广告英语是英语文体学研究的一个重要分支英语专业论文

摘要:广告英语是英语文体学研究的一个重要分支。修辞在广告文体中起着重要作用。从比喻、拟人、双关等六个方面论述了广告英语的修辞特点。Rhetoric is a subject with a long history. TheEnglish rhetorical theories derive from ancientGreece. Rhetoric makes study of the language fromthe aspect of language application. And it variesaccording to the environment a language is sur-rounded with. In advertising English, rhetoricalskills are occupying the extremely important placesand with these skills, advertisement becomesricher than ever in its expression and much morepersuasive. This article is to discuss the mainkinds of the English rhetorical skills that are fre-quently used in advertising English.1MetaphorA metaphor is“an imaginative way ofdescribing something, by referring to somethingelse, which has the quality that you are trying toexpress”. In other words, a metaphor is an impliedcomparison between two things which are of unlikenature but which have one or more features in com-mon.(1) EBEL the architects of timeEBEL is a brand watch from Switzerland. Aswe all know, a famous saying goes like this,“Time is money”. And EBEL is described as“thearchitects of time”. The value and the quality ofthe watch are fully implied in just the few words ofa metaphor. No other words are needed.(2) (Sung): This little girl knows lots oftricksShe knows that sugar and sunshine mix.And the milk and now you knowHow little girls eat sunshine.(Spoken):Kelloggs Corn Flakes. That ishow you can eat sunshine everyday. Dont let lit-tle things distract you when youre eating CornFlakes.Sunshine is usually associated with warmth,comfort and happiness. When you eat Kelloggscorn flakes every day, it seems that you could en-joy all the wonderful sensations sunshine bringsyou. As we know, children need adequate sun-shine for healthy growth. The comparison ofKelloggs corn flakes to sunshine embodies suchan implication that the advertised product may alsohelp children grow up healthily. In this way, chil-dren may receive both emotional and physical bene-fits by eating Kelloggs corn flakes.2SimileA simile is a figure of speech“in which asimilarity between two objects is directlyexpressed.1”Similes are more precise, morerestricted and usually less radical, less committedthan metaphors, since they limit the resemblanceof the“object”and its“image”to a single property(e.g. cool as a cucumber).(1) Featherwater: light as a feather.This advertisement describes most incisivelythe lightness of theFeatherwaterspectacles by theuse of a simile. Almost everyone who is short-sighted once suffered a great deal from the heavyspectacle lens, so all can imagine the happinessbrought about by spectacles light as a feather.(2) It gives my hair super shine, super body,and leaves it smelling fresh as a meadow.This advertisement effectively demonstratesthe high quality and outstanding virtue of someshampoo. With originality, the copywriter intro-duces the vehicle or the reference of“meadow”tomake consumers imagine the scene that the hair isgentle, smooth and brilliant, emitting a delicatefragrance, just like the green meadow in spring.Therefore, this advertisement does publicize theproduct and persuade consumers to make a pur-chase.3MetonymyMetonymy is a figure of speech that uses thename of one thing for that of something else withwhich it is associated.2Advertising has used me-tonymy effectively. Two airlines have successfullyused their stewardess as metonymic symbols forthe whole company.(1) Singapore girlsyoure a great way to fly.Singapore Airlines(2) Im Mandyfly me.British AirwaysAnother typical example of metonymy em-ployed in advertising is the advertisement forToshiba computer.(3) Pick an Ace from Toshiba.As is known, ace is the No. l in card gamesand everyone hopes to get ace that has the highestvalue when playing cards. Here ace is used tomean a Toshiba computer of the best quality. Withonly five words, the metonymy speaks all to gainthe consumersfavor for the product advertised.4PunA pun can be defined as“a use of words thathave more than one meaning or words that havethe same sound but different meanings”. Puns arevery popular with copywriters, for they may pro-voke amusement, or add spice to an unpretentiousconversational exchange.(1) Everybodykneads(needs) it.This is an advertisement for Pillsbury FlourCompany. Here,“kneads”and“needs”form thehomophonic pun, going some way to overcomingconsumersdistrust of the product and arousingtheir interest.(2) Trust us. Over 5000earsof experience.This is an advertisement for some hearing aid.Literally, it refers to the wide recognition of theproduct by the users. Rhetorically,“ears”and“years”are homophones, meaning the product isof a long history and high quality. In this way, theadvertisement adds more power in persuading con-sumers to buy this product.(3) Seven-up. Theuncola. Theunand only.7-up DrinkIn this advertisement, pun lies in“un”. Onone hand,“un”is a negative prefix in English.“Uncola”is coined to strike the reader as“beingtotally different from traditional cola”. On theother hand,“un”, a French word, is close to Eng-lish word“one”in meaning. So“Theun and only”here equals to English idiom“the one and only”,emphasizing the superiority of this drink.5PersonificationPersonification is generally used to give humanqualities or abilities to abstractions or non-humanentities. Personification in advertising turns theice-cold products to be cordial and friendly andleaves people a vivid and real impression.(1) With 52 issues, theyll be thinking of youweek after week.This is an advertisement forNewsweek, withissues of the magazine being personified. TheNewsweek magazine is described vividly to“thinkof”the readers“week after week”. What about thereaders? Do they think of the magazine?(2) Unlike me, my Rolex never needs a rest.“All work no play makes Jack a dull boy.”This English proverb means all men need play andrest. A watch, however, can disobey it. In thisadvertisement, Rolex watch is compared with“me”, a man.“I”need rest, but my Rolex neverneeds a rest. The good quality of Rolex watch istherefore vividly reflected through personification.6ParodyA parody is“an imitation of the characteristicstyle of a writer, or of a literary work, designed toamuse or ridicule3.”Parody is widely used in ad-vertising headlines and slogans by imitatingidioms, proverbs, sayings, songs and so on.The following slogan about Mars Candy Bar isa fine example typifying the employment of parodyin advertising English:(1) A Mars a day keeps you work, rest andplay.The structure of this sentence and its endrhyme may easily remind readers the proverb“Anapple a day keeps the doctor away”, while thewords“work”and“play”may also elicit the asso-ciation of another familiar proverb“All work noplay makes Jack a dull boy”. Thus, this slogan notonly imitates two commonly known proverbs inform but also is invested with associativemeanings. The employment of such a parody helpsconvey vividly to audience the message that eatinga Mars a day will make you clever (“not become adull boy”) and healthy (“keeps the doctor away”).(2) Ugly is only skin-deep.Volkswagen AutomobileIn this advertisement, the copywriters imitatean English proverb“Beauty is only skin deep”bysubstituting“ugly”for“beauty”. Its underlinedmeaning is to highlight Volkswagens unique per-formance and capacity despite its outer appearance.In this way the readersattention is attracted.Reference1Hugh C, Holman. A Handbook to LiteratureM.New York: The Odyssey Press, 1972. 498.2李鑫华.英语修辞格详论M.上海:上海外语教育出版社,2000.77.3王玉龙.英语修辞与写作M.青岛:青岛出版社,1996.100.