广告中双关语的语用功能和运用技巧.docx

1、广告中双关语的语用功能和运用技巧Pragmatic Function and Application of Pun in English AdvertisementAbstract In modern society, advertisements influence is universal. Pun is to add more attraction, being applied as a kind of figures of speech in advertisement and deeply loved by people. Pun has many forms of expressi

2、on such as pun on polysemy, homophone, hononymy, parody, illustrations and words, grammar, etc. The advertisers use brand, idiom, and phrase, etc, to form pun skillfully. From the aspect of pragmatics, pun violates the Cooperative Principle by Grice. People usually violate the maxims in four ways. T

3、he article analyses pun from the fourth way that the speaker may flout a maxim; that is, he may blatantly fail to fulfill it and to achieve some purpose. The proper use of pun in advertisement results in the effects of humor, wit, beauty, economy, warning, and even makes the product more competitive

4、 and profitable, and makes the advertisement sweet to the ear, and please both the eye and mind.Key words advertisement; pun; pragmatic maxims; pragmatic function广告中双关语的语用功能和运用技巧【摘 要】当今社会，广告作为一种竞争手段无处不在，而双关语是一种广泛运用于广告创作并深受人们喜爱的修辞格。双关语的表现形式多种多样，可分为一词多义双关，同音异义双关，谐音双关，仿拟双关，插图和文字双关，语法双关等。广告商巧妙地运用品牌、成语、习

5、语等构成双关语以增加宣传效果。但从语用学的角度去分析双关语，它违背了Grice提出的合作原则。合作原则的违反通常有四种情况，而本文主要从第四种进行分析双关语，即说话人公然不执行某一条准则，也就是说话人知道自己违反了一条准则，他还想让听话人知道他违反了一条准则。运用恰当的双关语产生了幽默、风趣、经济和警告的作用，使人享受语言的美，同时帮助厂家在激烈的竞争中立于不拜之地，获得更大收益。【关键词】广告；双关语；语用原则；语用功能1. Introduction “The definition of advertisement by AMA(American Marketing Association)

6、: Advertising is the nonpersonal communication usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products, services of ideas by identified sponsors through the various media.1 It is a device to arouse consumers attention to a commodity and induce them to use it. In modern age, people find them

7、selves surrounded by various advertisements each day. An American writer writes: “ we find advertisement of all kinds everywhere, for example, glittering neon signs on top of high buildings and a long main streets, colorful pictures painted on buses pamphlets sent to very house, advertisement jammed

8、 between TV programs various advertisement glutting, newspaper and radio broadcast; etc.”2 Facing so many advertisement, how to make the advertisement impressive is the main purpose of the advertisers. In order to enhance the appeal of an advertisement, advertisers pay much attention not only to suc

9、h expressive devices as plates, color and the layout of a printed page, but also to the choice of words or phrases, to make an advertisement beautiful and attractive. In the practice of the advertising English, people pay more attention to pun to make the advertisement succinct, accurate and vivid a

10、nd to provide rich imagination and plentiful associations for readers so as to stimulate their desire.The frequent and wide use of figures of speech is an important characteristic of advertising English, which is an effective way to make the advertisement attractive. Among the figures, pun is loved

11、deeply. Oxford Advanced Dictionary defines pun as “humorous use of a word that has two meanings or of different words that sound the same”.3 A pun (also known as paronomasia) can be understood like that it is a deliberate confusion of similar-sounding words of phrases for rhetorical effect, whether

12、humorous or serious. It leaves a deep impression on readers by its readability, wit and humor. It can satisfy the requirement of advertisement characteristicsselling power, memory value, attention value, and readability. So pun is very popular in advertisement. The article just wants to present the

13、pragmatic function and application of pun in advertisement.2.Types of pun in advertisementA pun is a rhetorical device in which people use the polysemous, or homonymous relation of a language to cause a word, a sentence of a discourse to involve two things of meanings. It has several types.2.1Pun on

14、 Polysemy“While different words may have the same of similar meaning, the same one word may have more than one meaning. This is what we call polysemy, and such a word is called polysemic word. Historically speaking, polysemy can be understood as the growth and development of or change in the meaning

15、 of words.”4 Pun on polysemy is used widely, especially with the name of the product such as the following examples:1 “From sharp minds. Come sharp products.”5The example is an advertisement for the Sharp copier. The word “sharp” praises the consumers brightness, but also refers to the Sharp product

16、. The advertisement praises the consumers who are sharp to buy the product which is sharp. The vanity of the audiences is aroused and they want to use it to show their wise, and also they believe the product is really sharp.2 “Money doesnt grow on the trees. But it blossoms at our branches. Lioyd Ba

17、nk.”6It is the slogan of Lioyd Bank. “branch” means “part of a tree growing out from the trunk”, but here it implies the division of bank”. The slogan encourages people to store their money in Lioyd Bank, and their money will be like the blooming flowers, yielding better fruits. After understanding

18、its meaning, readers will figure it out in mind that their money will become more and more daily and daily, just like the leaves in spring.2.2 Pun on Homonymy“Homonymy refers to the phenomenon that words with different meanings have the same form, i.e, different words are identical in sound or spell

19、ing, or in both. When two words are identical in sound, they are homophones. When the words are identical in spelling, they are homographs. When two words are identical in both spelling and sound, they are complete homonyms.”7 The follow instances will explain that:3 “ VIPs an atomical comfort. Vari

20、able Impact Pressure Sole”8 The advertisement of sportshoes uses the homophonic word “VIPs”. As we know, VIP usually stands for “ very important persons”, while, here, it stands for “Variable Impact Pressure Sole”. It implies if you use VIPs, you will be a VIP. The word “VIPs motivates the audiences

21、 vanity and induces them to buy the product.4 “Trust us. Over 5000 ears of experience.”9 It is an advertisement for audiphone. The literal meaning is that the product has experienced a lot of texts. While “ears” and “years” are a pair of homophone. So it implies that the product has a long history a

22、nd has high quality.5 “GoodbuyWinter!100% cotton knitwear $40”10 It is an advertisement for the sale of winter clothes. The advertisement seems to people that it s a good and cheap to buy cotton knitwear. But when the audiences read “goodbuy winter” together, they will understand the good use of pun

23、. “Goodbuy winter” sounds the same as “goodbye winter”. The advertisement use homophone to show two meanings: it is a good business to buy the cotton knitwear now, and winter has passed away. Naturally, people will associate the situation happening every year that when they say goodbye to winter, th

24、e clothes will have a great discount and it is good time to buy them.6 “More sun and air for your sun and heir.”11 The advertisement is for a bathing beach. The advertiser uses homophone skilfully, sun vs. son, and air vs. heir. The advertiser encourages people to bring their son and heir to the bat

25、hing beach to get sun and air to keep fit. Each couple hopes their son and heir will be healthy all their life. Pun makes the advertising language sound sweet, fluent and persuasive.2.3 Pun on Parody “Parody is a piece of speech, writing of music that imitates the style of an author, composer, etc i

26、n an amusing and often exaggerate way.”12 Pun on parody uses the outfit of saying, apothegm, proverb or idiom to form new meanings. English has a lot of well-known phrases, idioms and sayings. They are important part of everyday language spoken by the English speakers, and have become one of the asp

27、ects of the English culture. The advertisement designers are sharp-minded and imaginative. They change a part of the expressions and put their ideas into them to achieve sensational effect. And most of them achieve a remarkable success. The transformations are not only eye catching, but also easy to

28、 be accepted by the common, who will do according to the tradition. As the sayings of idioms have been one part of the tradition, the people will be easily persuaded by the advertisement works of this kind. So pun on parody is popular in advertisement.7 “A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play.”1

29、3 It is the slogan of Mars chocolate company. Looking at this advertisement, people will associate it with two idioms: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” and “ All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. From the meanings of the two idioms, the watchword tells people that a Mars chocolate a day

30、 will make you not be a dull boy (make you wise) and keep the doctor away (keep fit). 8 “Try our sweet corn, youll smile from ear to ear.”14 It is taken from the advertisement for a kind of sweet corn. The word “ear” has double meanings: the organ of hearing and the seed bearing part of a cereal. Te

31、 idiom “ from ear to ear” also is a pun. One meaning is that people are satisfied with the product. The other one is that the consumers eat one ear by another. So the advertisement implies that the sweet corn is very delicious, and you will enjoy it and eating one by one. How can people refuse such

32、delicious food?9 “All is well that ends well.”15 This is an idiom, but here, it is taken from an advertisement of a cigarette. “End”, as a verb, means “finish”, while, as a noun, means “cigarette butt”. The sentence means that if the cigarette ends are good that the cigarette is good.2.4 Pun on GrammarMany advertisers use pun produced for grammar problem to attract the audiences, such as ellipsis or word with different grammar functions. If this type of pun can be used properly, it will achieve unexpected effect.10 “Which