英语论文范文.docx
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英语论文范文
广告英语中双关语的语用功能及其翻译
摘要:
广告英语的独特性在于其新颖、灵活的语及其形式多样化,除了在词汇和句法方面别具一格外,修辞手法也被广泛地运用来润色广告语言。
双关,一种集幽默与智慧于一身的语言表达形式,因其独特的语言魅力而倍受广告商的青睐。
结合大量的实例分析,本文详细地探讨了双关语在英文广告中所起的作用及其分类。
通过分析与归纳,作者提出了广告双关语翻译的五种策略:
保留、再造、补偿、解释说明以及省略不译。
译者在翻译过程中可以选择一种或者多种策略以达到译文的最佳关联。
关键词:
广告;双关语;语用功能;翻译
PragmaticFunctionand
TranslationofPuninEnglishAdvertisement
Abstract:
AdvertisingEnglishischaracterizedbyitsoriginality,flexibilityoflanguageusageandthediversityoftheforms.Apartfromthedistinguishingfeaturesatlexicalandsyntacticlevels,rhetoricalvehicles,asdecorativedevicesoflanguage,arefrequentlyemployedinadvertisingEnglish.Punning,aconcisewaytoexpresshumorandwit,isparticularlyfavoredbyadvertiserstoenhancetheappealoflanguage.Drawingonexistingstudiesinthefield,theauthoroffersfivestrategiesinthetranslationofpunsinadvertisement,i.e.preservation,creation,compensation,explicationandomission.Theauthorarguesthateachofthefivestrategiesisnotalwaysappliedonitsown,andsometimestwoormorestratrgiesarejointlyemployedinadvertisementtranslationinaccordancewiththeprincipleofoptimalrelevancedependingonthesituation.
Keywords:
Advertisement;Pun;PragmaticFunction;Translation
Contents
Introduction
1Definitionandclassificationofpuninadvertisement
1.1Definitionofpun
1.2Typesofpuninadvertisement
1.2.1PunonPolysemy
1.2.2PunonHomonym
1.2.3PunonParody
1.2.4PunonGrammar
1.2.5PunonIllustrationandWords
2Thepragmaticfunctionofpuninadvertisement
2.1Witandhumor
2.2Creativenessandoriginality
2.3 Satisfyingpeople’srequirementofbeauty
2.4Satisfyingtherequirementofsociety—Economy
2.5ImplyingWarning
2.6Markingproductmoreprofitableandcompetive
3FivestrategiesoftranslationofpunsinEnglishadvertisement
3.1Preservation
3.2Creation
3.3Compensation
3.4Explication
3.5Omission
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Introduction
ThedefinitionofadvertisementbyAMA(AmericanMarketingAssociation):
Advertisingisthenonpersonalcommunicationusuallypaidforandusuallypersuasiveinnatureaboutproducts,servicesofideasbyidentifiedsponsorsthroughthevariousmedia.Itisadevicetoarouseconsumers’attentiontoacommodityandinducethemtouseit.Inmodernage,peoplefindthemselvessurroundedbyvariousadvertisementseachday.AnAmericanwriterwrites:
“wefindadvertisementofallkindseverywhere,forexample,glitteringneonsignsontopofhighbuildingsandalongmainstreets,colorfulpicturespaintedonbusespamphletssenttoveryhouse,advertisementjammedbetweenTVprogramsvariousadvertisementglutting,newspaperandradiobroadcast;etc.”Facingsomanyadvertisement,howtomaketheadvertisementimpressiveisthemainpurposeoftheadvertisers.Inordertoenhancetheappealofanadvertisement,advertiserspaymuchattentionnotonlytosuchexpressivedevicesasplates,colorandthelayoutofaprintedpage,butalsotothechoiceofwordsorphrases,tomakeanadvertisementbeautifulandattractive.
InthepracticeoftheadvertisingEnglish,peoplepaymoreattentiontopuntomaketheadvertisementsuccinct,accurateandvividandtoproviderichimaginationandplentifulassociationsforreaderssoastostimulatetheirdesire.ThefrequentandwideuseoffiguresofspeechisanimportantcharacteristicofadvertisingEnglish,whichisaneffectivewaytomaketheadvertisementattractive.Amongthefigures,punisloveddeeply.OxfordAdvancedDictionarydefinespunas“humoroususeofawordthathastwomeaningsorofdifferentwordsthatsoundthesame”[1].Apun(alsoknownasparonomasia)canbeunderstoodlikethatitisadeliberateconfusionofsimilar-soundingwordsofphrasesforrhetoricaleffect,whetherhumorousorserious.Itleavesadeepimpressiononreadersbyitsreadability,witandhumor.Itcansatisfytherequirementofadvertisementcharacteristics—sellingpower,memoryvalue,attentionvalue,andreadability.Sopunisverypopularinadvertisement.Thearticlejustwantstopresentthepragmaticfunctionandtranslatabilityofpuninadvertisement.
1Definitionandclassificationofpuninadvertisement
1.1Definitionofpun
Lookingatthesameissuefromdifferentperspectives,wemayoftencomeupwithdifferentdefinitionsofthethingunderdiscussion.And,notsurprisingly,puncanbethusdefinedinmanyways.Thereissuchahumorousexplanationaboutpun:
“punning–totortureonepoorwordtenthousandways(JohnDryden)”.InLongmanDictionaryofContemporaryEnglish,punisdefinedas“Anamusinguseofawordorphrasethathastwomeanings,orwordswiththesamesoundbutdifferentmeanings”.AccordingtoTheOxfordEnglishDictionary,punisdefinedas“theuseofwordinsuchawayastosuggesttwoormoremeaningsordifferentassociations,ortheuseoftwoormorewordsofthesameornearlythesamesoundwithdifferentmeanings,soastoproduceahumorouseffect”.InPrincetonEncyclopediaofPoetryandPoetics,punisdefinedas“Afigureofspeechdependinguponasimilarityofsoundandadisparityofmeaning”.Fromtheabovedefinitions,wecanseethathomonyms,homophones,andhomographsallareavailabletoconstructpunswith.
1.2Typesofpuninadvertisement
1.2.1PunonPolysemy
“Whiledifferentwordsmayhavethesameofsimilarmeaning,thesameonewordmayhavemorethanonemeaning.Thisiswhatwecallpolysemy,andsuchawordiscalledpolysemicword.Historicallyspeaking,polysemycanbeunderstoodasthegrowthanddevelopmentoforchangeinthemeaningofwords.”Punonpolysemyisusedwidely,especiallywiththenameoftheproductsuchasthefollowingexamples:
“Fromsharpminds.Comesharpproducts.”
TheexampleisanadvertisementfortheSharpcopier.Theword“sharp”praisestheconsumers’brightness,butalsoreferstotheSharpproduct.Theadvertisementpraisestheconsumerswhoaresharptobuytheproductwhichissharp.Thevanityoftheaudiencesisarousedandtheywanttouseittoshowtheirwise,andalsotheybelievetheproductisreallysharp.
“Moneydoesn’tgrowonthetrees.Butitblossomsatourbranches.LioydBank.”
ItisthesloganofLioydBank.“branch”means“partofatreegrowingoutfromthetrunk”,buthereitimpliesthedivisionofbank”.ThesloganencouragespeopletostoretheirmoneyinLioydBank,andtheirmoneywillbelikethebloomingflowers,yieldingbetterfruits.Afterunderstandingitsmeaning,readerswillfigureitoutinmindthattheirmoneywillbecomemoreandmoredailyanddaily,justliketheleavesinspring.
1.2.2PunonHomonym
“Homonymyreferstothephenomenonthatwordswithdifferentmeaningshavethesameform,i.e,differentwordsareidenticalinsoundorspelling,orinboth.Whentwowordsareidenticalinsound,theyarehomophones.Whenthewordsareidenticalinspelling,theyarehomographs.Whentwowordsareidenticalinbothspellingandsound,theyarecompletehomonyms.”Thefollowinstanceswillexplainthat:
“‘VIPs’anatomicalcomfort.VariableImpactPressureSole”
Theadvertisementofsportshoesusesthehomophonicword“VIPs”.Asweknow,VIPusuallystandsfor“veryimportantpersons”,while,here,itstandsfor“VariableImpactPressureSole”.ItimpliesifyouuseVIPs,youwillbeaVIP.Theword“VIPs’motivatestheaudiences’vanityandinducesthemtobuytheproduct.
“Trustus.Over5000earsofexperience.”
Itisanadvertisementforaudiphone.Theliteralmeaningisthattheproducthasexperiencedalotoftexts.While“ears”and“years”areapairofhomophone.Soitimpliesthattheproducthasalonghistoryandhashighquality.
“GoodbuyWinter!
100%cottonknitwear$40”
Itisanadvertisementforthesaleofwinterclothes.Theadvertisementseemstopeoplethatitsagoodandcheaptobuycottonknitwear.Butwhentheaudiencesread“goodbuywinter”together,theywillunderstandthegooduseofpun.“Goodbuywinter”soundsthesameas“goodbyewinter”.Theadvertisementusehomophonetoshowtwomeanings:
itisagoodbusinesstobuythecottonknitwearnow,andwinterhaspassedaway.Naturally,peoplewillassociatethesituationhappeningeveryyearthatwhentheysaygoodbyetowinter,theclotheswillhaveagreatdiscountanditisgoodtimetobuythem.
“Moresunandairforyoursunandheir.”
Theadvertisementisforabathingbeach.Theadvertiseruseshomophoneskilfully,sunvs.son,andairvs.heir.Theadvertiserencouragespeopletobringtheirsonandheirtothebathingbeachtogetsunandairtokeepfit.Eachcouplehopestheirsonandheirwillbehealthyalltheirlife.Punmakestheadvertisinglanguagesoundsweet,fluentandpersuasive.
1.2.3PunonParody
“Parodyisapieceofspeech,writingofmusicthatimitatesthestyleofanauthor,composer,etcinanamusingandoftenexaggerateway”[2].Punonparodyusestheoutfitofsaying,apothegm,proverboridiomtoformnewmeanings.Englishhasalotofwell-knownphrases,idiomsandsayings.TheyareimportantpartofeverydaylanguagespokenbytheEnglishspeakers,andhavebecomeoneoftheaspectsoftheEnglishculture.Theadvertisementdesignersaresharp-mindedandimaginative.Theychangeapartoftheexpressionsandputtheirideasintothemtoachievesensationaleffect.Andmostofthemachievearemarkablesuccess.Thetransformationsarenotonlyeyecatching,butalsoeasytobeacceptedbythecommon,whowilldoaccordingtothetradition.Asthesayingsofidiomshavebeenonepartofthetradition,thepeoplewillbeeasilypersuadedbytheadvertisementworksofthiskind.Sopunonparodyispopularinadvertisement.
“AMarsadayhelpsyouwork,r