商务广告英语的模糊性探析the-analysis-of-fuzziness-in-advertising-english大学毕业论文.doc

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1、广告英语的模糊性探析-TheAnalysisofFuzzinessinAdvertisingEnglishTheAnalysisofFuzzinessinAdvertisingEnglishAbstractAdvertisingmaybedescribedasthescienceofarrestingthehumanintelligencelongenoughtogetmoneyfromit.Itisthusclearthatadvertisinghasplayedadecisiveroleintodaysbusinessworld.Theissueofwhetheradvertisingla

2、nguagesareattractiveandpersuasiveornothasbecamethepointofattention.SothoroughandtheoreticalstudiesonlanguagefeaturesofEnglishadvertisinghelpsimproveboththeunderstandinganddesigningofsuccessfuladvertisements.Afterabriefintroductiontoadvertising,advertisinglanguage,fuzzinessandfuzzylinguistics,thethes

3、isisfocusedonthelinguisticrealizationsoffuzzinessinadvertisingEnglishfromthefollowingtwoperspectives:thesemanticrealizationandrhetoricaldevices.Inthesemanticanalysis,fuzzyqualifiers,numericalfuzzyquantifiers,fuzzyverbs,descriptiveadjectivesandsymbolsandabbreviationsareanalyzedtorevealfuzzynaturethat

4、areusedbyadvertiserstoachievetheirpersuasiveends.Whileintherhetoricaldevices,punning,metaphors,andeuphemismwhichmakelanguagemorevividandcreatemoreboundlessassociationandimaginationarediscussed.Thenthethesisconcludeswithabriefsummaryofthearticleandpointsoutthelimitationsofthestudy.KeyWordsadvertising

5、English;fuzziness;semanticandrhetoricalanalysis广告英语的模糊性探析【摘要】广告业被认为是一条通过耗尽人类智慧赚取钱财的科学之道。很明显，广告在今天的商业世界已发挥着举足轻重的作用。广告语言能否具有诱惑力和说服力已成为关注的焦点。因此对英语广告语言系统、全面地研究，可以提高对广告的理解，构想出成功的英语广告。论文在简短地对广告，广告语言，模糊性和模糊理论进行介绍之后，主要对以下两种模糊实现形式进行分析。一、语义模糊。这一类广告通过使用模糊限制词、模糊数量词、模糊动词、修饰性形容词以及符号和缩略语等具备模糊性的语言来突破日常行为的规范，使词语在表达字

6、面意义的同时又暗示其多重含义，形成词语含义的未定性，激发了读者的联想和想象，吸引他们的注意并提起他们的兴趣，从而对广告本身的说服力起增强作用。二、修辞格（双关、暗喻、委婉语）的使用，使广告语言更具生动，引发读者无限的想象和联想。最后结论部分中，论文对主要概念和内容做出了总结，提出了全文的局限性。【关键字】广告英语；模糊性；语义和修辞分析1.IntroductionWiththerapiddevelopmentoftheworldeconomyandglobalization,advertisinghasplayedavitalroleinpromotingsales,providingserv

7、icesandbuildingimages.BasedonthefactthatChinaremainslaggingbehindthewestinbothphysicalattractionandpersuasivenessinadvertising,thoroughandtheoreticalstudiesonthelanguageofadvertisinghavebecomeanurgentneed.Inourdailylife,fuzzylanguagehasbeenemployedincommunicationonvariousoccasionsnegotiationandpubli

8、cspeaking.Thoughmanylinguistshavebeenexploringfuzzytheoryandfuzzylinguisticsheavily,theunderstandingoffuzzinesshasntbeensatisfactoryandperfect.Asanotwell-establishedregister,advertisingEnglishhasitsuniquefeaturescomparedwithEnglishforotherpurposes.FuzzinessfunctioninadvertisingEnglishplaysapositiver

9、oleinhumancommunication.ThroughlinguisticrealizationsoffuzzinessinadvertisingEnglishfromsemanticangletorhetoricaldevicesinthetext,thepurposeofthepaperistomakepeopleequipwithabettermanipulationoffuzzyadvertising,soastopreparethemforproducingmoresuccessfuladvertisements,thenarousingpeoplesinterestinad

10、s,stimulatingpeoplesneedsofconsumption,andenticingpeopletomakepurchaseinproducts.2.GeneralideasofadvertisinganditslanguageWhatisadvertising?Whatdoesadvertisingoriginatefrom?Whydoesitcomeintobeing?Whatisitslanguagelike?Thefollowingisgoingtoexplainthem.2.1ThedefinitionanddevelopmentofadvertisingInetym

11、ologicalstudies,theword“advertise”inMiddleEnglishisspeltas“advertisen”meaning“tonotify”andinoldFrenchas“advertir”or“advertises”.Wefindtworecordshavethesameexplanationof“tonotice”.FurtherstudiesrootedoutitsorigininLatinas“advertere”,meaning“ameansusedtodrawattentionfromthepublictosomethingandleadthem

12、tosomedirection”.1Nowadays,thescholarsfromdifferentcountriesholddifferentopinionsabouttheexplanationofadvertising,butremainingthesimilarmeaningbasically.AnexplanationiswidelyacceptedbyAmericanMarketingAssociationasfollowing:Advertisingisthenonpersonalcommunicationofinformationusuallypaidforandusuall

13、ypersuasiveinnature,aboutproducts,servicesorideasthroughthevariousmedia.2Itisnotdifficultforustofindoutfourcomponentsofadvertisingfromtheexplanationabove.First,advertisingisdirectedtothegeneralpublicratherthanindividuals.Second,theinformationconveyedbyadvertisingcanbecommercialornon-commercial.(Comm

14、ercialadvertisingseeksprofits,whilenoncommercialadvertisingsponsoredbygovernmentornonprofitorganizationsisusedtopublicizetheorganization,seekdonationsorcallforsomeactionsbeneficialtosociety.)Third,advertisingreachesusthroughachannelofcommunicationreferredtoasamedium,suchas:TV,radio,newspapers,magazi

15、nesandsoon.Fourth,anyadvertisingislaunchedbyidentifiedsponsorsororganizationswithagivenpurpose,eithercommercialadvertisingorpublicinterestsadvertising.Indeed,advertisingistheresultofhighdegreeofdevelopmentofcommodityeconomy.Inordertomaketheirgoodssellwell,tradesmanandmerchantstriedeverymeanstotrigge

16、rtheconsumerstobuytheirproducts.HenrySampsondescribedthebeginningofadvertisinginhisworkHistoryofAdvertisingasbelow:Thereislittleaboutthatthedesireamongtradesmenandmerchantstomakegoodtheirwareshaveanexistencealmostaslongasthecustomsofbuyingandselling,anditisbutnaturedtosupposethatadvertisementsinsome

17、shapeorformhaveexistednotonlyfromtimeimmemorial,butalmostforalltime.3Untilnow,withtherapiddevelopmentoftheworldeconomyandtheaccelerationofglobalizationprocess,advertisinghasplayedaveryimportantroleintodaysbusinessworld.Advertising,withitspersuasivefunctionandtakingactionfunction,helpsabusinesstocrea

18、tetheproductsandcorporateidentities,notonlyrealizethedevelopmentofthebusiness,butalsoincreasethevalueofitsgoodwill,andwintheconfidenceoftheconsumers.2.2FeaturesofadvertisinglanguageSincetheadvertisingaimsatdrawingattentionfromthepublicandleadingthemtosomedirection,andthusthelanguageofadvertisingisla

19、nguagethatisusedineffortstopersuadeorotherwiseenticepeopletopurchaseproductsorservices.TofflerinhisFutureShockapproachesthelanguageofadvertisingasalanguageoffinelyengineered,ruthlessly,purposefulmessages,intendingtotriggeraspecialresponsefromtheconsumers.ThispointofviewisechoedbylinguistPeterTrudgil

20、l,whosaid,“Thewordingofadvertisementsis,inmostcases,carefullycraftedtomeetparticularends.Sometimesitisintendedtoinform,butmoreoften,andmoreimportantly,topersuadeandinfluence.”4DavidOgilvyalsosaid,“Everywordinthecopymustcount,advertisewhatisunique.”5Inotherwords,theultimategoalofadvertisingistosell.T

21、hus,advertisementsmustbepresentedwithatypeoflanguagethatispersuasiveinnature,concise,vivid,visual,andwithemotionandappeal,thatis,thelanguageofadvertisingconveysthemostcomplicatedmeaningwiththesimplestlanguageandisloadedwithpersuasiveintentionsforsalespromotionorotherpurposes.Lookatanexample:“Romanti

22、c,Mysterious,Italian”.Threeadjectivesareputtogether,conciseandsprightly,givingexpressiontodeepconnotation.Anotherexample“Bigthrills,Smallbills”.Thisisanadvertisementsponsoredbythetaxicenter.Anyoneenjoystheexcitementtothelargestextentaslongaspayingthelessmoney.Theword“big”standsintotalcontrasttothewo

23、rd“small”,theendsyllableoftheword“thrillsand“bills”remainssame,whichcreatesasenseofrhythm.Thecasesbelowalsoexplaintheideasabovewell.(1)Lookagain.Alifetimeofperfectcoordination.(CUSTOMEYESfromRevlon)(2)LettheNewYorkTimesfindyou.(3)Thebenefitofforesight,theworldin1993.(4)Somuchflavorthatyoullnevermiss

24、yourhigh“tarcigarette.”63.FuzzinessFromtheadvertisementsinsection2.2,wecaneasilyfindthatsomeunclearandvagueexpressionsexistinthelanguageofadvertising.Andthefollowingisgoingtomakeabriefintroductionaboutfuzziness.Inourdailylife,howmanyhairsmustamanlosebeforeheisdeterminedtobebald?Howmanysecondsmakeupa

25、“moment”?Howmuchmoneydoyouhavetoearntobe“rich”?Whenisapileofsandaheap?Weallagreethatonegrainofsandisnotaheapbutthatamilliongrainsisaheap.Somewhereinbetweenthepilemustchangefrom“non-heap”to“heap”.Theseindeterminateconceptsarehardtologicallydefine,andusuallyarechanged,asthevariationoftime,placeandpeop

26、legroups.Forexample,“Sheisaprettygirl.”Maybeweneednottoknowhowbeautifulsheis,justinordertoconveyusefulinformation“Sheispretty.”Thus,vaguestatementsareprovidedwhereamoreprecisestatementiscalledforsometimes.Mostimportantly,humansseemtobeabletocommunicatequitewellusingvagueterms.PaulTherousevertrenchan

27、tlysaid,“Languageisdeceptive,andthoughEnglishissubtle,italsoallowsacleverpersonwithonealerttotheambiguitiesofEnglishtoplaytrickswithmockprecisionandtocombinevaguenesswithpoliteness.Englishisperfectfordiplomatsandlovers.”Lakoffinhisworkalsosaid,“Someofthemostinterestingjobistomakethingsfuzzierorlessf

28、uzzy.”7Indeed,accuracyanddeterminacyoflanguageoccursintheextreme,whileuncertainandinaccuratelanguageisoftenfoundhereandthere.Justbasedontheexistenceofuncertainobjectsandvagueideas,fuzzylanguagecameintobeing.Inspiteoftheunclearness,weseldomchallengethespeakertoanexactexplanationofthesubjectinquestion

29、sincetheseexpressionsareunderstandableandcommunicativeenoughinmostcases.Thus,wecansay,thisintrinsicuncertaintyinnaturallanguageiscalledfuzzinessorvagueness.Thefollowingtwodefinitionswillhelpushaveaclearmindoffuzziness.MaxBlackwroteinhisLanguageandPhilosophythat“Vaguenessconsistsintheexistenceofobjec

30、tsconcerning,whichitisintrinsicallyimpossibletosayeitherthesymbolinquestiondoes,ordoesnot,apply”.8WhileCrystaldefinesfuzzinessasatermderivedfrommathematicsandusedbysomelinguiststorefertotheindeterminacyinvolvedintheanalysisofalinguisticunitorpattern.Forexample,severallexicalitems,itisargued,arebestr

31、egardedasrepresentingasemanticcategorythathasaninvariantcorewithavariable(or“fuzzy”)boundary,thisallowingforflexibilityofapplicationtoawiderangeofentities,giventheappropriatecontext.9Forinstance,theboundariesofcupandglassaredifficulttobedefined.Invariantcorewithavariableboundaryhadbecometheessenceof

32、fuzzinessrecognizedbymostinvestigatorsinthisregard.Tosumup,fuzzinesscanbedefinedasanindeterminacyoruncertaintyoftheborderlineofthesubjectinquestionwhilefuzzylinguisticsisabranchoflinguisticsthatstudiestheintrinsicuncertaintyorvaguenessoftheborderlineofthelinguisticunitsinalanguage.4.Linguisticrealiz

33、ationsoffuzzinessinadvertisingEnglishHowdoesthelanguagefuzzinessfunctionintheadvertisingafterall?PerhapslinguisticrealizationsoffuzzinessinadvertisingEnglishcanbeanalyzedfromsemanticaswellassyntacticalperspective,torhetoricaldevicesorotherareas.Andthistextisfocusedonsemanticandrhetoricalrealizations

34、offuzzinessinadvertisingEnglish.Thepurposeofthisstudyoflanguagefuzzinessistoraisethelevelofawarenessaboutthepersuasivetechniquesexpressedintheapplicationoffuzzylanguageinads.4.1SemanticRealizationsofFuzzinessSincefuzzinessisembodiedinmanyaspectsofadvertising,thearticlewillfocusontheverbalespeciallys

35、emanticrealizationoffuzziness,includingfuzzyqualifier,numericalfuzzyquantifiers,fuzzyverbs,descriptiveadjectiveandsymbolsandabbreviations.Thediffusedapplicationoffuzzylanguageinadvertisementisduetoitsconformitywiththesemanticfeaturesofadvertisinglanguage.Advertisementswithfuzzylanguagecaneasilyarous

36、econsumersinterestandstimulateimaginationandassociationofideas.Hence,fuzzylanguageshortensthedistancebetweenconsumersandadvertisements,andenticespeopletomakepurchase.4.1.1FuzzyqualifiersAmericanLinguistGeorgeLakoffintheearly1970sfirstproposedfuzzyqualifiers,whichreferstosomeindeterminatewords.Itqual

37、ifierstheexactdegreeoftheutteranceandrestrictsthepropositioninquestiontoacertainscope;meanwhile,italsoshowsthespeakersdirectandsubjectiveestimationuponthesubjectorindirectandobjectiveattitudesbythethirdparty.10Suchfuzzyqualifiersarefoundinadvertisementshereandthere.Examplesofthiskindare:alittle,almo

38、st,some,really,moreorless,tosomeextent,about,looselyspeaking,roughly,Isuppose,Ithink,itissaidthat,asiswellknown,etc.Forexample:(1)ThenewNokia8850,averypersonalpleasure.(2)Chiqueonlysomewomenhaveit.(Chique化妆品)(3)Littlewondertheydontbuildcarsliketheyusedto,Buildingapenisdifficultenough.(Pike)(4)Extrat

39、aste,notextracalories.(食品)Inexample1,thedegreeadverbialveryisalmostimpossibletomeasuretheexactdegreeofpersonalpleasure.Wecantdrawtheconclusionfromthesurfacemeaning.Example2thewordsomemeansthecosmeticisthepatentofthecreamofthewomen,whichcaterstothepsychologyofthosefashionablewomenwhoupholdnovelty.How

40、ever,somereferstohowmanypeopleparticipateinpurchase,whichdependsonpeoplesdifferentunderstanding.Andinexample3twowordslittleandenoughrepresentthefinecraftsandunusualthinkingwhichthemanufacturerspentonproducingpens,leavingthereaderssomeroomforimagination.Example4,doubleuseofthewordextra,thedeliciousfo

41、odwithmodestcaloriescantspoilyourfigure.Theinformationconveyedthroughfuzzylanguageaccordswiththeconsumptionconceptofmodernpeople.4.1.2NumericalfuzzyquantifiersAsweknow,thereareanumberofwaysbeingfuzzyaboutquantitiesinEnglish.Inparticular,speakershavetheoptionofeitheraddingsomethingtoaprecisenumberorn

42、umbers,orusingaroundnumber,orusingafuzzyquantifier.Whateverwaysthespeakersuse,itallexpressesanuncertainandindeterminatenotion.Whenanumberdoesntrefertoarealnumber,thenitisjustanimaginarynumber.Thisisonephenomenaofsemanticfuzzinessinnumber.Ifnumbersareusedtorefertofuzzymeaning,thenitwillloseitsnumericalmeaning,butr