The Application of Pun in English Advertisement英语毕业论文.doc

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1、The Application of Pun in English Advertisement1. Introduction Advertising is nonpersonal communication usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about product, services of ideas by identified sponsors through the various media .Its aim is to arouse consumersattention to a commodity and indu

2、ce them to use or buy it.But how to make the advertisement impressive is the main purpose of the advertisers. In order to enhance the appeal of an advertisement ,the choice of words or phases may make the advertisement attractive. In advertisement there are many rhetoric features such as smiliar, me

3、taphor, personification, hyperbole, repetition, contrast and pun. However, of all these features, pun is the most frequently used and loved by many people. It may leave a deep impression on people by its readability, wit and humor.As some linguists said, pun always can satisfy the requirement of adv

4、ertisement characteristics-selling power, memory value , attention value and readability. Thus, pun is very popular in advertisement. 2. Types f Pun in English Advertisement The defination of pun is humorous use of a word that has two meanings or of different words that sound the same. A pun is a rh

5、etorical device in which people use the polysemous or homonymous relation of a language to cause a word,a sentence of a discouse to involve two things of meaings.There are several types of pun ,such as pun on polysemy,pun on homonymy, pun on parody, pun on grammer, pun on illustrations and words. 2.

6、1 Pun on Polysemy While different words may have the same similar meaning,the same one word may have more than one meanings .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 mea

7、ning of words.(戴炜栋,何兆熊,2002/7,p74-75). Pun on polysemy is used very widely,especially with the brand of the product such as the following examples: (1)Money doesnt grow on the trees.But it blossoms at our branches. -Lioyd Bank It is the advertisement of Lioyd Bank .Branch means part of a tree growin

8、g out from the trunk,but here it implies the division of bank.This advertisement encourages people to store their money in lioyd Bank and their money will be like the blooming flowers ,yielding more better fruits.After understanding its meaning,readers will figure out in mind that their money become

9、 more and more daily by daily ,just like the leaves in the spring. (2)The most sensational place to wear satin on your lips Here,satinmeans the lipstick of some kind.This sentence means if you wear this lipstick, your sexy lips will like satin which are smooth and glossy ,find and delicate.Thus wome

10、n will be surely to show great interest to this lipstick. 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 spelling,or in both.When two words are identical in sound ,they are homophones.When the

11、 words are identical in spelling, they are homographs.When two words are identical in both spelling and sound,they are complete homonyms.The following instances will explain it : (1)OICglasses may help you! It is an advertisement of glasses.OICstand for Oh, I see.It tells you that if you wear this g

12、lasses you will see the world more clearly. And the audience will be more willing to buy it . (2)Goodbuy Winter! 100%cotton kitwear $40 It is an advertisement for the sale of winter clothes.The advertisement seems to tell people that it is good and cheap to buy cotton kitwear.But when the audience r

13、ead goodbuytogether,they will understand the good use of pun.Goodbuy wintersounds the same as Goodbye winter.The advertisement use homophone to show two meanings:it is a good business to buy the cotton kitwear now,and winter has passed away.Naturally,people will associate the situation happening eve

14、ry year that when they say goodbye to winter,the clothes will have a great discount and it is a good time to buy them. (3)More sun and air for your sun and heir The advertisement is for a bathing beach.The advertiser uses homophone skillfully,sun vs. Son,and air vs.heir.The advertiser encourages peo

15、ple to bing their son and heir to the bathing beath 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 persuative. 2.3 Pun on Parody Parody is a piece of speech,writing of music that imitates t

16、he style of an author or a composer in an amusing and often exaggerate way. Pun on parody uses the outfit of saying, proverb or idiom to form new meanings. English has a variety of well-known phrases,idioms and saying .They are an important part of everyday language spoken by the English speekers,an

17、d have become one of the aspects of English culture.The advertisement designers are sharp-minded and imaginative.They change a part of the expressions and put their ideas into the advertisement to achieve sensational effect and most of the designers achieve great success.The transformations are not

18、only eye-catching ,but also easy to be accepted by the common.As the sayings of idioms have been one part of the tradition,people will be easily persuaded by the advertisement works of this kind.So pun on parody is popular in advertisement. (1)All is well that ends well This is an idiom means that i

19、f the end of thing is good that the whole thing is good, but here,it is taken from an advertisement of a cigarette. Endas a verb meansfinishwhile, as a noun , means cigarette butt. The sentence means that if the cigarette ends are good ,the cigarette is good. (2)A Mars a day helps you work, rest and

20、 play . It is a slogan of Mars chocolate company .Looking at this advertisement,it will let people associate two similar idioms:An apple a day keeps the doctor awayand All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy .From the above two meanings,the slogan tells people that a Mars chocolate a day make you

21、 not be a dull boy and keep the doctor away. 2.4 Pun on Grammar A lot of advertisers also use puns grammer problems to attract the audiences,such as ellipsis or word with different grammar functions.This type of pun are used rarely, but if it can be used properly,it will achieve an unexpected effect

22、. (1)Which lager can claim to be truly German ? This can . This is an advertisement for lagar beer.can is a modal verb.But in the advertisement, it also means fin.Here,lagerrefers to the name of beer.With the illustration,the whole advertisement brings a humorous effect and impresses the audiences d

23、eeply. (2)Coke refreshes you like no other can. Just like last example,canhas double meanings,so the sentence can be understood like that Coke refreshes you like no other drink that can refresh you.It implies their product is the best one .Of course ,people like to buy the best one. 2.5 Pun on illus

24、trations and words Many advertisers also use illustrations and words to achieve better effect,especially on TV,as people are more likely to be attracted by pictures than by words.The illustrations and words are able to help people to understand the advertisement fully.Pun in the advertisement need t

25、o connect with illustrations and words,so that people can understand the implied meanings. Take the following advertisement as an example: 50%OFF It is a shopwindow advertisement.The illustration is a picture with six light,three on and three off .From the illustration, people know it does not only

26、mean a half of the lights are off ,but also means the whole sale discounts 50%.The illustration and words are vivid and attract the passers-by more easily. 3.The Pragmatic Function of Pun in Advertisement Through the above analysis ,we can see that pun has a lot of advantages such as wit, humor, nov

27、elty and vividness.It produces a particularly rhetorical and pragmatic effect when people use the lauguage creatively.The proper use can make the advertisement impressive and attractive. 3.1 Wit and humor In the most cases of advertisements, pun produces an effect of wit and humor to attract the aud

28、iencesattention and inspires their associations. In this rapid rhythm society,advertisement with pun may make people enjoy themselves in the advertising atmosphere,and reduces their pressure in a relaxed environment.Such as the following examples: (1)Sign on a Mens Gym door:We have course to make th

29、e grown men young and the young men grown. This is an advertisement of a Gym. It implies through their courses, they can make the old people became yonug, and the young people became more stronger.After seeing this advertisement you will feel very comical and could not forget it easily. (2)When the

30、wind has a bit .and you feel like a bit.then bite on a whole nut. This sentence sounds like tongue twister.Here,bithas several meanings :grip,food,and eat.The whole sentence means that when the strong wind hurts you and you are very hungry ,just some Nut. After a days working, people would feel tire

31、d and hungry, while the advertisement is just suitable for them .Therefore, they would be attracted to buy the product, so they will not suffer hungry after work. (3)Excellent Taste It is an advertisement of a whiskey product. Here,tasteis a pun .Generally speaking, tastemeans flavor, but here, anot

32、her meaning is the ability to appreciate what is beautiful. So the advertisement means: this kind of whiskey has a good flavor; the people who choose it has high appreciation. The advertiser uses pun praise both the product and the consumers who buy their products. 3.2 Creativeness and originality T

33、his is typical of advertising language.A new way of sending a message may set a band, and this will greatly arouse peoples attention and induces them to buy the product. Normally, a new created word accepted by readers can enhance the freshness and attraction of the advertisement. (1) “Cab Fourward.

34、” It is an advertisement title of Ram Car produced by Doqer company. The word “fourward” sounds like “forward”. Connecting it with the picture in the advertisement, people would know why it uses fourward”. Because the four doors of this kind of car could be opened from four directions. The advertise

35、r creates the word “fourward” from “forward” to show the speciality of the car. (2) “Catch the Raincheetah and cheat the rain.” It is an advertisement in Toronto Daily Star. The punny word “Raincheetah”, the name of the raincoat, sounds like “raincheater” while the word “raincheater” derives from “w

36、indcheater”. The word “cheat” in the sentence makes it wonderful and let people feel that this kind of raincoat can protect the consumers well. Pun gives people impression of novelty and interest. 3.3 Satisfying peoples requirement of beauty A good advertisement is an art, especially advertisement u

37、sing pun. Pun in advertisement may make people feel the aesthetic modality of language. The characters of pun, such as vividness, wit and humor, pleasure peoples spirit and let them enjoy the beauty of language.For instance: (1)“Give your hair a touch of spring.” It is an advertisement for shampoo.

38、The word “spring” here is very vivid and like a picture in people mind: after using the shampoo, the long hair becomes elastic and shining. When you stand there, your hair will go with wind. Everyone likes beauty, so the advertisement caters for people desire and induces them to buy the product to m

39、ake them more beautiful. 3.4 Satisfying the requirement of society With the rapid development of the society, people became buiser and buiser, so the requirement of short and easy remembered advertisement is increasingly popular. But how to impress the audiences is a question.The answer is using pun

40、. Advertisement is paid message, with limited space and time, so it doesnt allow to waste any resources. Pun with double meaning has the characteristic of small carrier but plenty of connotations. So it is very economic, effective and money-saving to the advertiser. In a word, pun uses fewer words t

41、o express full message which is the content of economic principle, and it usually reaches the purpose of advertisement that is arouse consumers attention to a commodity and induce then to buy it. For instance; (1)“Two beer or not two beer, thats a question. -Shakesbeer” When reading this beer advert

42、isement, people would associate it with the proverb “To be or not to be, thats a question” in Hamlet. Shakesbeer is the name of the beer, but it sounds like “Shakespeare” who is known nearly all over the world, so it is easy for people to remember the Shakesbeer. And the word said by Hamlet is also

43、very famous, especially in western countrys. The sentence is short and the pattern is famous, so people will remember the product naturally. (2)Ask for More This is an advertisement of cigarette. The brand of the cigarette is More. Here, More not only means want to need a lot but also represents its

44、 brand. This advertisement caters for peoples vanity and induces them to buy the product. (3)“Go well, Go Shell.” It is an advertisement for Shell Oil Company. “Well” sounds like “where”, so it implies that go to Shell company to buy oil. Only four words are used in the advertisement, but it express

45、es the meaning fully and impresses people deeply. Imagine that one day, when you drive your car, suddenly, the oil is run out. So you are wondering where to go, then, of course, you will remember the words “Go well, go Shell”. So you will go to Shell at once. The slogans impress the audiences deeply

46、 and persuade them to buy the product invisibly. (4)“Make Time For Time.” It is an advertisement for Time magazine. The advertisement uses the pun on homonymy of the word “time” to refer two meanings: common sense of time, and the name of he magazine. The advertisement means that read Time magazine

47、to seize time. In the society full of competition, time is important and magazines also play an important role which people have to read to broaden their view. While Time magazine will not only broaden view, but also save your time. It satisfies peoples requirement. (5)Try our sweet corn, and you wi

48、ll smile from ear to ear. This is the corns advertisement. Here , ear has an imply meaningof corn and it also means if you eat this type of corn, you will feel happily,and want to eat more and more. 4. Conclusion Advertisement is an effective way for the companies to promote their products. To gain

49、the market among the severe competition, it is important to carry out a wonderful advertisement to show their products, and figures of speech is an effective way to achieve the purpose. Among the figures, pun is an effective way to make the advertisement attractive, accurate, striking, vivid and forceful. Thus it is the most widely