers are immune to the word. The readers literally dont hear the word help. They only knew
43、what comes after it. That is strong language, and likely to be much more important to the readers than the little word at the front.Like Its like getting on bar free. Cleans like a white tornado. Its like taking a trip to Portugal. Like is also a qualifier, and is used in much the same way as help.
44、But like is also a comparative element, with a very specific purpose; advertisers use like to get the audience to stop thinking about something that is bigger than or better or different from the product which are being sold. In other words, they can make the audience believe that the product is mor
45、e than it is by likening it to something else. Like help, like doesnt catch much attention. However by using it, almost anything can be said and promised afterwards.3.1.4 Make pun and alliteration Pun is an amusing use of a word or phrase that has two meanings which is called Polysemy or of words wi
46、th the same sound but different meanings which is called Homonymy. Pun, the game of words, will leave a deep impression on readers by its readability, wit, and humor. However, to make a successful and impressive pun is not easy. Except for its own meaning, the word used as a pun is usually closely related to the characteristics of a certain product or the brand name of the product. Such coincidence doesnt occur often. Here we present several classic pun- used advertisements. For example:Give your hair a touch of spring. Ask for more. (More is a famous brand of cigarette) Give yo
