AN ANALYSIS OF LANGUAGE FEATURES IN ENGLISH ADVERTISEMENTS

摘要 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﹑篇章上的语言特点。为了使研究从数据出发得出科学结论，本文作者建立了一个拥有60篇各类广告的小型语料库。通过对此语料库中日用品广告﹑科技设备广告﹑服务业广告的深入细致的定量和定性分析，总结出广告英语在此三类广告中的相同点与不同点，并且根据语言的意义，风格及功能解释广告英语的共性以及广告英语在不同类型广告中的特殊性。

本文共分五个部分，第一部分和第五部分分别为介绍与总结，中间三个部分为本文核心，分别展开广告英语在词汇﹑句法﹑篇章三个层面的分析。本文的结论均来自于对语料库的分析。整个研究从数据出发，由数据驱动，由此进行语言学上的分析与概括。

本文作者衷心希望此论文的分析结果能给英语广告的写作者以及广告英语的学习者提供帮助。

关键词: 广告英语，词汇，句法，篇章，相同点，不同点

AN ANALYSIS OF LANGUAGE FEATURES IN ENGLISH ADVERTISEMENTS

Abstract

This paper presents an analytical study of the language features of English advertisements at lexical, syntactic and discourse levels. In order to conduct a data-driven study, the author builds a corpus of 60 English advertisements. It is hoped that through the detailed survey of three types of advertisements: namely, daily consumer goods ads, technical equipment ads, service ads, similarities and differences in advertising language features can be summarized and possible reasons will be given in the light of the meaning, and function of language.

This paper will be presented in five parts. The first part is the introduction and the last conclusion. The focus of the paper is laid on the three middle parts which respectively analyze language features at lexical, syntactic and discourse levels. The conclusion of this paper is drawn from the data analysis. In the analysis, examples from the corpus will be given; figures, tables and graphs will also be offered to make the paper understandable and persuasive.

It is hoped that the study can shed light on the language features of advertisements and also provide help to copy writers and advertising English learners.

KEYWORDS: English Advertisements, Lexical, Syntactic, Discourse,

            Similarities, Differences

Contents

1. Introduction ……………………………………………………………… 1
1.1 Rationale of the study ……………………………………………………... 1
1.2 Definition of advertising …………………………………………………... 1
1.3 Focus of the present study ………………………………………………… 1
1.4 Sources of data ……………………………………………………………. 2
2. Lexical features …………………………………………………………… 2
2.1 Classification of advertising and its audience ……………………………..          2
2.2 Similarities at the lexical level ……………………………………………. 3
2.2.1 Few verbs are used ………………………………………………………... 3
2.2.2 Use of emotive words …………………………………………………….. 4
2.2.3 Make pun and alliteration …………………………………………………. 4
2.2.4 Use of weasel words ………………………………………………………. 5
2.3 Differences at the lexical level ……………………………………………. 6
2.3.1 Gender identity in advertisements…………………………………………. 6
2.3.2 Selection of Adjectives …………………………………………………… 7
2.3.3 Compound words …………………………………………………………. 8
2.3.4 Use of pronouns …………………………………………………………… 8
3. Syntactical features ……………………………………………………… 9
3.1 Similarities ………………………………………………………………… 9
3.2 Differences ………………………………………………………………… 10
3.2.1 Headlines ………………………………………………………………….. 10
3.2.2 Comparison of headlines of different types of ads ………………………... 11
4. Discourse features...……………………………………………………….. 12
4.1 Body copy of advertisements ……………………………………………... 12
4.2 Differences in body copy ……………………………………………. 12
5. Conclusion ………………………………………………………………… 14
 
Acknowledgement

Sincere thanks go to Dr. Wei Naixing for his insightful guidance and earnest help all through the searching, analysis and paper-writing stages.

The author also wants to extend her thanks to Ms. Linda Frost who has given much help in data collecting.
                   References

[1]  Bolinger, Dwight & Sears, Donald A. Aspects of Language third edition

New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich 1981

[2] Bovee, Courtland L. & Arens, William F. Contemporary Advertising forth edition

   Homewood, IL: Irwin 1992

[3]    Gove, Philip Babcock Webster’s Third New International Dictionary

Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam Co. 1976

[4]    Gregory, Michael Language Varieties and Their Social Contexts

London: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. 1981

[5]    Jefkins, Frank William Advertising Philadelphia, PA: Macdonald and Evans 1985

[6]    O’Donnell, W. R. & Todd, Loreto Variety in Contemporary English

London: George Allen & Unwin (Publishers) Ltd. 1985

[7]    Roberts, William H. & Turgeon, Gregoire About Language second editon

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1989

[8]    Vestergaard, Torben & Schr der, Kim The language of Advertising

Oxford[Oxfordshire]; New York, NY, USA: B. Blackwell 1985

[9]    方薇 《现代英语广告教程》 南京大学出版社 1997

[10]崔刚，韩宝成，李营，《广告英语》北京理工大学出版社1993

1.   Introduction

1.1 Rationale of the study

We 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 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. Advertising also tells the consumer what a specific product, brand or service should do when it is used and thus helps him or her to understand and evaluate experience with the products and services that he or she uses. On the other hand, by making people aware of products, service and ideas, advertising promotes sales and profits. Finally, advertising is one of the major forces that are helping improve the standard of living around the world. Combined with all these communicational, marketing and social functions. Advertising becomes indispensable in the modern world.

Naturally, advertisements in English have become an important means of communicating ideas, demonstrating a variety of linguistic features of its own. The present study attempts to examine these features at the lexical, syntactic and discourse levels, in the hope of bringing them to light and, thereby, offering help to advertisement writers and language learners.

1.2 Definition of advertising