Foods Commercials in English-Speaking Media: Linguistic Study

 

2.3. Imagery

 

Another stylistic device used in advertising is figurative language. The kinds of semantic contrast involved are of much greater relevance than the study of the language alone. They relate to much wider stretches of language than the individual word or phrase and involve extralinguistic factors as well. The minimal case of figurative language is local, restricted effect in which special meaning is extracted from the linking of two unlike words. The following are some of the chief ways in which this can be done.

• With metaphor, the linkage is implicit: Red Bull gives you wings, taste of Paradise.
• With simile the linkage is explicit: drumming like a noise in dreams.
• With paradox, there is the need to resolve a contradiction: The un-cola.
• With metonymy, the attribute replaces the whole: joy for the belly
• With oxymoron, incompatible notions are brought together: bitter sweet sensation
• With personification, a link is made between the inanimate and the human: When Bull Beats Bear.
• With hyperbole, certain qualities are exaggerated: The King of beers, Absolutely pure
• With epithet, people and goods are called names, both positive and negative: No Ordinary Whisky, What's the secret to creating great tasting food that's nutritious too? Three steps. We start with quality, wholesome ingredients.

Personification is frequently used to inanimate the object of advertising (the product). Thus, an impression is created that once you buy it, it will take the initiative and do the rest for you (Grapes like children need love and affection).

Another productive device in advertising is repetition, which is used to create an emphasis, necessary to fix the attention of the recipient on the key word, or words, of the utterance. For example: The Only thing like Coca-Cola is Coca-Cola itself, Maximum Energy, Maximum taste, Nobody better lay a finger on my Butterfinger! - The repetition strongly enforces the idea expressed by lexical means and brings in additional nuances of meaning.

Cliches are not frequently used in advertising, since it targets originality rather than conventionality. However, in some cases slogans do make use of cliches (Even the best can get better; At work, rest and play). The above refers to the cliches which already function in the language and which have not been produced in the world of advertising. On the other hand, ad-slogans and other lexical units of advertising often become cliches. They enter everyday speech and start to be used outside the context of advertising. That is particularly pertinent to brandnames which become common nouns. Products like soda, candy bars, chewing gum known as Colas, Nuts, Kit-Kats, Orbits. [McCrum;Cran; MacNeil, p.33]

Functional misquotations, or allusion, provides good memorability and an expressive stylistic instrument (Eat or not to eat – like Shakespeare’s – Beor not to be). The effect is attained because the whole expression is already contained in the recipient’s memory, though in slightly different form, and the part of it which is altered will strike the memory and stay in it.

After all, the most productive is word play, a tool acquiring a very large number of forms. (When the going gets tough, the tough get comfortable; Don¶t get mad. Get Malibu; Barrel of fun, Sweet as the moment when the pod went “pop”).

Pun is a very frequent tool in advertising, since it allows a large array of possibilities, like word play. For instance: The non-alcoholic drink to wrap up any occasion. The double meaning of one word contributes to the expressiveness and memorability.

Affixation is often used in ad-slogans to create deviant constructions which would attract the recipient’s attention. (Putta Valfrutta Onto Your Menu; Drinka Pinta Milka Day).

Ad-slogans make quite an extensive use of conventional. Conversion changing the word class of a word in an unexpected manner: Tap into great taste. Frequently, names of the product and the manufacturing company undergo conversion: Don’t You Feel Good About 7-up.

Post-modifying phrases are usually employed in slogans where the addresser wants to name the product or the main idea first, which is vague, and arouses curiosity at the same time. Immediately after that, he gives explanation, which is certain to keep the recipient’s attention for quite a while. (No sin. More tomatoes, less sugar).

Archaisms, that is, archaic words and spellings, are utilized in order to retain the aura of the past. For instance, in the slogan it is used to show the contrast between the past and the present by means of archaic spelling, which creates the old times pleasant atmosphere.

 

2.4. Syntax

 

The following describes some syntax characteristics of advertising English style:

1. General Use of Short Sentence

The advertising English focuses on drawing attention of readers with high readability and try its best to be clear at a glance, rendering deep impression with the goods to sell by customers. All of this is contributed to the important specialty of advertising English, which is short sentence. For example:

 

Coke adds life

You deserve a break today

 

Compared with legal English, scientific English and commercial English, the feature that advertising English uses short sentence is more obvious. Because it is limited by the length of the article and its style, it is similar with road sign, title, subject and so on.

 

2. Often Use of Imperative Sentence

For the purpose of selling the goods, the advertising English tries to be more persuasive so as to increase the persuading and prevailing effects, and the imperative sentence can meet the demands with the effect of asking for, call for and persuade somebody to do something, thus often used in advertising English. For instance,

 

Get your smile on.

Double your pleasure, double your fun

As the above examples show, the application of imperative sentence is demanding, influencing and stimulating customers to take action which declarative sentence cannot exert such kind of effect.

 

3. Frequent Use of Interrogative Sentence

It is very popular to use interrogative sentences in advertising English because whether general questions, the tag questions or special questions can arouse interest and curiosity of customers so as to draw their attention and leave deep impression. See the following:

 

Arby's. Now That Your Tastes Have Grown Up! What are you eating today?

Hungry? Why wait?

 

4. Heavy Use of Noun Phrases

Noun phrases play an important role in advertising English. Linguistically, phrases the internal unit of sentence and do not express the complete meaning, but in certain circumstances, when the phrases can express the full meaning, they become sense group. Phrases applied in advertising English are such kind of usage that expresses the full meaning. For example,

 

Happy Meal

Dunkin’ Delights

Snack Happily Ever After

 

5. Appropriate Use of Conditional Sentence

Sometimes, conditional sentences led by conjunction if or other words and phrases indicating condition and hypothesis are used in advertising English to increase effect of publicity. For example,

 

Without vitamins, life itself would be impossible.

Cleans your teeth while it cleans your breath.

 

6. Flexible Use of Quotation

Sometimes, the advertising English will use comments from customers that will be artistically processed. Promoting the goods in customers’  position will enhance its credibility.

 

7. Extensive Use of Elliptical Sentence

Advertising English that tends to use elliptical sentences is mainly because of the limited length of the article. Every advertisement needs to achieve the best effect within the limited time, space and cost. Therefore, the sentences with minor importance will be simplified and deleted and convey as much information as possible. For example,

 

Food, folks and fun.

Smooth, rich, rewarding.

Eat, drink, and be merry.

 

8. Frequent Use of Parallel Phrase Structure

Parallel structure of phrases sometimes can be more rallying and convincing, such as:

 

Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to make reservations and he’ll eat for a lifetime.

 

Such kind of advertising English with strong sense of rhythm is memorable and infectious, thus leaving deep impression.

 

 

 

9. Many Use of Separative Sentence

Separative sentences is almost the unique syntax in advertising English which often uses period, dash, semicolon and others to separate sentences so as to achieve the advertising effect of emphasis and highlight.

 

Conclusions

Ad-slogans are characterized by briefness, simplicity, expressivity, subjectivity, distinctive aim, and the use of a typical restricted vocabulary. Grammatically, it tends to employ simple structures, present tenses and positive constructions. The prevailing subordinate clause in compound sentences is conditional, which confirms the dominance of causal consecutive relations in advertising. Advertising slogans often gain their effect by manipulating the norms of the language. They make use of phonetic, graphetic, lexical and syntactical stylistic devices, as well as their combinations.

A particular role is played by various forms of epithets that used just in every slogan to make it sound more attractive and delightful to our ear. Positive epithets produce the right influence on customer’s decision and makes product won the prize.

The latter is a source of controversy, because its effects can reach far beyond the linguistic limits, causing serious material and moral damage to those against whom it is targeted.

 

GENERAL CONCLUSIONS

Investigated lingvo-stylistic peculiarities of advertising language now such conclusion can be made.

The first advertisements appeared around 3200 BC in Egypt. Nowadays advertising is so popular in the modern world that it is possible to investigate advertising language separately from the newspaper style.

The usage of different means and devices on phonetic, morphological, lexical, syntactical and graphic levels make the advertising style individual. 1)Phonetic peculiarities are alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, repetition of the sound, rhythm and rhyme; 2)vocabulary peculiarities are different categories of pronouns, the possessive case, typeface, type size, letter and line spacing, color; initial capitalization 3)imagery peculiarities are figures of speech (metaphor, metonymy, epithet, periphrasis, personification, allusion and others), polysemantic words, word game 4)syntactical peculiarities are simple sentences, question-answer unities, elliptical sentences, parallel phrase structure and imperative sentences.

Advertising claims have the aim to attract the audience’s attention to                    the product and persuade to buy it. A particular role is given to various forms of epithets that used to make slogan sound more attractive and delightful to our ear. Epithets help to sustain the audience’s attention for longer and makes the advertisement more memorable.

Along with different lingvo-stylistic peculiarities of advertising language it is necessary to take into account psychological peculiarities of the audience and                the usage of psychological tricks then we will get an excellent advertising which increase the volume of sales.

 

 

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ILLUSTRATION SOURCES

 

 

Did you mean? astronaut.

 

  Wakes you up with every bite.

Tame your ferocious hunger.

We made it seriously juicy. Seriously good.

No sin. More tomatoes, less sugar. Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to make reservations and he’ll eat for a lifetime.