前言:我们精心挑选了数篇优质英语广告语论文文章,供您阅读参考。期待这些文章能为您带来启发,助您在写作的道路上更上一层楼。
关键词:广告语;施为性意义;策略
0引言
随着我国改革开放步伐的进一步加快,随着商品经济的不断发展,全球化趋势的进一步凸现,越来越多的企业走出国门,通过广告进行宣传,树立自己的企业和品牌形象,参与国际竞争。而广告是通过运用各种语言技巧,吸引消费者的注意,激发他们产生购买欲望,从而付诸行动的一种商业行为。英语广告语言的研究,对我国企业跻身国际市场,加强国际竞争具有非常重要的意义。
根据语言哲学家Austin的言语行为理论观点,话段有两种不同的意义,一是命题意义(propositionalmeaning),即话段的基本字面意义。二是施为性意义illocutionarymeaning),也叫施为力,指话段对听话人/读者的影响。因此,一段广告的成功与否取决于广告语(话段)所产生的施为性意义的强弱,即广告语对听话人/读者产生的影响的大小。本文试图通过对英语广告语言所使用的词汇、修辞、句法等几个方面进行举例分析,来探讨加强英语广告语施为性意义的策略,以与同行共飨。
1词汇策略
广告英语有别于普通英语,其用词可超出英语语言本身的约束。为了使广告更具感彩和感染力,广告创作人员可采用各种词汇手段,如词类转化、创造新词、重复词汇等来吸引公众的注意,加强广告语的施为性意义。
1.1词类转化通过巧妙地运用词类转化,如名词用作动词,或同一单词在同一句话中不同词性的转化而产生不同的意义,能使广告更具新意,从而产生出人意料的效果。如:
IChocolateYou.爱巧克力哟!(LG手机广告)
此广告通过“chocolate”一词的词类转化(名词用作动词),不但点出了LG(KG90)手机的独特“巧克力”外表,还在视觉和听觉上给消费者以强烈的印象,能有效地引起消费者的注意。
AskforMore.(摩尔香烟广告)
广告通过"more"一词的词类转换,形成意义双关。"more"作为副词,意为"更多",由此产生的广告意义为"再来一支"。"More"大写后成为名词,变为摩尔香烟品牌,由此广告意义转变为"吸摩尔香烟"。广告不仅宣传了商品的品牌,对消费者还有劝购的作用。
1.2创造新词把人们熟悉的词故意拼错而形成新词,使新词不失原意,更添新义,能赋予广告极大的魅力。如:
TheOrangemostestDrinkintheWorld.世界上最最纯正的橙汁饮料。
此广告把most和est两个表示形容词最高级的部分和orange拼在一起,形成了新词“Orangemostest”,不但能引起消费者的注意,还暗示出了此种饮料的高浓度、高质量的特点。
WeKnowEggsactlyHowtoSellEggs.
广告中"Eggsactly"是"exactly"一词的谐音拼法变异,并与后面的Eggs形成呼应,这种别出心裁的拼词方法,能给消费者留下深刻的印象。
1.3重复词汇一个单词在广告中反复出现,不仅能引起消费者的注意,还能使广告读起来朗朗上口。如:
FromSharpMinds,ComeSharpProducts.夏普产品来自智慧的结晶。
本广告通过“Sharp”一词的重复使用,不但让人记住了“Sharp”这个品牌,还使消费者把夏普这一品牌与“精明、智慧”(Sharp的词义)联想到一起。起到非常好的宣传效果。
MakeTimeforTime.为《时代》创造时间。
"Time"一词的反复出现,使人记忆深刻。有劝人们挤时间欣赏《时代》杂志的作用。
2修辞策略
在广告中恰当地使用修辞格会唤起人们的审美情趣,产生有效的促销效果,同时也能增加广告的生动性和趣味性。英语广告中双关、拟人、对比、仿拟、比喻、夸张等修辞格的使用能有效地加强广告语的施为力。
2.1双关
双关就是巧妙利用英语中许多词具有谐音、多义的特点,在同一句话中同时表达两层不同的含义,能使广告语言产生活泼、诙谐、新奇、委婉的效果。如:
SpoilYourselfandnotYourFigure.尽情享受,不增体重。(Weight-Watcher冰淇淋)
此广告中使用“Spoil”一词的语义双关。“SpoilYourself”意为“尽兴”,而“spoilone’sfigure”意为“破坏了体形”。广告的一语双关能使减肥者在轻松幽默的语气中接受该产品。
2.2拟人拟人是通过赋予商品以人的言行、思想或感情,使广告语充满人情味,以缩短与消费者之间的距离。如:
Don’tcry.We’llrepairit.皮包修理商广告
广告商把皮包赋予了人类“哭”的行为,表达了修理商的爱心。使消费者更愿意接受其服务。
2.3对比对比是通过将两物作比,意在揭示彼此的不同点,从而突出自己产品的特点。但如在同一点上进行比较,就暗示商品存在优劣之差,表达不恰当,很容易违反《广告法》,因此,广告中采用对比手法时,最好采用泛比,以避免其它商家对号入座。如:
Fewcarsareaswell-balancedasaBMW.宝马汽车广告
此广告通过比较突出了宝马汽车平衡性能优良这一特点,同时,因为是泛比,其它汽车生产商也不会对号入座。
2.4仿拟
仿拟是通过套用人们熟悉的谚语、格言、名句等使其产生一种新意,从而达到标新立异、加深印象的效果。
Notallcarsarecreatedequal.三菱汽车广告
套用了《美国独立宣言》中人们熟悉的“Allmenarecreatedequal.”一句。
2.5比喻比喻是通过文学艺术手段,把商品喻作另一种人们熟悉的东西,使消费者产生联想,从而更容易接受该产品。
Yourchild’sfeetarelikeputtyinyourmother’shands.KEDS童鞋广告
广告把儿童鞋喻作母亲的手,让消费者把柔软、舒适的童鞋与母亲的手的温暖产生联想,从而使消费者更愿意接受其产品。
2.6夸张为了取得强烈的修辞效果,把被描述的产品进行艺术性的渲染和夸大,能有效地突出广告的效果。
Wherethereisaway,thereisaToyota.
广告通过夸张手法把丰田车遍布全世界(销量大而广)这一特点进行了渲染。同时,广告还套用了谚语Wherethereisawill,thereisaway.使广告效果更加突出。
3句法策略
由于广告费用极其昂贵,广告撰稿人必须想方设法采用浓缩精炼的语言,在有限的时间和空间内,把尽可能多的信息传达给受众。这也是英语广告中简单句、祈使句、省略句等使用广泛的原因。
3.1采用简单句
Oh,Isee!(OIC眼镜公司广告)
寥寥三个字,既传递了眼镜能增强视力这一性能,其读音又与公司商标“OIC”谐音,语言简单而又风趣。
3.2采用祈使句祈使句语言果断,具有很强的感召力,能使消费者产生马上行动的冲动,能达到很强的广告效果。如:
(1)Turniton!(Puma广告)
(2)Justdoit!(耐克运动鞋)
3.3采用省略句
省略句结构简单,语言自然,能使广告用有限的篇幅传达尽量多的产品信息。如:
(1)Goodtothelastdrop!(麦斯维尔咖啡)
(2)Borntoshine!(LG手机)
3.4采用疑问句
疑问句口语色彩浓厚,既浅显易懂,又能引起消费者的注意,激起他们的好奇心。如:
(1)Wheredoyouwanttogotoday?(Microsoft)
(2)Howtosaveonfoodcost?
3.5采用主动句,尽量避免被动句与被动句相比,主动句有两大功能。第一,因为主动句是对信息的客观描述,能显示信息的真实性与权威性;第二,主动句能体现语言主体的热情与自信,表明商家积极主动地为消费者提品与服务,因此,主动句具有强烈的感染力,更能激发消费者的购买热情。如:
(1)Welead,otherscopy.(理光复印机)
(2)You’llgonutsforthenutsyougetinNUX.(NUX坚果)
3.6多用肯定句,少用否定句肯定句比否定句更能表达商家对自己产品的自信,因为它是从积极肯定的意义出发来描述产品的。这也是广告宣传的目的之一。因此,英语广告中肯定句居多。如:
(1)I’mmoresatisfied.(摩尔香烟)
(2)Cokerefreshesyoulikenoothercan.
4结论
广告是一种具有很高的商业价值的实用文体,在商品经济高度发达的今天,企业的发展离不开广告。广告在帮助企业跻身国际市场,加强国际竞争方面起着非常重要的作用。而广告宣传又是一种语用行为,其目的在于说服消费者接受某种产品或服务。因此,广告撰稿人有必要想方设法来加强广告语的施为性意义,增强广告的影响。本文只对加强广告语施为性意义的词汇策略、修辞策略和句法策略进行了探讨。但影响广告语施为性意义的因素还有很多,如社会发展、文化差异、消费者心理等因素都会对广告效果产生很大的影响。因此,该领域还有很大的研究空间等待更多的研究者的加入。超级秘书网:
参考文献:
[1]关翠琼.试析英汉广告语言特点的相似性[J].湖南师范学院学报,2005,(5).
[2]黄国文.语篇分析的理论与实践[M].上海外语教育出版社,2001.
[3]苏瑜,杨柳.广告英语的语言特色、翻译标准及策略[J].内江科技,2007,(11).
[4]王丽君.英语广告语的语言特色[J].科技创新导报,2008,(17).
[5]王晓丹.英语广告语中的修辞格浅析[J].统计与信息论坛,2001.
关键词:广告语;施为性意义;策略
引言
随着我国改革开放步伐的进一步加快,随着商品经济的不断发展,全球化趋势的进一步凸现,越来越多的企业走出国门,通过广告进行宣传,树立自己的企业和品牌形象,参与国际竞争。而广告是通过运用各种语言技巧,吸引消费者的注意,激发他们产生购买欲望,从而付诸行动的一种商业行为。英语广告语言的研究,对我国企业跻身国际市场,加强国际竞争具有非常重要的意义。
根据语言哲学家Austin的言语行为理论观点,话段有两种不同的意义,一是命题意义(propositionalmeaning),即话段的基本字面意义。二是施为性意义(illocutionarymeaning),也叫施为力,指话段对听话人/读者的影响。因此,一段广告的成功与否取决于广告语(话段)所产生的施为性意义的强弱,即广告语对听话人/读者产生的影响的大小。本文试图通过对英语广告语言所使用的词汇、修辞、句法等几个方面进行举例分析,来探讨加强英语广告语施为性意义的策略,以与同行共飨。
一、词汇策略
广告英语有别于普通英语,其用词可超出英语语言本身的约束。为了使广告更具感彩和感染力,广告创作人员可采用各种词汇手段,如词类转化、创造新词、重复词汇等来吸引公众的注意,加强广告语的施为性意义。
1.1词类转化通过巧妙地运用词类转化,如名词用作动词,或同一单词在同一句话中不同词性的转化而产生不同的意义,能使广告更具新意,从而产生出人意料的效果。如:
IChocolateYou.爱巧克力哟!(LG手机广告)
此广告通过“chocolate”一词的词类转化(名词用作动词),不但点出了LG(KG90)手机的独特“巧克力”外表,还在视觉和听觉上给消费者以强烈的印象,能有效地引起消费者的注意。
AskforMore.(摩尔香烟广告)
广告通过"more"一词的词类转换,形成意义双关。"more"作为副词,意为"更多",由此产生的广告意义为"再来一支"。"More"大写后成为名词,变为摩尔香烟品牌,由此广告意义转变为"吸摩尔香烟"。广告不仅宣传了商品的品牌,对消费者还有劝购的作用。
1.2创造新词把人们熟悉的词故意拼错而形成新词,使新词不失原意,更添新义,能赋予广告极大的魅力。如:
TheOrangemostestDrinkintheWorld.世界上最最纯正的橙汁饮料。
此广告把most和est两个表示形容词最高级的部分和orange拼在一起,形成了新词“Orangemostest”,不但能引起消费者的注意,还暗示出了此种饮料的高浓度、高质量的特点。
WeKnowEggsactlyHowtoSellEggs.
广告中"Eggsactly"是"exactly"一词的谐音拼法变异,并与后面的Eggs形成呼应,这种别出心裁的拼词方法,能给消费者留下深刻的印象。
1.3重复词汇一个单词在广告中反复出现,不仅能引起消费者的注意,还能使广告读起来朗朗上口。如:
FromSharpMinds,ComeSharpProducts.夏普产品来自智慧的结晶。
本广告通过“Sharp”一词的重复使用,不但让人记住了“Sharp”这个品牌,还使消费者把夏普这一品牌与“精明、智慧”(Sharp的词义)联想到一起。起到非常好的宣传效果。
MakeTimeforTime.为《时代》创造时间。
"Time"一词的反复出现,使人记忆深刻。有劝人们挤时间欣赏《时代》杂志的作用。
二、修辞策略
在广告中恰当地使用修辞格会唤起人们的审美情趣,产生有效的促销效果,同时也能增加广告的生动性和趣味性。英语广告中双关、拟人、对比、仿拟、比喻、夸张等修辞格的使用能有效地加强广告语的施为力。
2.1双关
双关就是巧妙利用英语中许多词具有谐音、多义的特点,在同一句话中同时表达两层不同的含义,能使广告语言产生活泼、诙谐、新奇、委婉的效果。如:
SpoilYourselfandnotYourFigure.尽情享受,不增体重。(Weight-Watcher冰淇淋)
此广告中使用“Spoil”一词的语义双关。“SpoilYourself”意为“尽兴”,而“spoilone’sfigure”意为“破坏了体形”。广告的一语双关能使减肥者在轻松幽默的语气中接受该产品。
2.2拟人拟人是通过赋予商品以人的言行、思想或感情,使广告语充满人情味,以缩短与消费者之间的距离。如:
Don’tcry.We’llrepairit.皮包修理商广告
广告商把皮包赋予了人类“哭”的行为,表达了修理商的爱心。使消费者更愿意接受其服务。
2.3对比对比是通过将两物作比,意在揭示彼此的不同点,从而突出自己产品的特点。但如在同一点上进行比较,就暗示商品存在优劣之差,表达不恰当,很容易违反《广告法》,因此,广告中采用对比手法时,最好采用泛比,以避免其它商家对号入座。如:
Fewcarsareaswell-balancedasaBMW.宝马汽车广告
此广告通过比较突出了宝马汽车平衡性能优良这一特点,同时,因为是泛比,其它汽车生产商也不会对号入座。
2.4仿拟
仿拟是通过套用人们熟悉的谚语、格言、名句等使其产生一种新意,从而达到标新立异、加深印象的效果。
Notallcarsarecreatedequal.三菱汽车广告
套用了《美国独立宣言》中人们熟悉的“Allmenarecreatedequal.”一句。
2.5比喻比喻是通过文学艺术手段,把商品喻作另一种人们熟悉的东西,使消费者产生联想,从而更容易接受该产品。
Yourchild’sfeetarelikeputtyinyourmother’shands.KEDS童鞋广告
广告把儿童鞋喻作母亲的手,让消费者把柔软、舒适的童鞋与母亲的手的温暖产生联想,从而使消费者更愿意接受其产品。
2.6夸张为了取得强烈的修辞效果,把被描述的产品进行艺术性的渲染和夸大,能有效地突出广告的效果。
Wherethereisaway,thereisaToyota.
广告通过夸张手法把丰田车遍布全世界(销量大而广)这一特点进行了渲染。同时,广告还套用了谚语Wherethereisawill,thereisaway.使广告效果更加突出。
三、句法策略
由于广告费用极其昂贵,广告撰稿人必须想方设法采用浓缩精炼的语言,在有限的时间和空间内,把尽可能多的信息传达给受众。这也是英语广告中简单句、祈使句、省略句等使用广泛的原因。
3.1采用简单句
Oh,Isee!(OIC眼镜公司广告)
寥寥三个字,既传递了眼镜能增强视力这一性能,其读音又与公司商标“OIC”谐音,语言简单而又风趣。
3.2采用祈使句祈使句语言果断,具有很强的感召力,能使消费者产生马上行动的冲动,能达到很强的广告效果。如:
(1)Turniton!(Puma广告)
(2)Justdoit!(耐克运动鞋)
3.3采用省略句
省略句结构简单,语言自然,能使广告用有限的篇幅传达尽量多的产品信息。如:
(1)Goodtothelastdrop!(麦斯维尔咖啡)
(2)Borntoshine!(LG手机)
3.4采用疑问句
疑问句口语色彩浓厚,既浅显易懂,又能引起消费者的注意,激起他们的好奇心。如:
(1)Wheredoyouwanttogotoday?(Microsoft)
(2)Howtosaveonfoodcost?
3.5采用主动句,尽量避免被动句与被动句相比,主动句有两大功能。第一,因为主动句是对信息的客观描述,能显示信息的真实性与权威性;第二,主动句能体现语言主体的热情与自信,表明商家积极主动地为消费者提品与服务,因此,主动句具有强烈的感染力,更能激发消费者的购买热情。如::
(1)Welead,otherscopy.(理光复印机)
(2)You’llgonutsforthenutsyougetinNUX.(NUX坚果)
3.6多用肯定句,少用否定句肯定句比否定句更能表达商家对自己产品的自信,因为它是从积极肯定的意义出发来描述产品的。这也是广告宣传的目的之一。因此,英语广告中肯定句居多。如:
(1)I’mmoresatisfied.(摩尔香烟)
(2)Cokerefreshesyoulikenoothercan.
四、结论
广告是一种具有很高的商业价值的实用文体,在商品经济高度发达的今天,企业的发展离不开广告。广告在帮助企业跻身国际市场,加强国际竞争方面起着非常重要的作用。而广告宣传又是一种语用行为,其目的在于说服消费者接受某种产品或服务。因此,广告撰稿人有必要想方设法来加强广告语的施为性意义,增强广告的影响。本文只对加强广告语施为性意义的词汇策略、修辞策略和句法策略进行了探讨。但影响广告语施为性意义的因素还有很多,如社会发展、文化差异、消费者心理等因素都会对广告效果产生很大的影响。因此,该领域还有很大的研究空间等待更多的研究者的加入。
参考文献:
[1]关翠琼.试析英汉广告语言特点的相似性[J].湖南师范学院学报,2005,(5).
[2]黄国文.语篇分析的理论与实践[M].上海外语教育出版社,2001.
[3]苏瑜,杨柳.广告英语的语言特色、翻译标准及策略[J].内江科技,2007,(11).
[4]王丽君.英语广告语的语言特色[J].科技创新导报,2008,(17).
[5]王晓丹.英语广告语中的修辞格浅析[J].统计与信息论坛,2001.
[KeyWords]Englishadvertisement;discourseanalysis;systemicfunctionalgrammar;functionalgrammar
[摘要]广告现在已经成为社会生活不可缺少的一部分,对广告语篇分析有其存在的必然性。论文首先论述了广告的定义,影响以及其文案的组成部分。接下来论述了关于语篇分析,从语篇分析的概念,组成部分,以及两个层面。语篇分析是一个描写,解释,说明,评估的过程,对语篇理解了还要会做出评论。而系统功能语法被指出这个语法比其他语言学框架更适合用来分析语篇,所以论文接下来描述了系统功能语法的理论内容去支持语篇分析,系统功能语法包括系统语法和功能语法。系统语法核心思想是认为语言是有个意义潜势的系统网络。功能语法从语言的功能的角度总结出语言的三大元功能:概念功能,人际功能,语篇功能。最后作者用以上的相关理论对一个英语广告实例进行了具体分析。通过以上论述和分析,作者证明了系统功能语法指导语篇分析的可行性。作者也望两者能更加的完善,以至能更系统地分析理解广告语篇。
[关键词]英语广告;语篇分析;系统功能语法;功能语法
1.Introduction
Sincethe1960s,Halliday,theProfessoroflinguistics,developsasystematicandcomprehensivetheoryoflanguage,called“Systemic-FunctionalGrammar(SFG)”,andpublisheshisbook“AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar”in1985and1994.Manyscholarsalsopublishedanumberofbooksandpapersonsystemicgrammar.TheresearchofSystemicFunctionalGrammarbeginsin1970sandbecomepopularinthelate1980s.
Englishadvertisingbeginsinthemedievaltimesandtheadvertising-boomappearsinthe1920s.Todayadvertisinghasbecomeanindispensabletoolformoderncompaniesandinstitutions.SothediscourseanalysisofEnglishadvertisingisverynecessary.Withtheanalysis,peoplecanunderstandtheadvertisementcompletelyandsupplythefurtherimprovementwithsomeevidence.
NowfewpeoplehavetriedtousethetheoriesoftheSFGtoanalyzeEnglishadvertisements.ButProfessorHuangguowenmakesadetailedstudyonthecombinationoftheSFGandtheanalysisofEnglishadvertisementinhisnewlypublishedbook“TheoryandPracticeofDiscourseAnalysis---AStudyinAdvertisingDiscourse(2001)”.
ThethesiswillmakeatentativeendeavortoapplythetheoriesoftheSFGtotheanalysisofEnglishadvertisements,hopingtoprovethatthetheoriesofSFGcanbeusedtoanalyzeEnglishadvertisingandareactuallyeffective.
2.Advertising
2.1Thedefinitionofadvertising
Mostofthescholarsholdthat“Advertising”originatesfromtheLatinword“Adventure”whichmeansarousingpeople’sinteresttotakeaction.In1300to1475,itwaschangedtothemedievalEnglish“Advertise”,whichmeant,“Someonepaysattentiontosomething”.Thefirstnewspaperadvertisementissaidtohaveappearedin1704intheBostonNewsLetterinAmerica.Duringthe18thcenturyadvertisinggrewinpopularitybothinBritainandtheAmericancolonies.
Before1890,inthewestern,thedefinitionofadvertisingisgenerallycalled,as“Advertisingisapieceofnewsabouttheproductortheservice.”In1948,TheCommitteeonDefinitionsoftheAmericanMarketingAssociationdefines:“thenon-personalcommunicationofinformationusuallypaidforandusuallypersuasiveinnatureaboutproducts,serviceorideabyidentifiedsponsorsthroughthevariousmedia.”AmericanSponsorsAssociationhold:Advertisingisthepaidcommunicationforthemasses,anditsfinalpurposeistotransmitmessages,changetheattitude,inducepeopletotakeactionandbenefitidentifiedsponsors.TheEncartaEncyclopediadefines“advertising”as“aformofcommercialmasscommunicationdesignedtopromotethesaleofaproductorservice,oramessageonbehalfofaninstitution,organization,orcandidateforpoliticaloffice”.[1]
Now,drawthefollowingconclusion:“Advertisingisapaid,mass-mediatedattempttopersuade”.[2]Firstly,identifiedsponsorsneedtopayforit.Secondly,itisdeliveredthroughacommunicationmediumdesignedtoreachmorethanoneperson.Thirdly,itisthepubliccommunicationdesignedtochangeorreinforcetheattitudeandtheaction.
2.2Theeffectofadvertising
Advertisingcanmakeacontributiontosales---alongwiththerightproduct,therightprice,andtherightdistribution.Itcannotonlycreatesocialwealthdirectlyandprovidelotsofjobs,butalsopromotethedevelopmentofotherindustries.AndadvertisingisrelatedtoGDP(GrossDomesticProduct)inthatitcancontributetolevelsofoverallconsumerdemandwhenitplaysakeyroleinintroducingnewproducts.Advertisingcanhaveastabilizingeffectondownturnsinbusinessactivity.
Advertisingisallegedtostimulatecompetitionandthereforemotivatefirmstostriveforbetterproducts,betterproductionmethods,andothercompetitiveadvantagesthatultimatelybenefittheeconomyasawhole.Duetotheeconomiesofscaleproducedbyadvertising,consumersactuallyrealizeless—expensiveproducts.Asbroad-baseddemandstimulationresultsinlowerproductionandadministrativecostsperunit,lowpricesarepassedontoconsumers.Thepressureofcompetitionandthedesiretohavefresh,marketableproductsstimulatefirmstoproduceimprovedproductsanddosomeinnovations.Allofthesecancontributetothestandardoflivingandqualityoflifeinasociety.
Advertisingeducatesconsumers,equippingthemwiththeinformationtheyneedtomakeinformedpurchasedecisions.Consumersbecomemoreeducatedregardingthefeatures,benefits,functions,andvalueproducts.Further,consumerscanbecomemoreawareoftheirowntendenciestowardbeingpersuadedandrelyingoncertaintypesofproductinformation.Accordingtotheabove,better-educatedconsumersenhancetheirlifestylesandeconomicpowerthroughastutemarketplacedecision-making.
Inall,withthedevelopmentofthetechnologyandthediversityofthemassmedia,advertisinghasinfluencedpeoplepervasivelyinthedailylife.Advertisingplaysanimportantroleinthesociety.Foreigncountries(especiallyAmerican)havedevelopedtheadvertisingforalongtime,soChineseneedtousetheexperienceofothercountriesforreference.ThatisthestudyofEnglishadvertisinghasitsnecessity.ThestudyofanalysisofEnglishadvertisingismeaningful.
2.3Thecomponentsofcopywriting
“Copywritingistheprocessofexpressingthevalueandbenefits;abrandhastooffer,viawrittenorverbaldescriptions.”[3]Acompletepieceofcopywritinggenerallyconsistsofheadline(includingsub-headline),bodycopy,slogan,andsupplementaryitems.
Theheadlineisthemostimportantpart,whichistheleadingsentenceusedatthetoporbottomoftheadvertising.Itshouldarouseinterestsandattractattentions.Itcanmakepeoplekeeponreadingandgettoknowmoreabouttheproductbeingsold.Itmustbeshort,simplewordaboutnotmorethan10words,butitincludesenoughinformation,thenameofbrandandsoon.Subheadisanadditionalheadlineusuallyappearsaboveorbelowtheheadline.Itincludesimportantbrandinformationnotincludedintheheadline.Liketheheadlineittransmitskeysellingpointsorbrandinformationquickly.Itshouldreinforcetheheadlineandservesasatransitiontothebodycopy.
Bodycopytellsamorecompletestoryabouttheproductorservice,onlyoneoutof10readersreadthebodycopy,soitwillarousepeople’sinterestandmoreinformationforpeopletoknowof.Generallyitincludesemotionalcopyandreason-whycopy.
Slogan,itsstructureissimilartotheheadline.Asloganisashortphraseusedtohelpestablishanimage,identity,orpositionforabrandoranorganization.Itcanprovidescontinuityacrossdifferentmediaandbetweenadvertisingcampaigns.Itexpressesadvertisingmessagewithbrief,repeatable,andmemorablestatement.Thatis,itcanmakeconsumerstakeactions.Takesomefamousslogansforexample:“Justdoit!(Nike)”,“Freshupwithseven-up(Seven-up)”,“ThingsgobetterwithCoca-cola(Coca-cola)”.
Supplementaryitemsarethecompleteinstructionsofadvertisingcontent.Itincludesillustration,trademark,andnameofcommodity,logotype,address,telephonenumber,price,accountsnumber,boxandpanel,sealandsoon.Illustrationandtrademarkareveryimportantinthem.Mostofpeoplereadadfollowingtheorder:illustration,headline,andbodycopy.Soillustrationisthemostimportantpartforasuccessfulad.Illustrationarousesinteresttoreadtheheadline,identifythesubjectofthead,clarifyclaimsmadebythecopy,andcreateafarmableimpressionoftheinformation.Trademarkincludesbrandname,corporateorstorenameandvisualsymbol.Itmaybeuseinshortening.Awell-knownbrandnameisworthyandthereforeisofgreatimportancetoacorporation.Thefeaturesofthetrademarkaredescribableandremarkable,suchas“Ford”,“Adidas”.
3.Discourseanalysis
In1952,Zellings.Harriss,thestructuralists,reportedthearticle“DiscourseAnalysis”inthemagazine“Language”.Inthelast50years,alotofscholarsmakesomeeffortstothissubjectandgainsomeachievements.Fromthedocument,discourseanalysisinvolveslinguistics,semiotics,psychology,anthropology,sociology,literature,informationscienceandsoon,andgraduallyformstheknowledgestudyinglanguage-in-useinthecommunication.
“Discourseanalysisisthestudyofhowsentencesinspokenandwrittenlanguageformlargermeaningfulunitssuchparagraphs,conversations,interview,etc.Forexample,discourseanalysisdealswith(a)howthechoiceofarticles,pronouns,andtensesaffectsthestructureofthediscourse.(b)Therelationshipbetweenutterancesinadiscourse.(c)Themovesmadebyspeakerstointroduceanewtopic,changethetopic,orassertahigherrolerelationshiptotheotherparticipants.”[4]
“Discourseanalysisemphasizesthatlanguageisnotmerelyaself-containedsystemofsymbolsbutmoreimportantlyamodeofdoing,being,andbecoming.Discourseanalysisseekstodescribeandexplainlinguisticphenomenaintermsoftheaffective,cognitive,situational,andculturalcontextsoftheiruseandtoidentifylinguisticresourcesthroughwhichwe(re)constructourlife(ouridentity,belief,ideology,andsoforth).Essentially,itaskswhyweuselanguagethewaywedoandhowweliveliveslinguistically.Discourseanalysisinsistsontheuseofnaturallyoccurringlanguagedate(asopposedtoinventeddata)”.[5]
Generallyspeaking,discourseanalysisisadevelopingandnon-qualitativesubject,whichhasneithertheguidanceofaspecifictheorynorgenerallyrecognizedanalysiswaysandsteps.Schiffirn,Americandiscourseanalyst,introducessixmethodsusinginthediscourseanalysis:speechacttheory,internationalsociologist,andtheethnographyofcommunication,pragmatics,conversationanalysis,andvariationanalysis.M.A.K.Hallidayinhisbook“AnintroductiontoFunctionalGrammar”holdsthat“Theaim(ofSFG)hasbeentoconstructagrammarforpurposesoftextanalysis:onethatwouldmakeitpossibletosaysensibleandusefulthingsaboutanytext,spokenorwritten,inmodernEnglish.”[6]
3.1Purposeofdiscourseanalysis
SFGconstructagrammarforpurposesoftextanalysis,somostofscholarsinsistthatitismoresuitablefordiscourseanalysisthananyothertheories.ThatisSFGistheapproachproposedinthestudyofdiscourseanalysis.ThediscourseanalysisguidingbySFGiscalledas“Functionaldiscourseanalysis”.
Someanalyststhinkdiscourseanalysisistheinterpretiveactivity,becauseitspurposeistohelpthereadersunderstandthemeaningofthetextandthewriter.Butfunctionaldiscourseanalysisistheexplanatoryactivity;itspurposeistoexplainwhythetextexpressesthemeaning.HallidayandHasanholdthatthepurposeofthetextanalysisisexplanationnotinterpretation.Foratext,thepurposeof“interpretation”istounderstandwhatthemeaningofthetextis,butthepurposeof“explanation”istomakeclearthathowthetextexpressesitsmeaning.Accordingtotheauthor’sunderstanding,theexplanatoryactivityincludesinterpretiveactivity,becausebeforeexplaininghowatextexpressesitsmeaning,peoplewillknowwhatthemeaningofatextis.
Thepurposeoffunctionaldiscourseanalysisistoevaluatethetext.Beforeevaluatingatext,discourseanalysismuststudythetextfrom“Whatisthemeaningofthetext?”“Howdoesthetextexpressthemeaning?”“Whydoesthetextexpressthemeaning?”
Inall,thepurposeofdiscourseanalysisisexplanatoryactivitytoevaluatethetext.
3.2Scopesofdiscourseanalysis
Hallidayholdsthatdiscourseanalysisconsistsofcontextofculture,contextofsituation,language.
(I)Contextofculture:languageisthesocialphenomenonandthereflectionofthesocialactivity.Everytextisproducedandthenaffectedinaparticularcontextofculture.“Contextofculture”referstothetextexpressingallthemeaningsinthespecialsocietyandculture(includingpurposeofcommunication,wayofcommunication,formofcommunication,contentofcommunication,etc).Contextofcultureisreflectedby“genre”.Genreconsistsofschematicstructureandrealizationalpattern.
(II)Contextofsituation:itisimmediateenvironmentoflanguageactivity,whichistime,place,talkingcontent,therelationamongpeoplerelatedtotransfercommunicationalmeanings.HallidayandHasan(1985)dividecontextofsituationintothreeparts:field,tenorandmode.
(a)Fieldreferstowhatisbeingtalkabout,whatisitthattheparticipantsareengagedin,inwhichthelanguagefiguresassomeessentialcomponents.
(b)Tenorreferstothepeopleinvolvedinthecommunicationandtherelationshipbetweenthem.Whatkindsofrolerelationshipsobtainamongtheparticipants,includingpermanentandtemporaryrelationshipsofonekindoranother,boththetypesofspeechrolethattheyaretakingoninthedialogueandthewholeclusterofsociallysignificantrelationshipsinwhichtheyreferto.
(c)Modereferstohowthelanguageisfunctioningintheinteraction,e.g.whetheritiswrittenorspoken.
(III)Languageincludessemantics,lexico-grammar,andphonology/graphology.AccordingtotheviewofHalliday,languagechieflyexpressesthreefunctions/meanings:Ideationalfunction,InterpersonalfunctionandTextualfunction.Thethreefunctionsarerelatedtocontextandlexico-grammar.Fielddeterminestheexperientialmeaningsthatexpressed.Tenordeterminestheinterpersonalmeanings.Modedeterminesthetextualmeanings.Andthesethreefunctionsareembodiedbylexico-grammar.“However,but,nevertheless”expresstextualmeanings.
Schematicstructure
Contextofculture
Realizationalstructure
Field
TextContextofsituationTenor
Mode
Semantics
LanguageLexico-grammar
Phonology/graphology
3.3Levelsofdiscourseanalysis
In“AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar”,Hallidayholds“Inanypieceofdiscourseanalysis,therearealwaystwopossiblelevelsofachievementtoaimat.Oneisacontributiontotheunderstandingofthetext:thelinguisticanalysisenablesonetoshowhowandwhy,thetextmeanswhatitdoes.Intheprocess,therearelikelytoberevealedmultiplemeanings,alternatives,ambiguities,metaphorsandsoon.”[7]Thatis,thelowleveristheactivityofdescribingandexplainingthetext.“Itisonethatshouldalwaysbeattainableprovidedfeaturesofthelanguage---provideditisbasedonagrammar,inotherwords.”Anotherlevelistheevaluationofthetext:“thelinguisticanalysismayenableonetosaywhythetextis,orisnot,aneffectivetextforitsownpurposed---inwhatrespectsitsucceedsandinwhatrespectsitfails,orislesssuccessful.”[8]Thatis,thehighlevelistheactivityofinterpretingandevaluatingthetext.Inordertoattainthegoal,itrequiresanalyzingthetext,andanalyzingthecontext(contextofsituation,contextofculture)andtherelationshipbetweencontextandtext.Sotheanalystsneedtodecodethefurthermeaningofthetextandevaluatetheuseofwordsandgrammarsincontextofsituationandthecontextofculture.
Accordingtohuangguowen,SFGismoresuitableforanalyzingthetext.ItisbecauseSFGisthetextgrammar.Itisbecausegrammaristodescribehowtheuseoflanguage,thatis,thewaytosayandunderstandthemeaningofthetextclearly.ItisbecauseSFGdescribethesystemicnetworkofthethreemetafunctionclearly.ItdoesbecauseapplyingtheframeworkofSFGtoanalyzethetextcanavoidevaluatingatwill.
ThefollowingisthedescriptionofSFG,andwhyitcanguidediscourseanalysis.
4.Systemicfunctionalgrammar
InHalliday’sbook“AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar”,hesays”thetheoryonwhichthisdescriptionisbased,systemictheoryfollowsintheEuropeanfunctionaltradition.ItislargelybasedonFirth’ssystem-structuretheory,butderivesmoreabstractprinciplesfromHjelmslevandowesmanyideastoPragueSchool.Theorganizingconceptisthatofthe“system”,whichisusedessentiallyinFirth’ssenseofafunctionalParadigmbutdevelopedintotheformalconstructofa‘systemnetwork’.”[9]
SFGhastwocomponents:systemicgrammarandfunctionalgrammar.InHuzhuanglin’sbook“Linguistics.AcourseBook”,heholdsthat“Systemicgrammaraimstoexplaintheinternalrelationsinlanguageasasystemnetwork,ormeaningpotential.Andthisnetworkconsistsofsubsystemfromwhichlanguageusersmakechoices.Functionalgrammaraimstorevealthatlanguageisameanofsocialinteraction,basedonthepositionthatlanguagesystemandtheformsthatmakeitupareinescapablydeterminedbytheusesorfunctionswhichtheyserve.”[10]
4.1Systemicgrammar
“Systemicgrammarisanapproachtogrammaticalanalysiswhichisbasedonaseriesofsystems.Eachsystemisasetofoptionsofwhichonemustbechosenateachrelevantpointintheproductionofanutterance.Forexample,inEnglish,thespeakerorwritermakeschoicesamongthesystemsofnumber.”[11]Thecentralcomponentofasystemicgrammarisachartofthefullsetofchoicesavailableinconstructingasentence,withaspecificationoftherelationshipsbetweenchoices.Halliday’ssystemicgrammarhasthefollowingaspects:First,ithas“system”asitscentralcategory.Second,itlaysstressonrelatingthesociology.Third,itattachesimportancetodescribethecharacteristicsofparticularlanguagesandparticularvarietiesoflanguages.Fourth,languageisamodeofactionandnotaninstrumentofreflection.Fifth,itusesclinestoexplainsomelanguageproblems.
AccordingtoHuzhuanglin’sinstruction“Insystemicgrammar,thenotionofsystemismadeofacentralexplanatoryprinciple,thewholeoflanguagebeingconceivedasa‘systemofsystems’,systemicgrammarisconcernedwithestablishinganetworkofsystemsofrelationships,whichaccountsforallthesemanticallyrelevantchoicesinthelanguageasawhole.”[12]
Asystemisalistofchoices;thechoicesinasystemaremutuallyexclusive.Everysystemisfinite.Themeaningofeverychoiceinasystemdependsonthemeaningofotherchoiceinthesystem.
Inall,systemicgrammarmakespeopleknow“system”and“structure”.Itrequirespeopletoanalyzethetextlogicallyandregardthetextasaunit.
Inthedescriptionofthesystem,ifthefeatureofthesystemappearsinothersystem,thatcanbesimultaneityorechelon.Ifthetwosystemsappearinorder,thefeaturesofthemareordinal.Thesystemicgrammarisselectingageneralareaofmeaning,andgraduallybreakingitintosmallerandsmallersub-areas.Choiceismeaning.SystemgammardescribesthreeMetafunctions.Eachofthemetafunctionsisacomplexsystemconsistedofothersystems,andchoicesaresimultaneouslydoneinthethreemetafunctions.Thisisthecloserelationshipbetweensystemicgrammarandfunctionalgrammar.
4.2Functionalgammar
“Inafunctionalgrammar,ontheotherhand,thedirectionisreversed.AlanguageisinterpretedasaSystemofmeaningscanberealized.”[13]“FunctionalGrammaraimstorevealthatlanguageisameanofsocialinteraction,basedonthepositionthatlanguagesystemandtheformsthatmakeitupareinescapablydeterminedbytheusesorfunctionswhichtheyserve.”[14]ThefunctionsoflanguagearethemostimportantthingsinFunctionalGrammar.
Asthetoolofpeople’scommunication,languageundertakesallkindoffunctions.Hallidaydividesthefunctionoflanguageintothreekinds:ideationalmetafunction,interpersonalmetafunction,andtextualmetafunction.
4.2.1IdeationalMetafunction
“…Afundamentalpropertyoflanguageisthatitenableshumanbeingstobuildamentalpictureofreality,tomakesenseoftheirexperienceofwhatgoesonaroundthemandinsidethem.”[15]Itistoconveynewinformation,tocommunicateacontentthatisunknowntothelistener.
Theideationalmetafunctionistoorganizethespeakerorwriter’sexperienceoftherealorimaginaryworldandincludesexperientialfunctionandlogicalfunction.Whatexperientialfunctionisthatlanguageexpressespeople’sexperiencesinexternalworld(things,eventsqualities,etc)andinternalworld(thoughts,beliefs,feelings,etc).Whatlogicalfunctionreferstothatlanguageexpressesthelogicalrelationshipbetweentwoormorethantwomeaningunits.
(I).ExperientialFunction
Experientialfunctionischieflyembodiedbytransitivityandvoice.“…Parallelwithitsevolutioninthefunctionofmood,expressingtheactive,interpersonalaspectofmeaning,theclauseevolvedsimultaneouslyinanothergrammaticalfunctionexpressingthereflective,experientialaspectofmeaning.Thislateristhesystemoftransitivity.Transitivityspecifiesthedifferenttypesofprocessthatarerecognizedinthelanguage,andthestructuresbywhichtheyareexpressed.”[16]Transitivityisasemanticsystem.Itspurposeistodividesomethingaroundpeopleintoseveralprocessesinvolvingparticipantandcircumstantialelement.Hallidayholdsthattransitivityincludessixprocesses:(a)Materialprocess.(b)Mentalprocess.(c)Relationalprocess.(d)Behavioralprocess.(e)Verbalprocess.(f)Existentialprocess.
(a)MaterialProcess:processofdoing
Materialprocessisaprocessofdoing.Theprocessusuallyconsistsofverb,actor(logicalsubject)andgoal(nounorpronoun)
Hekilledallthepeople
ActorProcessgoal
(b)MentalProcess:processofthinking
Mentalprocessisaprocessofthinkinginvolvingperception(see,look),reaction(like,fear)andcognition(knowing,believing,andunderstanding)andsoon.Metalprocesshastwoparticipants:sensor,andphenomenon.Sensorreferstothepersonwhoperceivesandphenomenonisthesomethingthatisperceivedbythesensor.Phenomenonincludesconcretepersonorobjects,abstractthings,happenedeventsandsoon.
IHearHimplayingthepianonexttothedoor.
SensorProcessPhenomenon
(c)RelationalProcess:processofbeing
Relationalprocessisaprocessofbeing.Ithastwotypes’attributiveprocessandidentifyingprocess.Relationalprocessconsistsofintensive,circumstantialandpossessive.Intheattributiveprocess,theparticipantsareattributeandcarrier.
TheclockHasThreepointers.
CarrierProcessAttribute
Intheidentifyingprocess,theparticipantsareidentifiedandidentifier.
ThiscarIsMine.
IdentifiedProcessIdentifier
(d)BehavioralProcess:processofbehaving
Behavioralprocessisaprocessofbehaving,suchasbreathe,dream,smile,laugh,cry,andcough.Thebasiccomponentsoftheprocessare“behaver”and“process”.Thispointissimilartothementalprocess,butdifferentfromthematerialprocess.
SheCriedLoudly.
BehaverProcessCircumstantial
(e)VerbalProcess:processofsaying
Verbalprocessisaprocessofsaying.“Saying”hastobeinterpretedinaratherbroadsense;itcoversanykindofsymbolicexchangeofmeaning.Theverbalwordsare“tell,say,talk,describe,boast,praise”.Theverbalizationitselfiscalledtheverbiage.
TheteacherTelledThestudent“Don’tdisturbothers.”
SayerProcessReceiverVerbiage
(f)ExistentialProcess:processofexisting
Existentialprocessisaprocessofexisting.Ineveryexistentialprocess,itmusthavean“Existent”.“There”hasnorepresentationalfunction.
ThereIsAnappleOnthetree.
ProcessExistentCircumstance
Generallyspeaking,mostoftheprocessesrepresentingdescriptivemeaningaretherelational,existentialprocessandthementalprocesses.However,mostoftheprocessesrepresentingnarrativemeaningarematerialprocesses.
“Voiceisthewaysinwhichalanguageexpressestherelationshipbetweenaverbandthenounphraseswhichareassociatedwithit.Twosentencescandifferinvoiceandyethavethesamebasicmeaning.However,theremaybeachangeinemphasisandonetypeofsentencemaybemoreappropriate.”[17]Itisrepresentedcommonlybyactivevoiceandpassivevoice.Inordertomakethestructureofthetextreasonableandthecontextconsistent,speakersneedtodoanappropriatechoicetothevoice.
II.LogicalFunction
Logicalfunctionmainlyreferstothelanguagefunction,whichrepresentstheco-ordinateorsubordinatelogicalrelationsoflanguage.Hallidayresearchesthefunctionfrominterdependencyandlogical-semanticrelation.Usingthetwofunctionssimultaneouslytoresearchthelanguage,thelanguagecanbeanalyzedcompletely.
4.2.2InterpersonalMetafunction
Interpersonalmetafunctionservestomakefulluseoflanguagetoexpresstherelationshipbetweenthesocietyandtheperson.Withtheuseoflanguage,peoplecommunicatewithothers,establishandkeepinterpersonalrelationships,affectpeople’sbehaviorsandexpresstheviewabouttheworld.Interpersonalmetafunctionisrealizedbymoodandmodality.
(I.)Mood
AccordingtoHuzhuanglin,“Moodshowswhatrolethespeakerselectsinthespeechsituationandwhatroleheassignstotheaddressee.”[18]Moodincludesthe”subject”andthe“Finite”element.Thefunctionofthe“Finite”elementistoprovidethereferencewiththeproposition.The“subject”istheelementofeffectiveandsuccessfulpropositions.
(II).Modality
Modalityspecifiesifthespeakerisexpressinghisjudgmentormakingaprediction.Hallidayclassifiedmodalityintotwomajortypes:modalization(probability,usuality)andmodulation(obligation/inclination).
Forexample:(1)Marywillcomebacktomorrow.
(2)Heusuallygoestothepark.
4.2.3TextualMetafunction
“Textualmetafunctonisconcernedwiththecreationoftext---theresourcesforpresentinginformationastextincontext.”[19]“Thetextualfunctionfulfilstherequirementthatthelanguagecanberelatedinrealuse,havingcertainstructuresinarealcontextthatdistinguishesasingleitemfromagrammaroradictionaryinalivingpassage.”[20]Itincludesthematicstructure,informationstructureandcohesion.
(I).Thematicstructure
“Thematicstructurerelatestothestructuringoftheclauseitself---theorderinwhichelementsappearintheclause.”[21]Thethemeistheelementwhichservesasthepointofdepartureofthemessage;itisthatwithwhichtheclauseisconcerned.Andtherestoftheclauseiscalledrheme.
FollowingGeoffThompsonassumesthatthemehasfourmainfunctions:(a)Signalingthemaintenanceorprocessionof“whatthetextisabout”atthatpoint.(b)Specifyingorchangingtheframeworkfortheinterpretationofthefollowingclause.(c)Signalingtheboundariesofsectioninthetext.(d)Signalingwhatthespeakerthinksisaviable/useful/importantstarting-point.[22]
Accordingtothesyntacticstructureoftheinitialconstituentsofasentence,Hallidaydividesthemeintothreemainkinds:simpletheme,multiplethemeandclausaltheme.Inaclause,themeisconflatedwithsubjectiscalledunmarkedtheme.Athemethatissomethingotherthanthesubjectiscalledmarkedtheme.
(II)Informationstructure
Informationstructureistoorganizelanguageorganizationasinformationunit.Itisformedthestructureofinformationunitfromtheinteractionofgiveninformationandnewinformation.
Aclauseasaninformationstructureconsistsofagivenelementaccompaniedbyanewelement.The“unmarked”sequencingofinformationstructureisgiven-new.Informationstructureischieflyembodiedby“intonation”.
(III)Cohesion
InHalliday’swords“Theconceptofcohesionisasemanticone;itreferstorelationsofmeaningthatexistwiththetext,andthatdefineitasatext.”[23]ThereisfivewaysbywhichcohesioniscreatedinEnglish:reference,ellipsis,substitution,conjunctionandlexicalorganization.
(a)Reference:Aparticipantorcircumstantialelementintroducedatoneplaceinthetextcanbetakingasareferencepointforanother.
(b)Ellipsis:Someelementscanbeomittedinthetext.Itcanavoidrepeatingandhighlightthenewinformation.Itisagrammaticalwaytomakethetextwellknit.
(c)Substitution:Itmeansreplacing.Sothesupersededwordsaretheformanditssemanticmeaningwillbefoundinthereplacedelements.
(d)Conjunction:Itistouseconductedelementstoembodyallkindsoflogicalrelationsinthetext.Theconductedelementsgenerallyaresometransitionalwords,showinglogicrelationssuchastime,causeandeffect,condition.
(e)Lexicalorganization:Itincludesrepetition,synonymy/antonym,hyponymy/metonymyandcollocation.
5.AnalysisoftheEnglishadvertisement
Discourseanalysisispaidmoreandmoreattentiontothelinguists.TheaimofSFGistoconstructagrammarforpurposesoftextanalysis.FunctionalgrammarcananalyzenotonlyspokenEnglishbutalsowrittenEnglish.HopingitisprovedthatdiscourseanalysiscanonlybeguidedbythetheoryintermsofanalyzingsomeEnglishadvertisements,andthefunctionalgrammarisofusefulnessandserviceability.
Thefollowingistheinsuranceadvertisement.
InsuredbyAllianz
(1)Wouldn’titbenicetogrowoldwithafewmorelaughlines?(2)it’seasyifyouhaveproperprotectionandalongtermsavingsplanwiththerightcompany.(3)Establishedover100yearsago,TheAllianzGroupistrustedbyover60millioncustomersworldwide.(4)Forpersonalinsurancesolutionscoveringthedifferentstagesinyourlife,backedbythefinanicialsecurityofagloballeader,turntoAllianzinAsia.(5)Becausewhereverlifetakesyou,weprovidepeaceofmindalongtheway.
Allianz.ThePoweronYourSide.(Newsweek,Oct2002)
5.1Analyzingthetransitivityoftheadvertising
SentenceProcesstypeProcessParticipantCircumstance
1relationalWouldn’tbeitTogrowoldwithafewmorelaughlines
2relationalisitIfyouhaveproperprotectionandalongtermsavingsplanwiththerightcompany
relationalhaveYou,properprotectionandalongtermsavingsplanWiththerightcompany
3materialIstrustedTheAllianzGroup60millioncustomersEstablishedover100yearsago
materialestablished(theAllianzGroups)Over100yearsago(non-finite)
4materialTurntoAllianzinAsiaForpersonalinsurancesolutionscoveringthedifferentstagesinyourlife,backedbythefinancialsecurityofagloballeadermaterialcoveringPersonalinsurance,differentstagesinyourlife(non-finite)
materialbacked(Personalinsurance)financialsecurityofagloballeader(non-finite)
5materialprovideWe,peaceofmindAlongtheway,becausewhereverlifetakesyou
materialtakesLife,youInthisadvertisement,therearealtogethertenprocesses,amongwhichtherearethreerelationalprocessesandsevenmaterialprocesses.Accordingtowhattheauthorhassaidjustnow,thethreerelationalprocessesmusthaveserveddescription.Thatisthesethreeprocessesfirstconfirm,“itwouldbenicetogrowoldwithafewmorelaughlines.”thentheycontinuetodescribehowyoucando.Thethreeprocessesareincludedinsentence(1)and(2)oftheadvertisement.Thefollowingsentencesincludesevenmaterialprocesses.Thus,thesesentencesmustservetonarrate.Generallyspeaking,mostoftheprocessesrepresentingdescriptivemeaningaretherelational,existentialprocessandthementalprocesses.However,mostoftheprocessesrepresentingnarrativemeaningarematerialprocesses.Analyzingtheprocessesonebyone,thispurposeofthecopywriterisclearlyrepresented.Insentence(4),thecopywriterasksreaderstoturntotheAllianzinAsiaiftheywantpersonalinsurancesolutionscoveringthedifferentstagesinlife.Also,thecopywriterstatesthefactthatagloballeaderoffinancialsecuritybackstheAllianz.
FromallthesestatementsaboutthepowerandcreditoftheAllianzGroup,readersjustcannotescapethetemptation.Inaddition,thematerialprocessestakeupnearly3/5oftheprocesses.ThusthecopywriterputshisemphasisonstatingthequalitiesoftheAllianzGroup.
Theprocesspatternofthisadvertisementisrelationalprocesses(sentence(1),(2))---materialprocesses(sentence(3),(4),(5)).
5.2Analyzingthemoodoftheadvertising
SentenceSubjectFiniteMood
1ItWouldn’tbeInterrogative
2ItisDeclarative
YouhaveDeclarative
3TheAllianzGroupisDeclarative
4(you)turnImperative
5WeprovideDeclarative
LifetakesDeclarative
Alltogetherthisadvertisementismadeupoffivesentences.Fromthetablethemoodsofdifferentclausesareclearlyrepresented.Thereisoneinterrogativesentencethatissentence(1)andoneimperativesentencethatissentence(4)Mostofthemoodtypesaredeclarativemood.Copywritersdotheadvertisementtogivethecustomermoreandmoreinformationabouttheproduct.Whatisthedifferenceofinterrogativeandimperativemoods?Althoughsentence(1)isaninterrogativesentence,itisinfactnotaquestiontoaskforanswerbuttoexpressagoodwillsincetheanswerisself-evident.Thatis“Itwouldbenicetogrowoldwithafewmorelaughline.”Thecopywriterusestwostatementstoindicatehowtheycanfulfillthiswill.Sentence(4)isanimperativesentenceexpressessomerequirements,whichservestoaskthereaderstobuytheservice.Theultimateaimofthecopywriterisarousingthereader’sattentionandtakesaction.Sentence(5)isinfactnotacompletesentenceintraditionalgrammar.Itisactuallyasubordinateclausewhyreadersshouldchoosetheinsuranceprovidedbythecompany.Thecopywriterusesthisclauseindependentlyjusttoputitinanemphaticplace.Finallyreadersmaybepersuadedtobuy.Thecompany’goalistoselltheirproductorserviceandbenefitforfurtherproductions.
Themoodpatternofthisadvertisingisrepresented:interrogative,declarative,imperative.
5.3Analyzingtheregisteroftheadvertising
Thisadvertisementisaconsumeradvertisementtoallthepeoplewhowanttotakeinsuranceinthenewspaper.
Relatethedetailtothefunctionalgrammarasfollows:
FieldConsumeradvertisement
TenorAllthepeoplewhowanttotakeinsurance
ModeMagazineadvertisement
Thefieldreferstowhatishappening,thatis,simplysay,“place”.InEnglishadvertisement,accordingtothedifferenttopicsorfieldofit,therearedifferentfieldsofdiscourse.Therearelotsoftargetareasintheadvertisement,suchasconsumeradvertisingtoconsumers,industrialadvertisingtothecompany,serviceadvertising.Andmostofthefilm,radio,newspapersandmagazineadvertisingareconsumeradvertising.Sothefieldofthisadvertisingisconsumeradvertisement.
Thedefinitionof“tenor”isstatedbyGeoffreyRichardThompson,theEnglishlinguist,“thepeopleinvolvedinthecommunicationandtherelationshipbetweenthem.”[12]P8Thepurposeofadvertisingistransmittingtheinformationtothereaders.Thatisthecopywritersneedtoknowconsumers’thoughtsandwhattheywanttoknow.Thecopywriterstrytopersuadethemtoaccepttheproducts.ThetenorinEnglishadvertisingreferstodifferenttargetconsumers,suchaschildrenandadults.Sothetenorofthisadvertisingistoallthepeoplewhowanttotakeinsurance.
Themodereferstowhatpartthelanguageisplaying,thesymbolicorganizationofthetextanditsfunctionandsoon.Theclassificationbymediacanbeembodiedbytheinfluenceofthemodeintheadvertisement.Accordingtothedifferentmedia,theadvertisementcanbeclassifiedintonewspaperadvertisement,magazineadvertisement,televisionadvertisement,radioadvertisement,andoutdooradvertisement.ThetextofnewspaperandmagazineadvertisementiswrittenEnglish,becausetheformofreceivinginformationisreading.Andthebiggestfeatureoftelevisionandradioadvertisementiscombiningwithsight,soundandmotion.Sothefeatureoftheadvertisementisusingsimpleandcleardialoguesormonologues,andrelatingtothelovelypictureclosely.Outdoorsadvertisementincludesbillboardorpainteddisplay,posterandspectacularneonsignandsoon,sotheygenerallyusetheslogantomaketheproductunforgotten.Sothemodeofthisadvertisingismagazineornewspaperadvertisement.
6.Conclusion
Copywritingintheadvertisementisonetypeofdiscourseandbelongstothesystemofgenre.Contextrequirestheadvertisementshouldbeattractive,pleasantandpersuasive.Sotheusingofpositive,pleasingwordsisoneimportantfeatureofadvertisements.Theultimatepurposeofadvertisingistoasktheconsumerstobuytheproductsadvertised.Advertisingtendstoadoptbeautifulandspecialprintingstyletocatchtheaudience’seye.
Inthisthesis,bytheauthor’sintroduction,discourseanalysiscanbeunderstandclearlyandconsistoffield,tenor,mode.SFG.consistsofsystemicgrammarandfunctionalgrammar.Systemicgrammarchieflyrefersto“system”and“structure”.Functionalgrammarclaimsthatlanguageisasystemofmeaning.Itincludesthreemetafunctions---experiential,interpersonal,textualmetafunctions.Itofferscertaintangibleconceptsforthemetafunctions:theconceptsoftransitivity,mood,modality,thematicstructureandcohesivedevices.
ThetheoriesoftheSFGespeciallyfunctionalgrammarareadoptedtoanalyzeadvertising.Transitivityclassifieslinguisticintosixprocesses.Inthethesis,theauthorstatesthemonebyone.Moodoffersopportunitiestolearnspeakers’attitudesandtone.Thisisimportantinanalyzingadvertisingdiscoursesinceadvertisingisjustthecommunicationbetweenadvertisersandcustomers.Field,tenor,modeofferwhatkindoftheadvertisement,whoisthetargetpeople.Differentpeoplehavedifferentinterests.Thatis,ifcopywriterknowssomethingabouttheconsumer,hecandobettercopywritingtoarousepeople’sinterestandtakeaction.So,itisprovedthatSFGisanimportantwaytoanalyzetheadvertising.Wehopeitcanbeusedinotherwaysandmakesomethingclear.
Bibliography
[1]侯晓华.系统功能语法指导下的英语广告语篇分析[D].中国知网().华中师范大学.2002P4
[2]TomasC.O’Guinn,ChrisTAllen,RichardJ.Semenik.Advertising[M].Cincinnati:South-WesternCollegePublishing.2000P6
[3]同[2]P358
[4]JackC.Richards,JohnPlattandHeidiPlatt.LongmanDictionaryofLanguageTeaching&AppliedLinguistds[M]..ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress.2000P139
[5]同[4]P429
[6]Halliday,M.K.A.AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar(SecondEdition)[M].ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress.2000P41
[7]同[6]P45
[8]同[6]P41
[9]同[6]P52
[10]胡壮麟.语言学教程(修订版)[M].北京:北京大学出版社.2001P409
[11]同[4]P465
[12]同[10]P410
[13]Halliday,M.A.K.AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar[M].London:EdwardArnold.1985Pxiv
[14]同[10]P409
[15]同[13]P10
[16]同[13]P101
[17]同[4]P504
[18]同[10]P418
[19]刘晶.系统功能语法指导下的新闻语篇分析[D].中国知网().黑龙江大学.2005P17
[20]同[10]P420
[21]赵亚军.英语语篇中的主位组织——系统功能语篇分析法[D].中国知网().西北工业大学.2004P2
[22]Thompson,Greoff.IntroducingFunctionalGrammar[M].London:EdwardArnold.1996P141-142
[23]Halliday,M.A.K.andHasan,Ruqaiya.CohesioninEnglish[M].London:Longman.1976P4
stothesystemofgenre.Contextrequirestheadvertisementshouldbeattractive,pleasantandpersuasive.Sotheusingofpositive,pleasingwordsisoneimportantfeatureofadvertisements.Theultimatepurposeofadvertisingistoasktheconsumerstobuytheproductsadvertised.Advertisingtendstoadoptbeautifulandspecialprintingstyletocatchtheaudience’seye.
Inthisthesis,bytheauthor’sintroduction,discourseanalysiscanbeunderstandclearlyandconsistoffield,tenor,mode.SFG.consistsofsystemicgrammarandfunctionalgrammar.Systemicgrammarchieflyrefersto“system”and“structure”.Functionalgrammarclaimsthatlanguageisasystemofmeaning.Itincludesthreemetafunctions---experiential,interpersonal,textualmetafunctions.Itofferscertaintangibleconceptsforthemetafunctions:theconceptsoftransitivity,mood,modality,thematicstructureandcohesivedevices.
ThetheoriesoftheSFGespeciallyfunctionalgrammarareadoptedtoanalyzeadvertising.Transitivityclassifieslinguisticintosixprocesses.Inthethesis,theauthorstatesthemonebyone.Moodoffersopportunitiestolearnspeakers’attitudesandtone.Thisisimportantinanalyzingadvertisingdiscoursesinceadvertisingisjustthecommunicationbetweenadvertisersandcustomers.Field,tenor,modeofferwhatkindoftheadvertisement,whoisthetargetpeople.Differentpeoplehavedifferentinterests.Thatis,ifcopywriterknowssomethingabouttheconsumer,hecandobettercopywritingtoarousepeople’sinterestandtakeaction.So,itisprovedthatSFGisanimportantwaytoanalyzetheadvertising.Wehopeitcanbeusedinotherwaysandmakesomethingclear.
Bibliography
[1]侯晓华.系统功能语法指导下的英语广告语篇分析[D].中国知网().华中师范大学.2002P4
[2]TomasC.O’Guinn,ChrisTAllen,RichardJ.Semenik.Advertising[M].Cincinnati:South-WesternCollegePublishing.2000P6
[3]同[2]P358
[4]JackC.Richards,JohnPlattandHeidiPlatt.LongmanDictionaryofLanguageTeaching&AppliedLinguistds[M]..ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress.2000P139
[5]同[4]P429
[6]Halliday,M.K.A.AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar(SecondEdition)[M].ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress.2000P41
[7]同[6]P45
[8]同[6]P41
[9]同[6]P52
[10]胡壮麟.语言学教程(修订版)[M].北京:北京大学出版社.2001P409
[11]同[4]P465
[12]同[10]P410
[13]Halliday,M.A.K.AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar[M].London:EdwardArnold.1985Pxiv
[14]同[10]P409
[15]同[13]P10
[16]同[13]P101
[17]同[4]P504
[18]同[10]P418
[19]刘晶.系统功能语法指导下的新闻语篇分析[D].中国知网().黑龙江大学.2005P17
[20]同[10]P420
[21]赵亚军.英语语篇中的主位组织——系统功能语篇分析法[D].中国知网().西北工业大学.2004P2