An-Analysis-of-Language-Features-in-English-Advertisements.doc

An Analysis of Language Features in English Advertisements摘要：广告英语是一门语言艺术，它有其自身独特的语言特色。广告英语的魅力及成功很大程度上取决于其语言的独特性。本文旨在通过对书面英语广告的语言分析总结出广告英语在词汇句法上的语言特点。本文共分为四个部分，第一部分为引言，第二部分为词汇特征分析，第三部分分析句法特征，最后是结论部分。第二部分和第三部分为本文的核心。关键词：英语广告 词法特征 句法特征Abstract: English advertisements are a language of art. It has its own unique features. The attraction and success of English advertisements depend upon its unique language features. This paper presents an analytical study of the language features of English advertisements at lexical and syntactical levels. This paper will be presented in four parts. The first part is the introduction and the last one is the conclusion. The focus of the paper is laid on the two middle parts which respectively analyze language features at lexical and syntactical levels.Key Words: English advertisements lexical features syntactical featuresWe live in a world of advertising. As potential consumers, we are endlessly bombarded with all kinds of product or service information from various media including newspapers, magazines, television, radio, posters and the Internet, etc. Advertising provides a valuable service to society and its members, because it defines for consumers the meaning and the role of products, services, and institutions. It indicates the difference that exists between brands of products and alternative services, as well as the distinguishing characteristics of companies and institutions. With communicational, marketing and social functions, advertising becomes indispensable in our modern world.Naturally, advertisements in English have become an important means of communicating ideas, demonstrating a variety of linguistic features of its own. This essay of mine attempts to examine the features of English advertisements at lexical and syntactical levels, in the hope of bringing them to light and, thereby, offering some help to advertisement and language learners.This paper will mostly focus on the lexical features and syntactical features of English advertisements.Lexical FeaturesIn order to make the information accessible to audience effectively, the choice of words in advertising is very cautious and skillful. The aim of the advertiser is to capture the attention of the members of a mass audience and by means of impressive words to persuade them to buy a product or behave in a particular way. Both linguistic and psychological aspects are taken into consideration in the choice of advertising words. To familiarize consumers the benefits of a particular product, to catch consumers eyeballs, the techniques used at the lexical level by advertisers do not vary markedly. The following points are some prominent similarities.Firstly, use of rhyme or alliterationAdvertisers sometimes use rhyme or alliteration of words to make a special communicative effect. Such advertisements are easy to read and pleasant to ears. Therefore, they are more easily remembered by the readers. The following are examples:1. Go for the sun and fun.2. Join the team, make the dream.3. Go well, use shell.4. First come, first cut.Secondly, repetition of key wordsIn order to emphasize some advantages of a certain product or service, advertisers often use the skill of repetition. It can usually help readers to remember the contents of the advertisements more easily and clearly. Some examples are here:5. Double delicious, double your pleasure.6. Extra taste, not extra calories.7. Mosquito to bye bye bye.Thirdly, selection of emotive adjectives Emotive adjectives, especially the pleasant and exciting adjectives, are usually used to enhance the facts of a certain product or service by advertisers. Data shows that the most frequently used adjectives are as follows: new, good/better/best, fresh, free, delicious, sure, full, clean, wonderful, special, crisp, real, fine, great, safe, and rich. These adjectives help to build a pleasant picture in readers minds. Here are some examples:8. Good to the last drop9. The taste is great.10. Fresh, clean, crisp ( a drink advertisement )11. Let us make things better.Fourthly, pun-makingPun is an amusing use of a word or phrase that has two meanings. The word used as a pun is usually closely related to the characteristics of a certain product or the brand name of the product. Making pun can often leave a deep impression on readers by its readability, wit, and humor. And it can also help the advertised product win favor from readers. For example:12. Give your hair a touch of spring. 13. Ask for more. (More is a famous brand of cigarette)14. The unique spirit of Canada.( an advertisement of a Canadian tipple )15. Give your business the sharp edge. (Sharp Corporation)Lastly, selection of pronounsPronouns of the first and second person: we, I and you outnumber the other pronouns in advertisements. It is because that you, we and I help create a friend-like intimate atmosphere to move and persuade the audience. Though pronouns of the first and second person are popular in advertisements, there are some differences in the use of these pronouns in different kinds of advertisements. The first person “we” almost never occurs in goods advertisements, whereas “we” is used in almost 80% the service advertisements. The following are some examples:16. Obey your thirst17. You shop, we drop.18. The choice is yours, the honor is ours.19. I click. I shop. I find the clothes I love.Syntactical featuresWe have summarized the lexical features of English advertisements. Next, lets study its syntactical features. The main purpose of all advertising is to familiarize consumers with or remind them of the benefits of particular products in the hope of increasing sales. And an advertisement is often merely glimpsed. Therefore, to be effective and attractive, its message must be colorful, legible, understandable and memorable. So the sentences in English advertisements should be short. Generally-speaking, the following points are the prominent similarities in English advertisements.Firstly, simple sentences and elliptical sentences are often used in advertisements. Compared with complex sentences, simple sentences are more understandable and forceful. Elliptical sentences are actually incomplete in structure but complete in meaning. The adoption of elliptical sentences can spare more print space, and take less time for readers to finish reading. Some examples are here:20. The taste is great.21. Coke adds life.22. Deliciously simple. Simply delicious. ( a food ad )23. Communication unlimited.Secondly, interrogative sentences are skillfully used in English advertisements. Interrogative sentences are usually short, simple, attractive and encouraging. As interrogative sentences demand audience responding, they can arouse readers thinking and attract their attention. Examples are as follows:24. Have you driven a Ford lately?25. Tired of cleaning yourself? Let me do it.26. How to get 100 watts of light for only 44 watts of electricity?Thirdly, imperative sentences are heavily used in English advertisements. The aim of advertising is to encourage and persuade people to buy a certain product, to do a thing in a way or to accept a certain service. And imperative sentences are short, encouraging and forceful. They are used to arouse consumers wants and to induce them to accept the advertising products or service. Lets look at the following examples.27. Enjoy coca-cola.28. Just do it.29. Obey your thirst30. Lets make things better. 31. So come into McDonalds and enjoy big Mac Sandwich.Fourthly, the passive voice is usually avoided and the present tense prevails in most advertisements. The passive voice gives the audience an indirect and unnatural feeling. In daily communication, the passive voice is seldom used; so is in advertisements. And present tense prevails because present tense implies a universal timelessness. For instance: 32. Things go better with coca-cola.33. We lead Others copy34. Coke adds life.35. Wherever you are, whenever you need us, the Allianz Group is always there for you.Finally, parallel structure is sometimes used to enhance the emphasis of the object. Parallel structure is made up of two or more sentences or phrases that are similar in expression, content and tone. It is easy to read and remember, and it sounds very beautiful. The use of parallel structure, of course, can help to enhance emphasis and make a deep impression upon readers. The following are some examples:36. No problem too large, no business too small.37. Give a Timex to all, and to all a good time.38. To me, the past is black and white，but the future is always colorUp to now, we have analyzed language features of ads at two levels. Linguistic similarities analyzed in this paper and shared by all kinds of advertisements are shown as follows:. Lexical featuresa. the use of rhymeb. the repetition of key wordsc. the selection of emotive