e to literary works, figures of speech are widely used in ads. The rhetorical devices are used to communicate information about the products and their features, or describe the feelings and attitudes of consumers, which increases the vividness and interest of ads and impresses people deeply. Once building the corporate image and wining consumers’ favor, it has achieved the purpose of sale promotion and consumption. In addition, the function of the rhetorical devices arouses people’s association and aesthetic appeal, soaking in dulcet mood, and gradually entices the consumers to make purchase. In fact, the rhetorical device is a fuzzy language phenomenon. The following study is mainly focused on punning, metaphor, and euphemism.
4.2.1 Punning
To pun is to play on words, or rather to play with the form and meaning of words, for a witty or humorous effect. [16] Based on the fact that many words in the English language look or sound alike, but different senses, or connotations, copywriters tactfully employ pun to the ads, aiming at creating an unexpected effect. For example:
Money doesn’t grow on trees. But it blossoms at our branches.
---Lloyds Bank (劳埃德斯银行)
The ad is posted up outdoors signpost of Lloyds Bank. The word branches has double meaning. The surface meaning refers to “树枝”,which forms a contrast with the word trees .While the deep meaning refers to “分行结构”。In a sense, the ad aims at telling people to deposit money in this bank, and then the money will gradually increase. The copywriters tactfully use the word branches, and novel conception creates an unexpected effect. Similar cases as follows:
(1) The unique spirit of Canada; we bottled it.(酒)
(2) Give your hair a touch of Spring.(发乳)
(3) I’m More satisfied! (香烟)
Example 1, the word “spirit” not only refers to “wine”, but also “energy”. “bottled ”calls for boundless association: What is filled with is “wine” as well as Canadian “great kindness”. Example 2, when holding plies of fair with high resilience, do you feel energetic and sunshine? This is the function of the word spring. Example 3, “More”, as a brand of the product, also indicates the state of satisfaction and comfort when enjoying smoky cigarette.
Besides, we can easily find euphonic pun (谐音双关) here and there. It refers that words have the same sound or almost the same sound, but differs in form and meaning are used. For example:
(1) Make you every hello a real good-buy.
(2) Have a nice trip, buy buy.
“Buy-buy “is derived from “bye-bye”, the ad happens in a free-tax shop at Heathrow Airport, full services and dependability in quality are worth to make purchase, which makes you have a good trip. Meanwhile it is a means of sale promotion. The humor and connotation of fuzzy language are magically excellent.
4.2.2 Metaphor
A metaphor, unlike a simile, always represents implied meaning of the utterance vividly and visually. Due to without definite boundary between compared things, to some extent, it motivates people imagination to convey more exact image. For example:
(1) Smooth as silk. (化妆品)
(2) The Jungle, the Jungle Fighter. (防汗剂)[17]
In example 2 there exists a cross-cultural gap. The noun “Jungle” easily associates the fierce struggle and competition in Western society that was full of the law of the jungle---the weak are the prey of the strong. There everyone felt scared and tired, but didn’t refuse to be drawn into the matter. In this ca
本论文由英语论文网提供整理,提供论文代写,英语论文代写,代写论文,代写英语论文,代写留学生论文,代写英文论文,留学生论文代写相关核心关键词搜索。