廣告中模糊語的現(xiàn)象分析(英語論文)

.-.AbstractAbstract:Advertisingmaybedescribleasthescienceofarrestingthehumanintelligencelongenoughtogetmoneyfromit.Itisclearthatadvertisinghasplayedadecisiveroleintoday’sbusinessworld.Theissueofwhetheradvertisinglanguagesareattractiveandpersuasiveornothasbecamethepointofattention.SothoroughandtheoreticalstudiesonlanguagefeaturesofEnglishadvertisinghelpsimproveboththeunderstandinganddesigningofsuccessfuladvertisements.Afterabriefintroductiontoadvertising,advertisinglanguage,fuzzinessandfuzzylinguistics,thethesisisfocusedonthelinguisticrealizationsoffuzzinessinadvertisingEnglishfromthefollowingtwoperspectives:thesemanticrealizatiionandrhetoricaldevices,descriptiveadjectivesandsymbolsandabbreviationsareanalyzedtorevealfuzzynatruethatareusedbyadvertiserstoachievetheirpersuasiveends.Whileintherhetoricaldevices,punningandmetaphorswhichmakelanguagemorevividandcreatmoreboundlessassocoationandimaginationarediscussed.Thenthethesisconcludeswithabriefsummaryofthearticleandpointsoutthelimitationsofthestudy.KeyWords:advertisingEnglish,fuzziness,semanticandrhetoricalanalysis摘要摘要:廣告業(yè)被認(rèn)為是一條通過耗盡人類智慧賺取錢財?shù)目茖W(xué)之道。很明顯，廣告在今天的商業(yè)世界已發(fā)揮著舉足輕重的作用。廣告語言能否具有誘惑力和說服力已成為關(guān)注的焦點。因此對英語廣告語言系統(tǒng)全面地研究，可以提高對廣告的理解，構(gòu)想出成功的英語廣告。論文在簡短地對廣告、廣告語言、模糊性和模糊理論進(jìn)行介紹之后，主要對以下兩種模糊實現(xiàn)形式進(jìn)行分析。一、語義模糊。這類廣告通過使用模糊限制詞，模糊數(shù)量詞、模糊動詞、修飾性形容詞以及符號和縮略詞等具備模糊性的語言來突破日常行為的規(guī)范，使詞語在表達(dá)字面意義的同時又暗示其多重含義，形成詞語含義的未定性，激發(fā)了讀者的聯(lián)想和想象，吸引他們的注意并提起他們的興趣，從而對廣告本身是說服力起增強作用。二、修辭格（雙關(guān)和暗喻）的使用，使廣告語言更具生動，引發(fā)讀者無限的想象和聯(lián)想。最后結(jié)論部分中，論文對主要概念和內(nèi)容作出了總結(jié)，提出了全文的局限性。關(guān)鍵詞：廣告英語；模糊性；語義和修辭分析IntroductionWiththerapiddevelopmentoftheworldeconomyandgloblization,advertisinghasplayedavitalroleinpromotingsales,providingservicesandbuildingimages.BasedonthefactthatChinaremainslaggingbehindthewestinbothphysicalattractionandpersuasivenessinadvertising,thoroughandtheoreticalstudiesonthelanguageofadvertisinghavebecomeanurgentneed.Inourdailylife,fuzzylanguagehasbeenemployedincommunicationonvariousoccasions’negotiationandpublicspeaking.Thoughmanylinguistshavebeenexploringfuzzytheoryandfuzzylinguisticsheavily,theunderstandingoffuzzinesshasnotbeensatisfactoryandperfect.Asanotwell-establishedregister,advertisingEnglishhasitsuniquefeaturescomparedwithEnglishforotherpurpose.FuzzinessfunctioninadvertisingEnglishplaysapositiveroleinhumancommunication.ThroughlinguisticrealizationsoffuzzinessinadvertisingEnglishfromsemanticangletorhetoricaldevicesinthetext,thepurposeofthepaperistomakepeopleequipwithabettermanipulationoffuzzyadvertising,soastopraparethemforproducingmoresuccessfuladvertisements,thenarousingpeople’sinterestinads,stimulatingpeople’sneedsofcomsuption,andenticingpeopletomakepurchaseinproducts.1.GeneralideasofadvertisinganditslanguageWhatisadvertising?Whatdoesadvertisingoriginatefrom?Whydoesitcomeintobeging?Whatisitslanguagelike?Thefollowingisgoingtoexplainthem.1.1ThedefinitionanddevelopmentofadvertisingInetymologicalstudies,theword“advertise”inMiddleEnglishisspeltas“advertisen”meaning“tonotify”andinoldFrenchas“advertir”or“advertises”.Wefindtworecordshavethesameexplanationof“tonotice”.FutherstudiesrootedoutitsorigininLatinas“advertere”,meaning“ameansusedtodrawattentionfromthepublictosomethingandleadthemtosomedirection”.[1]Nowadays,thescholarsfromdifferentcountriesholddifferentopinionsabouttheexplanationofadvertsing,butremainingthesimilarmeaningbasically.AnexplanationiswidelyacceptedbyAmericanMarketingAssociationasfollowing:Advertisingisthenonpersonalcmmunicationofinformationusuallypaidforandusuallypersuasiveinnature,aboutproducts,servicesorideasthroughthevariousmedia.[2]Itisnotdifficultforustofindoutfourcomponentsofadvertisingfromtheexplanationabove.First,advertisingisdirectedtothegeneralpublicratherthanindividuals.Second,theinformationconveyedbyadvertsingcanbecommericalornon-commercial.Third,advertisingreachesusthoughachannelofcommunicationreferredtoasamedium,suchas:TV,radio,newspaper,magazinesandsoon.Fourth,anyadvertisingislaunchedbyidentifiedsponsorsororganizationswithagivenpurpose,eithercommercialadvertisingorpublicinterestsadvertising.Indeed,advertisingistheresultofhighdegreeofdevelopmentofcommodityeconomy.Inordertomaketheirgoodssellwell,tradesmanandmerchantstiredeverymeanstotriggertheconsumerstobuytheirproducts.HenrySampsondescribledthebeginningofadvertisinginhisworkHistoryofAdvertisingasbelow:Thereislittleaboutthatthedesireamongtradesmenandmerchantstomakegoodtheirwareshaveanexistencealmostaslongasthecustomsofbuyingandselling,anditisbutnaturedtosupposethatadvertisementsinsomeshapeorformhaveexistednotonlyfromtimeimmemorial,butalmostforalltime.[3]Untilnow,withtherapiddevelopmentoftheworldeconomyandtheaccelerationofglobalizationprocess,advertisinghasplayedaveryimportantroleintoday’sbusinessworld.Advertising,withitspersuasivefunctionandtakingactionfuction,helpsabusiness,butalsoincreasethevalueofitsgoodwill,andwintheconfidenceoftheconsumers.1.2FeaturesofadvertisinglanguageSincetheadvertisingaimsatdrawingattentionfromthepublicandleadingthemtosomedirection,andthuslanguageofadvertisingislanguagethatisusedineffortstopersuadeorotherwiseenticepeopletopurchaseproductsorservices.TofflerinhisFutureShockapproachesthelanguageofadvertisingasaalanguageoffinelyengineered,ruthlessly,purposefulmessages,intendingtotriggeraspecialresponsefromtheconsumers.ThispointofviewisechoedbylinguistPeterTrudgill,whosaid,“Thewordingofadvertisementsis,inmostcases,carefullycraftedtomeetparticularends.Sometimesitisintendedtoinform,butmoreoften,andmoreimportantly,topersuadeandinfluence.”[4]DavidOgilvyalsosaid,“Everywordinthecopymustcount,advertisewhatisunique.”[5]Inotherwords,theultimategoalofadvertisingistosell.Thus,advertisementsmustbepresentedwithatypeoflanguagethatispersuasiveinnature,concise,vivid,visual,andwithemotionandappeal,thatis,thelanguageofadvertisingconveysthemostcomplicatedmeaningwiththesimplestlanguageandisloadedwithpersuasiveintentionsforsalespromotionorotherpurposes.Lookatanexample:“Romantic,Mysterious,Ttalian”.Threeadjectivesareputtogether,conciseandsprightly,givingexpressiontodeepconnotation.Anotherexample“Bigthrills,Smallbills”.Thisisanadvertisementsponsoredbythetaxicenter.Anyoneenjoystheexcitementtothelargestextendaslongaspayingthelessmoney.Theword“big”standsintotalcontrasttotheword“small”,theendsyllableoftheword“thrills”and“bills”remainssame,whichcreatesasenseofrhythm.Thecasesbelowalsoexplaintheideasabovewell.Lookagain.Alifetimeofperfectcoordination.LettheNewYorkTimesfindyou.Thebenefitofforesight,theworldin1993.Somuchflavorthatyouwillnevermissyourhigh“tarcigarette”.[6]2.FuzzinessFromtheadvertisementsinsection1.2,wecaneasilyfindthatsomeunclearandvagueexpressionsexistinthelanguageofadvertising.Andthefollowingisgoingtomakeabriefintroductionaboutfuzziness.Inourdailylife,howmanyhairsmustamanlosebeforeheisdeterminedtobebald?Howmanysecondmakeupa“moment”?Howmuchmoneydoyouhavetoearntobe“rich”?Whenisapileofsandaheap?Weallagreethatonegrainofsandisnotaheapbutthatamilliongrainsisaheap.Somewhereinbetweenthepilemustchangefrom“non-heap”to“heap”.Theseindeterminateconceptsarehardtologicallydefine,andusuallyarechanged,asthevariationoftime,placeandpeoplegroups.Forexample,”Sheisaprettygirl.”Maybeweneednotknowhowbeautifulsheis,justinordertoconveyusefulinformation“sheispretty.”Thus,vaguestatementsareprovidedwhereamoreprecisestatementiscalledforsometimes.Mostimportantly,humansseemtobeabletocommunicatequitewellusingvagueterms.PaulTherousevertrenchantlysaid,“Languageisdeceptive,andthoughEnglishissubtle,italsoallowsacleverpersonwithonealerttotheambiguitiesofEnglishtoplaytrickswithmockprecisionandtocombinevaguenesswithpolitenss.Englishisperfectfordiplomatsandlovers.”Lakoffinhisworkalsosaid,“Someofthemostinterestingjobistomakethingsfuzzierorlessfuzzy.”[7]Indeed,accuracyanddeterminacyoflanguageoccursintheextreme,whileuncertainandinaccratelanguageisoftenfoundhereandthere.Justbasedontheexistenceofuncertainobjectsandvagueideas,fuzzylanguagecameintobeing.Inspiteoftheunclearness,weseldomchallengethespeakertoanexactexplanationofthesubjectinquestionsincetheseexpressionsareunderstandableandcommunicativeenoughinmostcases.Thus,wecansay,thisintrinsicuncertaintyinnaturallanguageiscalledfuzzinessorvaguenss.Thefollowingtwodefinitionswillhelpushaveaclearmindoffuzziness.3.LinguisticrealizationsoffuzzinessinadvertisingEnglishHowdoesthelanguagefuzzinessfuctionintheadvertisingafterall?PerhapslinguisticrealizationoffuzzinessinadvertisingEnglishcanbeanalyzedfromsemanticaswellassyntacticalperspective,torhetoricaldevicesorotherareas.AndthistextisfocusedonsemanticandrhetoricalrealizationsoffuzzinessinadvertisingEnglish.Thepurposeofthisstudyoflanguagefuzzinessistoraisethelevelofawarenessaboutthepersuasivetechniquesexpressedintheapplicationoffuzzylanguageinads.3.1SemanticRealizationofFuzzinessSincefuzzinessisembodiedinmanyaspectsofadvertising,thearticlewillfocusontheverbalespeciallysemanticrealizationoffuzziness,includingnumericalfuzzyquantifiers,fuzzyverbsanddescriptiveadjective.Thediffusedapplicationoffuzzylanguageinadvertisementisduetoitsconformitywiththesemanticfeaturesofadvertisinglanguage.Advertisementswithfuzzylanguagecaneasilyarouseconsumers’interestandstimulateimaginationandassociationofideas.Hence,fuzzylanguageshortensthedistancebetweenconsumersandadvertisement,andenticespeopletomakepurchase.3.1.1Asweknow,thereareanumberofwaysbeingfuzzyaboutquantitiseinEnglish.Inparticular,speakershavetheoptionofeitheraddingsomethingtoaprecisenumberornumbers,orusingaroundnumber,orusingafuzzyquantifier.Whateverwaysthespeakersuse,itallexpressesanuncertainandindeterminatenotion.Whenanumberdoesnotrefertoarealnumber,thenitisjustanimaginarynumber.Thisisonephonomenaofsemanticfuzzinessinnumber.Ifnumbersareusedtorefertofuzzymeaning,thenitwilllostitsnumericalmeaning,butrepresentimagerymeaning.[11]Examplesarepresentedasfollowing:InTaipei…1+1+1+1+1=one.ThisChristmassurpriseshimwithadozenpresents---ayearofGQ.Thisyearistwenty,andnextyeariseighting.ThisisthemysteryofBelie.Example1istheadvertisementinTaipeiWorldTradeCenter.Whyfour1equalsone,butnotfour?Originallytheadvertisementintendstoenticethereadertoreadthebodyquicklyandarousetheirimagination.Theequation1+1+1+1+1=onerealizestheshiftfromnumbertoimage,makingthereadersconnectfourIwiththeCenterofConference,theWorldOffice,theCenterofExhibition,andLuxuryHotelinTaipei.Inexample2,thephraseadozenpresentdoesnotrefertoarealnumber,butanimagerynumber.Andinexample3,thenumberindicatesthefunctionoftheproductsmakespeoplelookyounger.4.1.2FuzzyverbsThereisakindofverbsinadvertisementthatcreatesasenseofintimacy,andmakestheadvertisementsstrikerootintheheartsofthepeople.Especiallyformonosyllabicverbs:make,get,have,come,love,know,etc.Inadditiontoeasilyacceptedbythereader,thesefuzzyverbsareofclearnessanddefinitenessinmeaningexpression.Forexample,TakeTOSHIBA,taketheworld.(東芝電子)Meanwhile,suchthewordslook,feel,taste,smell,etc.asexpresspeople’ssubjectivenotionsandfeeling.Uncertaintyandindeterminacyinnatureleavesthereadersmuchroomforimagination.Forexample:YoucanfeelthefeatureinPhilipsdesign.Goforit!Look,good,feelgood.Beyoubest!“Icouldnotbelieveit,untilItriedit!”“Iamimpressed!”“Youhavegottatryit!”“Iloveit”Inexample3,itssimplewordingandcolloquialdesignlettheconsumersfeelthereality---aconsumerwhohasusedtheproductsistalkingabouttheexcellenceofproductsinquality.Aseriesofverbsbelieve,try,impresseasilyinducepeopleproduceastrongurgetomakepurchase.Carl.P.Wright,afamouscopywriter,holdsthatthesewordsnotonlyavoiddirectandbluntexpressionbutalsoinducepeopletofiguretheimplicationsunderlyingthewordsspokenandtoholdthemastrue.Hepointsoutthreetypicalfuzzywordsinads,namely,help,like,virtually.“Help”isapopularcatchwordinads,whichmeans,“beconduciveto”butwhosedefiniteeffectsarenotindicated.Forexample:Check.UpGUM(Check.Up口香糖)Carrythisplaguefighteralongtohelpfightplagueafterlunchandbetweenbrushngs.Clinicaldatashowsithelpsremoveplague.Whenyoucannotbrush,ChewCheck.UpGUM.Inthisexample,consideringpsychologicalphenomenaofhumanbeing:Everyonewantstobehelpedtogetridofdifficultiesandfrustraction,theuseofthewordhelpmakestheconsumersfeelthattheirneedsaremetwiththepresenceofthegoodorservices.Basedonthis,thecopywriterswintheconsumerssupportandhelpthesalepromotionforthemanufacturer.“Like”isalsoafrequentlyusedcatchword.Itinducespeopletoimagineandleadsthemtofeelasifthemselvesareparticipatingintheactivities,leavingthemmoreroomtocreatameaningfulandfantasticworld.Forexample,Forpreciousmoments,likerightafterdinner.(Godiva,icecream)3.1.3Asweknow,copywritersusuallyuseadjectivesadstomakedetaildescriptionandjudgmentsonthequality,feature,andeffectsoftheproducts.Forthecomsumers,itisdifficulttodifferentiatebetweenobjectivedescriptionandsubjectivejudgments.Basedonthefuzzinessofunderstanding,copywriterstryeverymeanstomakeexaggeratedcomplimentsintheirproductsforthepurposeofcateringtopeople’spsychologicalneeds,andstimulatinggreatcuriositytomakepurchase.AccordingtothestatisticsfromGeoffreyLeech,themostfrequentlyused20descriptiveadjectives.(1)new;(2)good;(3)free;(4)fresh;(5)delicious;(6)full;(7)sure;(8)clean;(9)wonderful;(10)specia;(11)special;(12)fine;(13)big;(14)great;(15)real;(16)easy;(17)bright;(18)extra;(19)safe;(20)rich[13]Thesewordstendtoexpressindefiniteextension,andthelargerextensiontheyhave,thefuzziertheyare.[14]Semanticfuzzinessstimulatesreaders’interestforads,callingforimmenseimaginationandassociation.Someexamplesasfollows:Aturecollector’sitem.Theonlycoinwatchfortheconnoisseur.Goodtothelastdrop.(麥斯威爾咖啡)Alladjectivesabovearelaudatoryfuzzyinmeaning.Inexample1,itisvaluableandclassicalwatchthatattractsallcollectors.Thewordonlyembodiestheextraordinaryquality.Andinexample2,Chinesemeaningis“滴滴香濃，意猶未盡”,clevewordinggoodseemstobediffusingthickaftertasteofcoffee.Findingunusalthroughcomparisonisthefrequentmeansofforcopywriters.Inordertohighlighttheexcellenceoftheproducts,copywritersoftencomparetheirproductswitnotherproducts.Itiswhysomanyadjectiveandadverbialcomparativesandsuperlativesarewidelyusedinads.Comparedwiththeadjectiveandadverbialthemselves,adjectiveandadverbialcomparativesandsuperlativesownthelargerextension,andthefuzziermeaning.Meanwhile,theuseofadjectiveandadverbilecomparativesandsuperlativespromoteselevationofmeaninginads.Itshouldbenotedthatmanycomparativesandsuperlativesdonothaveanindicatedtarget,whichcreatesafuzzyimpressionupontheviewersandleaveroomforimagination.[15]Somecasesasfollowing:Tastesricher…mellower…moresatisfying.(Real香煙)Sothebestwaywellbeyettocome.Carcompaniesmadelotsofclaimsabouttheircaes.AtNissan,wedomore---Wofferproof.Wehaveenoughevidencetoarriveataconclusion:Manymanufacturerstryeverymeanstoadvertisetheirproductstopamongtheircompetitions,aimingatstimulatingconsumers’needsofconsumption.3.2FuzzinessinFiguresofSpeechSametoliteraryworks,figuresofspeecharewidelyusedinads.Therhetoricaldevicesareusedtocommunicateinformationabouttheproductsandtheirfeatures,ordescribethefeelingsandattitudesofconsumers,whichincreasesthevividnessandinterestofadsandimpressespeopledeeply.Oncebuildingthecorporateimageandwiningconsumers’favor,ithasachievedthepurposeofsalepromotionandconsumption.Inaddition,thefunctionoftherhetoricaldevicesarousespeople’sasssociationandaestheticappeal,soakingindulcetmood,andgraduallyenticestheconsumerstomakepurchase.Infact,therhetoricaldeviceisafuzzylanguagephenomenon.Thefollowingstudyismainlyfocusedonpunningandmetaphor.3.2.1Topunistoplayonword,orrathertoplaywiththeformandmeaningofwords,forawittyorhumorouseffect.[16]BasedonthefactthatmanywordsintheEnglishlanguagelookorsoundalike,butdifferentsenses,orconnotations,copywriterstactfullyemploypuntotheads,aimingatcreatinganunexpectedeffect.Forexample:Moneydoesn’tgrowontrees.Butitblossomsatourbranches.---LloydsBank(勞埃德斯銀行)TheadispostedupoutdoorssignpostofLloydsBank.Thewordbrancheshasdoublemeaning.Thesurfacemeaningrefersto“樹枝”,whichformsacontrastwiththewordtrees.Whilethedeepmeaningrefersto“分行結(jié)構(gòu)”.Inasense,theadaimsattellingpeopletodepositmoneyinthisbank,andthenthemoneywillgradullyincrease.Thecopywriterstactfullyusethewordbranches,andnovelconceptioncreatesanunexpectedeffect.Similarcasesasfollows:GiveyourhairatouchofSpring.(發(fā)乳)IamMoresatisfied!(香煙)Example1,whenholdingpilesoffairwithhighresilience,doyoufeelenergeticandsunshine?Thisisthefunctionofthewordspring.Example2,“More”,asabrandoftheproduct,alsoindicatesthestateofsatisfactionandcomfortwhenenjoyingsmokycigarette.Forexample:Makeyoueveryhelloarealgood-buy.Haveanicetrip,buybuy.“Buy-buy”isderivedfrom“bye-buy”,theadhappensinafree-taxshopatHeathrowAirport,fullservicesanddependabilityinqualityareworthtomakepurchase,whichmakesyouhaveagoodtrip.Meanwhileitisameansofsalepromotion.Thehumorandconnotationoffuzzylanguagearemagicallyexcellent.3.2.2Metaphor Ametaphor,unlikeasimile,alwaysrepresentsimpliedmeaningoftheutterancevividlyandvisually.Duetowithoutdefiniteboundarybetweencomparedthings,tosomeextent,itmotivatespeopleimaginationtoconveymoreexactimage.Forexample:(1)Smoothassilk.(化妝品)(2)TheJungle,theJungleFighter.(防汗劑)Inexample2thereexistsacross-culturalgap.Thenoun“Jungle”easilyassociatesthefiercestruggleandcompetitioninWesternsocietythatwasfullofthelawofthejungle---theweakarethepreyofthestrong.Thereeveryonefeltscaredandtired,butdidnotrefusetobedrawnintothematter.Inthiscase,itwastheJungleFighterthatmadepeoplegetridofthetroble.Theademploysthemetaphor:thesocietyiscomparedtoabattlefiedthatisfullofroughstuff.TheJungleFighteriscomparedtocombatarms.thoughthesurfacemeaningseemsfuzzy,thedeepsemanticconjunctioniswellformed.4.ConclusionUndoubtedly,fuzzylanguagesenhancetheeffectivenessofcommunication,reinforcetheflexibilityofexpress