廣告中雙關語語用功能
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AbstractInmodernsociety,advertisement’sinfluenceisuniversal.Punistoaddmoreattraction,beingappliedasakindoffiguresofspeechinadvertisementanddeeplylovedbypeople.Punhasmanyformsofexpressionsuchaspunonpolysemy,homophone,hononymy,parody,illustrationsandwords,grammar,etc.Theadvertisersusebrand,idiom,andphrase,etc,toformpunskillfully.Fromtheaspectofpragmatics,punviolatestheCooperativePrinciplebyGrice.Peopleusuallyviolatethemaximsinfourways.Thearticleanalysespunfromthefourthwaythatthespeakermayfloutamaxim;thatis,hemayblatantlyfailtofulfillitandtoachievesomepurpose.Theproperuseofpuninadvertisementresultsintheeffectsofhumor,wit,beauty,economy,warning,andevenmakestheproductmorecompetitiveandprofitable,andmakestheadvertisementsweettotheear,andpleaseboththeeyeandmind.
Keywordsadvertisement;pun;pragmaticmaxims;pragmaticfunction
當今社會，廣告作為一種競爭手段無處不在，而雙關語是一種廣泛運用于廣告創作并深受人們喜愛的修辭格。雙關語的表現形式多種多樣，可分為一詞多義雙關，同音異義雙關，諧音雙關，仿擬雙關，插圖和文字雙關，語法雙關等。廣告商巧妙地運用品牌、成語、習語等構成雙關語以增加宣傳效果。但從語用學的角度去分析雙關語，它違反了Grice提出的合作原則。合作原則的違反通常有四種情況，而本文主要從第四種進行分析雙關語，即說話人公然不執行某一條準則，也就是說話人知道自己違反了一條準則，他還想讓聽話人知道他違反了一條準則。運用恰當的雙關語產生了幽默、風趣、經濟和警告的作用，使人享受語言的美，同時幫助廠家在激烈的競爭中立于不拜之地，獲得更大收益。
廣告；雙關語；語用原則；語用功能
1.Introduction
“ThedefinitionofadvertisementbyAMA(AmericanMarketingAssociation):Advertisingisthenonpersonalcommunicationusuallypaidforandusuallypersuasiveinnatureaboutproducts,servicesofideasbyidentifiedsponsorsthroughthevariousmedia.1Itisadevicetoarouseconsumers’attentiontoacommodityandinducethemtouseit.Inmodernage,peoplefindthemselvessurroundedbyvariousadvertisementseachday.AnAmericanwriterwrites:“wefindadvertisementofallkindseverywhere,forexample,glitteringneonsignsontopofhighbuildingsandalongmainstreets,colorfulpicturespaintedonbusespamphletssenttoveryhouse,advertisementjammedbetweenTVprogramsvariousadvertisementglutting,newspaperandradiobroadcast;etc.”2Facingsomanyadvertisement,howtomaketheadvertisementimpressiveisthemainpurposeoftheadvertisers.Inordertoenhancetheappealofanadvertisement,advertiserspaymuchattentionnotonlytosuchexpressivedevicesasplates,colorandthelayoutofaprintedpage,butalsotothechoiceofwordsorphrases,tomakeanadvertisementbeautifulandattractive.InthepracticeoftheadvertisingEnglish,peoplepaymoreattentiontopuntomaketheadvertisementsuccinct,accurateandvividandtoproviderichimaginationandplentifulassociationsforreaderssoastostimulatetheirdesire.
ThefrequentandwideuseoffiguresofspeechisanimportantcharacteristicofadvertisingEnglish,whichisaneffectivewaytomaketheadvertisementattractive.Amongthefigures,punisloveddeeply.OxfordAdvancedDictionarydefinespunas“humoroususeofawordthathastwomeaningsorofdifferentwordsthatsoundthesame”.3Apun(alsoknownasparonomasia)canbeunderstoodlikethatitisadeliberateconfusionofsimilar-soundingwordsofphrasesforrhetoricaleffect,whetherhumorousorserious.Itleavesadeepimpressiononreadersbyitsreadability,witandhumor.Itcansatisfytherequirementofadvertisementcharacteristics—sellingpower,memoryvalue,attentionvalue,andreadability.Sopunisverypopularinadvertisement.Thearticlejustwantstopresentthepragmaticfunctionandapplicationofpuninadvertisement.
2.Typesofpuninadvertisement
Apunisarhetoricaldeviceinwhichpeopleusethepolysemous,orhomonymousrelationofalanguagetocauseaword,asentenceofadiscoursetoinvolvetwothingsofmeanings.Ithasseveraltypes.
2.1PunonPolysemy
“Whiledifferentwordsmayhavethesameofsimilarmeaning,thesameonewordmayhavemorethanonemeaning.Thisiswhatwecallpolysemy,andsuchawordiscalledpolysemicword.Historicallyspeaking,polysemycanbeunderstoodasthegrowthanddevelopmentoforchangeinthemeaningofwords.”4Punonpolysemyisusedwidely,especiallywiththenameoftheproductsuchasthefollowingexamples:
1“esharpproducts.”5
TheexampleisanadvertisementfortheSharpcopier.Theword“sharp”praisestheconsumers’brightness,butalsoreferstotheSharpproduct.Theadvertisementpr
aisestheconsumerswhoaresharptobuytheproductwhichissharp.Thevanityoftheaudiencesisarousedandtheywanttouseittoshowtheirwise,andalsotheybelievetheproductisreallysharp.
2“Moneydoesn’tgrowonthetrees.Butitblossomsatourbranches.LioydBank.”6
ItisthesloganofLioydBank.“branch”means“partofatreegrowingoutfromthetrunk”,buthereitimpliesthedivisionofbank”.ThesloganencouragespeopletostoretheirmoneyinLioydBank,andtheirmoneywillbelikethebloomingflowers,yieldingbetterfruits.Afterunderstandingitsmeaning,readerswillfigureitoutinmindthattheirmoneywillbecomemoreandmoredailyanddaily,justliketheleavesinspring.
2.2PunonHomonymy
“Homonymyreferstothephenomenonthatwordswithdifferentmeaningshavethesameform,i.e,differentwordsareidenticalinsoundorspelling,orinboth.Whentwowordsareidenticalinsound,theyarehomophones.Whenthewordsareidenticalinspelling,theyarehomographs.Whentwowordsareidenticalinbothspellingandsound,theyarecompletehomonyms.”7Thefollowinstanceswillexplainthat:
3“‘VIPs’anatomicalcomfort.
VariableImpactPressureSole”8
Theadvertisementofsportshoesusesthehomophonicword“VIPs”.Asweknow,VIPusuallystandsfor“veryimportantpersons”,while,here,itstandsfor“VariableImpactPressureSole”.ItimpliesifyouuseVIPs,youwillbeaVIP.Theword“VIPs’motivatestheaudiences’vanityandinducesthemtobuytheproduct.
4“Trustus.Over5000earsofexperience.”9
Itisanadvertisementforaudiphone.Theliteralmeaningisthattheproducthasexperiencedalotoftexts.While“ears”and“years”areapairofhomophone.Soitimpliesthattheproducthasalonghistoryandhashighquality.
5“Goodbuy
Winter!
100%cottonknitwear$40”10
Itisanadvertisementforthesaleofwinterclothes.Theadvertisementseemstopeoplethatitsagoodandcheaptobuycottonknitwear.Butwhentheaudiencesread“goodbuywinter”together,theywillunderstandthegooduseofpun.“Goodbuywinter”soundsthesameas“goodbyewinter”.Theadvertisementusehomophonetoshowtwomeanings:itisagoodbusinesstobuythecottonknitwearnow,andwinterhaspassedaway.Naturally,peoplewillassociatethesituationhappeningeveryyearthatwhentheysaygoodbyetowinter,theclotheswillhaveagreatdiscountanditisgoodtimetobuythem.
6“Moresunandairforyoursunandheir.”11
Theadvertisementisforabathingbeach.Theadvertiseruseshomophoneskilfully,sunvs.son,andairvs.heir.Theadvertiserencouragespeopletobringtheirsonandheirtothebathingbeachtogetsunandairtokeepfit.Eachcouplehopestheirsonandheirwillbehealthyalltheirlife.Punmakestheadvertisinglanguagesoundsweet,fluentandpersuasive.
2.3PunonParody
“Parodyisapieceofspeech,writingofmusicthatimitatesthestyleofanauthor,composer,etcinanamusingandoftenexaggerateway.”12Punonparodyusestheoutfitofsaying,apothegm,proverboridiomtoformnewmeanings.Englishhasalotofwell-knownphrases,idiomsandsayings.TheyareimportantpartofeverydaylanguagespokenbytheEnglishspeakers,andhavebecomeoneoftheaspectsoftheEnglishculture.Theadvertisementdesignersaresharp-mindedandimaginative.Theychangeapartoftheexpressionsandputtheirideasintothemtoachievesensationaleffect.Andmostofthemachievearemarkablesuccess.Thetransformationsarenotonlyeyecatching,butalsoeasytobeacceptedbythecommon,whowilldoaccordingtothetradition.Asthesayingsofidiomshavebeenonepartofthetradition,thepeoplewillbeeasilypersuadedbytheadvertisementworksofthiskind.Sopunonparodyispopularinadvertisement.
7“AMarsadayhelpsyouwork,restandplay.”13
ItisthesloganofMarschocolatecompany.Lookingatthisadvertisement,peoplewillassociateitwithtwoidioms:“Anappleadaykeepsthedoctoraway”and“AllworkandnoplaymakesJackadullboy”.Fromthemeaningsofthetwoidioms,thewatchwordtellspeoplethataMars’chocolateadaywillmakeyounotbeadullboy(makeyouwise)andkeepthedoctoraway(keepfit).
8“Tryoursweetcorn,you’llsmilefromeartoear.”14
Itistakenfromtheadvertisementforakindofsweetcorn.Theword“ear”hasdoublemeanings:theorganofhearingandtheseed–bearingpartofacereal.Teidiom“fromeartoear”alsoisapun.Onemeaningisthatpeoplearesatisfiedwiththeproduct.Theotheroneisthattheconsumerseatoneearbyanother.Sotheadvertisementimpliesthatthesweetcornisverydelicious,andyouwillenjoyitandeatingonebyone.Howcanpeoplerefusesuch
deliciousfood?
9“Alliswellthatendswell.”15
Thisisanidiom,buthere,itistakenfromanadvertisementofacigarette.“End”,asaverb,means“finish”,while,asanoun,means“cigarettebutt”.Thesentencemeansthatifthecigaretteendsaregoodthatthecigaretteisgood.
2.4PunonGrammar
Manyadvertisersusepunproducedforgrammarproblemtoattracttheaudiences,suchasellipsisorwordwithdifferentgrammarfunctions.Ifthistypeofpuncanbeusedproperly,itwillachieveunexpectedeffect.
10“WhichlagercanclaimtobetrulyGerman?
Thiscan.”16
ItisanadvertisementforLagerbeer.“Can”isamodalverb.Butintheadvertisement,acanofbeerbesideitremindspeople“can”hasanothermeaning—tin.Also“Lager”referstothenameofbeer.Withtheillustration,thewholeadvertisementbringsahumorouseffectandimpressestheaudiencesdeeply.
TheCoca-colacompanyalsouses“can”todotheiradvertisement.
11“Cokerefreshesyoulikenoothercan.”17
Justlikelastexample,“can”hasdoublemeanings,sothesentencecanbeunderstandlikethatCokerefreshesyoulikenoother(can;tin,drink)can(refreshyou).Itimpliestheirproductisthebestone.Ofcourse,peopleliketobuythebestone.
2.5PunonIllustrationandWords
Alotofadvertisementassociateswithillustrationsandwordstoachievebettereffect,especiallyonTV,becausepeoplearemoreeasilyattractedbypicturesthanwords.Theillustrationsandwordscanhelppeopletounderstandtheadvertisementfully.Punintheadvertisementmustbeconnectedwithillustrationsandwords,sopeoplecanunderstandtheimpliedmeanings.Forinstances:
12“50%OFF.”18
ItisashopwindowadvertisementofE-spiritexclusiveshopinShanghaifrom2001andspringfestival.Theillustrationisapicturewithsixlights,threeonandthreeoff.Fromtheillustration,peopleknowitdoesnotonlymeanahalfofthelightsareoff,butalsomeansthewholesalediscounts50%.Theillustrationandwordsarevivid,andattractthepassers-by’attentionmoreeasily.
13“Stopattwo.”19
Itisthetitleofanpublicserviceadvertising(PSA)whichthePopulationandcommunityDevelopmentAssociation(PCDA)ofThailandusestoadvocatethecoupletohavechildrennomorethantwo.TheillustrationisthephotoofWisternChurchillwhoformeda“V”letterwithhisforefingerandmiddlefinger.Thegesture“V”meansvictory.Sopeoplealsocanunderstandthatitisavictorytohaveonlyonechild.Thispictureisfamous,sopeoplewillrememberiteasily.Toachievethesuccessoftheircountry,peoplemaymoreliketocontrolthepopulation.
3.Pragmaticanalysisofadvertisementpun
Fromanalysesabove,peoplecanunderstandthatapunusuallyusesonewordinasentencerelatingtodoublemeanings,surfacemeaningandimplicitmeanings,whichisthemainideathespeakerwantstoconvey.Theadvertisersliketousethedoublemeaningstoproduceambiguity.While,analyzingfrompragmaticmaxims,itbreachesCooperativePrinciple.Justlookatanotherexample:
14You’llgonutsforthenutsyougetinNux.20
Intheadvertisement,“gonuts”means“gotobuynuts”,hereintheadvertisement,italsomeans“gocrazy”inthedailyEnglishexpression.And“Nux”isthenameoftheproduct.SoitmeansthenutswillmakeyoucrazyifyoubuytheminNux.TheuseofpunviolatestheCooperativePrinciple,butwhatisCooperativePrinciple?
3.1CooperativePrinciple
“ThetheoryofconversationalimplicaturewasoriginallysuggestedbyHerbertPaulGrice,anOxfordphilosopher,wholaterwenttoAmerica.”21Hisapproximationis“Wemightformulateatoughgeneralprinciplewhichparticipantswillbeexpectedtoobservenamely:Makeyourconversationalcontributionsuchasisrequired,atthestageatwhichitoccurs,bytheacceptedpurposeofdirectionofthetalkexchangeinwhichyouareengaged.OnemightlabelthistheCOOPERATIVEPRINCIPLE.”22
“Inordertoexplainfurtherthecooperativeprinciple,abbreviatedasCP,GriceborrowsfromtheGermanphilosopherImmanuelKantfourcategories:quantity,quality,relationandmanner.Thatis,theCPisspecifiedfromfouraspects.Andthecontentofeachcategoryisknownasmaxim.
3.1.2Quantity
a.Makeyourcontributionasinformativeasisrequired(forthecurrentpurposeoftheexchange)
b.Donotmakeyourcontributionmoreinformativethanisrequired”23
Thatistosaythequantityoftheinformationyougivemustsuitfortherequirement,noless,nomore.Forinstance,ifyougotobuyonepen,buttheassistantgivesyoutwopens,hebreachestheQuantity.Becauseheshouldgiveonepentoyouthatyouwant.
3.1.2“Quality
a.Donotsaywhatyoubelievetobe
false
b.Donotsaythatforwhichyoulackadequateevidence”24
Itmeansthatthespeakercan’ttellliesbutonlycansaythatwhichhasbeenprovedtoberightfact.However,ifthespeakerthinkswhathesaysisright,butinfactitisfalse,hestillobeystheprinciple.Giveyouanexample,ifsomeoneasksyoutogoshoppingwithhim,butyoudon’tliketo,soyoutellhimthatyouhaveameetingtonight.Atthistime,youviolateQuality,foryouhavetoldliestoyourfriend.
3.1.3“Relation:berelevant”25
Thatmeanswhatyousaymustberelevant.Forexample,whenyouarehungry,youdon’texpectyoupartnergivingyouabook,butacake,becausecakeisrelevanttoyourfeelingatthissituation.
3.1.4“Manner
a.Avoidobscurityofexpression
b.Avoidambiguity
c.Bebrief(avoidunnecessaryprolixity)
c.Beorderly”26
Themaximrequiresthewordsspeakerusedmustbeconciseandwithoutambiguity.Forinstance:
15A:WillyougotoXiamentomorrow?
B:Maybe.
Inthecase,BviolatesManner,becausehisanswerisambiguous.Astillcan’tgettheanswerhewants.
AftertheexplanationofCP,abetterunderstandingwillbemadebyreadersonaboveexamples,whichhaveviolatedtheCP.ButwhydotheadvertisersliketousepuntoviolatetheMaximsdeliberately?TheanswercanalsobegivenbyGrice.
3.2Violationofthemaxims
Gricethoughtonlybothspeakerandlistenerobeytheprinciple,couldtheirintercoursebeconcordantandharmonic.Whilehealsonoticedthatpeopledidn’talwaysobeytheprincipleinsocialactivity,onthecontrary,theybreacheditintentionally.SoGricegivesfourwaystoexplainthefailuretofulfillamaxim.
“Firstly,hemayquietlyandunostentatiouslyVIOLATEamaxim;ifso,insomecaseshewillbeliabletomislead.”Itmeansyouareintentionaltoviolatethemaxim.27Forexample:Ifsomeoneinvitesyoutojoininaparty,butyoudon’tliketo.Avoidingoffencetohim,youmaysay,“sorry,IhavepromisedJimtogoshopping”.Atthistime,youknowyoutelllies,butyouhaveto.
“Secondly,hemayOPTOUTfromtheoperationbothofthemaximandtheCP;hemaysay,indicate,orallowittobecomeplainthatheisunwillingtocooperateinthewaythemaximrequires.Hemaysay,forexample,Icannotsaymore;mylipsaresealed.
Thirdly,hemaybefacedbyaCLASH:hemaybeunable,forexample,tofulfillthefirstmaximofQuality(Beasinformativeasisrequired)withoutviolatingthesecondmaximofQuality(haveadequateevidenceforwhatyousay).”28Forexample:
16A:WheredoesXlive?
B:Somewhereinthesuburbsofthecity.
TheanswerofBbreachestheQuantity,becauseheprovideslessinformationthatAwantstoknow.ButifBreallydoesn’tknowwhereXlives,heobeystheQualitythatdonotsaywhatyoulackadequateevidence;ifBknowstheaddressofB,yethedoesnotwanttotellA,thenheimplicatesthathedoesn’twanttotellA.
“Fourthly,hemayFLOUTamaxim;thatis,hemayBLATANTLYfailtofulfillit.Ontheassumptionthatthespeakerisabletofulfillthemaximandtodosowithoutviolatinganothermaxim(becauseofaclash),isnotoptingout,andisnot,inviewoftheblatancyofhisperformance,tryingtomislead,thehearerfacedwithaminorproblem;HowcanhissayingwhathedidsaybereconciledwiththesuppositionthatheisobservingtheoverallCP?Thissituationisonethatcharacteristicallygivesrisetoaconversationalimplicature;andwhenaconversationalimplicatureisgeneratedinthisway,IsaythatamaximisbeingEXPLOITED.”29Giveanexample:
17A:WhereisMary?
B:ThereisabluecaroutsideBill’shouse.
Intheconversation,BbreachesQuantity,butifAassumesthatBiswillingtocooperatewithhim,hewilltrytorelatehisquestiontoB’sanswer.BasingontheircommonsensethatMaryhasabluecar,andthenhewillunderstandthatBistellinghimthatMaryisatBill’shouse.
Inadvertisement,theadvertiserviolatesthecooperativeprincipleinthefourthwaytoattainacertainpurpose,thusmakingtheutteranceproduceambiguity.Althoughtheadvertisementdisobeystheprinciple,butitcanarousetheaudiencescuriosityandinducethemtobuytheproductandatlastachieveabettereffect.Lookatsomeadvertisements:
18“YoucanbuyHappiness.”30
Itisthesloganofashampooadvertisement.TheadvertisementbreachestheMannerMaxim—avoidambiguity,forhappinesshasdoublemeaningshere:“delight”and“thenameoftheproduct”.ItwantstoexpressthemeaningthatifyoubuyHappiness,youwillattainhappiness.AlthoughitbreachestheCooperativePrinciple,itimpressestheaudiencesdeeplyandarousestheirinteresttohaveatry.
19“Inourcountrywekeepanimalsinthefores
tandpeopleinthecages.”31
ItistheadvertisementforVolvoCarCompany.Fromthead,peoplemaygiveanassumptionthattheykeepanimalsintheforestwhileshutthemselvesinthecages.Buttothecommonsense,thephenomenonisimpossible.SotheadvertisementbreachestheQualitythatyouonlycansaywhatyouthinkisright.Butthroughthecontextoftheadvertisement,theaudiencescanunderstandthecagesrefertoVolvocar,andfinallyknowthemeaningoftheadvertisementthattheVolvoCompanyaimsatproducingmoreandbettercarsforpeople.
20“TheUniqueSpiritofCanada:webottledit.
Righttothefinish,itsCanadianspiritstandsoutfromtheordinary.Whatkeepstheflavorcoming.Superlightness.Suppertaste.Ifthat’swhereyou’dliketohead,setyourcourseforLordCalvertCanadian.”32
TheexampleistakenfromtheadvertisementofLordCalvertCanadian.Atthefirstsightoftheadvertisement,peoplewouldbedrawn,fortheywonderwhat’stheuniquespiritofCanada.Afterthinking,theywouldfind“Tobottlethespirit”hastwomeaningshere:oneistobottletheliquor;theotheristoputtheCanadianspiritintothisliquor.TheadvertisementbreachesMannerMaximbutarousespeople’scuriosity.Punintheadvertisementhasagreatfunction.
4.Thepragmaticfunctionofpuninadvertisement
Punhasalotofadvantagessuchasconciseness,witandhumor,noveltyandvividness.Itproducesaparticularlyrhetoricalandpragmaticeffectwhenpeopleusethelanguagecreativelyinaspecifiedcontext.Theproperusecanmaketheadvertisementimpressiveandattractive.
4.1Witandhumor
Pun,thegameofword,produceswitandhumoreffecttoattracttheaudiences’attentionandinspirestheirassociation.Intheageofrapidrhythm,advertisementwithpunlikeaspicemakespeopleenjoythemselvesintheadvertisingatmosphere,andreducestheirpressureinarelaxedenvironment.
21“Whenthewindhasabite…andyoufeellikeabite…thenbiteonawholeNut.”33
Theword“bite”hasseveralmeanings:grip,food,andeat.Thewholesentencemeansthatwhenthestrongwindhurtsyouandyouareveryhungry,justeatsomeNut.Afterdayworking,peoplewouldfeeltiredandhungry,whiletheadvertisementisjustthesituationofthem.Therefore,theywouldbeattractedtobuytheproduct,sotheywillnotsufferhungerafterwork.Also,thesentencesoundsliketonguetwist.
22“ExcellentTaste!”34
Itisawordinanadvertisementforawhiskeyproduct—Jamson.Intheadvertisement,whentheherodranktheJamsonwhiskeythattheheroineintroducedtohim,hesaid,“ExcellentTaste”.Generallyspeaking,“taste”means“favor”,buthere,anothermeaningis“theabilitytoappreciatewhatisbeautiful”.Sotheadvertisementmeans:thiskindfwhiskeyasgoodflavor;theheroinehashighappreciation.Theadvertiserusespuntopraiseboththeproductandtheconsumerswhochoosetheirproduct.Itcatersforpeople’vanityandinducesthemtobuytheproduct.
4.2Creativenessandoriginality
Thisistypicalofadvertisinglanguage.Anadvertisementhasahighdemandofdictioneverywordplayinganimportantrole.Ifhumanemotionshavetobeinspired,thewords,stronginexpressingemotions,willbechosen.Inadvertisement,originalityisking.Anewwayofsendingmessagecansetabrandapartfromcopycatsandalso-rans.Soitisimportanttousesomethingnovelsuchascoinageintheadvertisementtodrawpeople’attention.Normally,anewcreatedwordacceptedbyreaderscanenhancethefreshnessandattractionoftheadvertisement.Goodadvertisersusecoinagetorefreshtheadvertisementandtoachieveitspropagandistpurpose.
23“CabFourward.”35
ItisanadvertisementtitleofRamCarproducedbyDoqicompany.Theword“fourward”soundslike“forward”.Connectingitwiththepictureintheadvertisement,peoplewouldknowwhyituses‘fourward”.Becausethefourdoorsofthiskindofcarcouldbeopenedfromfourdirections.Theadvertisercreatestheword“fourward”from“forward”toshowthespecialityofthecar.
24“CatchtheRaincheetahandcheattherain.”36
ItisanadvertisementinTorontoDailyStar.Thepunnyword“Raincheetah”,thenameoftheraincoat,soundslike“raincheater”whiletheword“raincheater”derivesfrom“windcheater”.Theword“cheat”inthesentencemakesitwonderfulandletpeoplefeelthatthiskindofraincoatcanprotecttheconsumerswell.Pungivespeopleimpressionofnoveltyandinterest.
4.3Satisfyingpeople’srequirementofbeauty
Agoodadvertisementisatextfromwhichpeoplecanappreciatetheartoflanguage,especiallyadvertisementusingpun.Puninadvertisementisorderlyandantitheticthatmakespeoplefeeltheaestheticmodalityoflanguage.Thecharacterso
fpun,suchasvividness,witandhumor,pleasurepeople’sspiritandletthemenjoythebeautyoflanguage.Forinstance:
25“Giveyourhairatouchofspring.”37
Itisanadvertisementforshampoo.Theword“spring”hereisveryvividandlikeapictureinpeople’mind:afterusingtheshampoo,thelonghairbecomeselasticandshining.Whenyoustandthere,yourhairwillgowithwind.Everyonelikesbeauty,sotheadvertisementcatersforpeople’desireandinducesthemtobuytheproducttomakethemmorebeautiful.
4.4Satisfyingtherequirementofsociety--Economy
Withtherapiddevelopmentofthesociety,peoplebecomebusierandbusier,sotheyrequireshortandeasyrememberedadvertisementtosupplythemessagetheywant.Buthowtoimpresstheaudiencesisaquestion.Theanswerisusingpun.Butwhyispunespeciallyfavoredbytheadvertiser?Themainreasonsasfollowing:
“Firstly,advertisementispaidmessage,withlimitedspaceandtime,soitdoesn’tallowverbiagetowastetheinvestment.Punwithdoublemeaninghasthecharacteristicofsmallcarrierbutplentyofconnotations.Soitisveryeconomic,effectiveandmoney-savingtotheadvertiser.
Secondly,inmodernsociety,peoplepaymoreandmoreattentiontoeffect,andgettiredofthetediousadvertisement.Thepuninadvertisementisusuallyformedbyshortsentences.Someusethenameoftheproductasthethemeoftheadvertisement.Someuseexcellentphrasestoshowthespecialtiesoftheproduct.Totheaudiences,itsavestheirtimetogettheinformationtheywant.
Thirdly,usually,theaudiencesreadorwatchadvertisementunintentionallyandonlycanremembersomethingunconsciously.So,toachieveexpectedpropagandisteffect,theadvertisementmustreducethememorymessage.Punissuitablefortherequirement.Thecontentisshort,theformrhythmic,andthestylenovel,whichareeasilyrememberedandimpressedpeopledeeply.”38
Inaword,punusesfewerwordstoexpressfullmessagewhichisthecontentofEconomyPrinciple,anditusuallyreachesthepurposeofadvertisementthatisarouseconsumers’attentiontoacommodityandinducethemtouseit.Forinstance:
26“Twobeerornottwobeer,that’saquestion.----Shakesbeer”39
Lookingatthebeeradvertisement,peoplewouldassociateitwiththeproverb“Tobeorknottobe,that’saquestion”inHamlet.Shakesbeeristhenameofthebeer,butitsoundslike“Shakespeare”whoisknownnearlyallovertheworld,soitiseasyforpeopletoremembertheShakesbeer.AndthewordsaidbyHamletisalsoveryfamous,especiallyinwesterncountry.Thesentenceisshortandthepatternisfamous,sopeoplewillremembertheproductnaturally.
27“Gowell,GoShell.”40
ItisanadvertisementforShellOilCompany.“Well”soundslike“where”,soitimpliesthatgotoShellcompanytobuyoil.Onlyfourwordsareusedintheadvertisement,butexpressthemeaningfullyandimpresspeopledeeply.Imaginethatoneday,whenyoudriveyourcar,suddenly,theoilisrunout.Soyouarewonderingwheretogo,then,ofcourse,youwillrememberthewords“Gowell,goShell”.SoyouwillgotoShellatonce.Theslogansimpresstheaudiencesdeeplyandpersuadethemtobuytheproductinvisibly.
28“MakeTimeForTime.”41
ItisanadvertisementforTimemagazine.Theadvertisementusesthepunonhomonymyoftheword“time”torefertwomeanings:commonsenseoftime,andthenameofhemagazine.TheadvertisementmeansthatreadTimemagazinetoseizetime.Inthesocietyfullofcompetition,timeisimportantandmagazinesalsoplayanimportantrolewhichpeoplehavetoreadtobroadentheirview.WhileTimemagazinewillnotonlybroadenview,butalsosaveyourtime.Itsatisfiespeople’srequirement.
4.5ImplyingWarning
Someadvertisementsimplywarming.Puncanmakethewarmingvividandeffectivesothatpeoplecanpayattentiontoit.Forinstances:
29“Betterlatethanthelate.”42
Itisapublicserviceadvertisingoftraffic.Itderivesfromtheproverb“Betterlatethannever”.Inthesentence,“thelate”means”thedead”,anditremindsthedriverstodriveslowlyandcarefully.Theadvertisementwithpunherehasmorepowerfultopersuadethedriverstocaretheirsecurity.
Anotherexample:
30“Thedriverissaferwhentheroadisdry;
Theroadissaferwhenthedriverisdry.”43
Itisalsoanadvertisementforsafedriving.Theexcellentwordis“dry”whichhasdoublemeanings:withoutwaterandwithoutdrinking.Itexpressesiftheroadisdryandthedriverdoesn’tdrink,alldriverswillbesafer.Theantithesesandthymeofthesentencehasmorepowerfultowarmpeople.
4.6.Makingtheproductmoreprofitableandcompetitive
Thespecialityofpunisuseful
inadvertisement,andfavoredbypeople.Ifaadvertisercanmakefulluseofittosatisfypeople’srequirement,theproductmayprecedeothersandgainthemarket.
31“Adealwithusmeansagooddealtoyou.”44
Here,thedoublemeaningsof“deal”are:theamountandbusiness.Themeaningsoftheadvertisementarethat:dotradewithusisagoodbusinesstoyou;doingbusinesswithus,youwillgetalot.Advertisersusepunskilfultoinspiretheaudiences’curiosityandattracttheirinteresttodothedeal.
32“Powetoinfluenceothers.”45
ItisanadvertisementforaHectorPoweClothingCompany.Theyadvocatethatifyouweartheirclothes,youwillhavepowertoinfluenceotherpeople.Because“Powe”islike“power”.Itsatisfiespeople’sdesireofpower,sotheyliketohaveatry.Thus,itwillbringgreatprofittothePowecompany.Maybepeoplewiththeclothescan’thavemorepower,butthecompanyhasthepowertoinfluencethemarket.
5.Conclusion
Advertisementisawayforthecompanytopropagandatheirproduct.Togainthemarketamongtheseverecompetition,itisimportanttocarryoutawonderfuladvertisementtopromotetheirproduct,andfiguresofspeechisaneffectivewaytoachievethepurpose.Amongthefigures,punisawideandfrequentapproach,becauseitisaneffectivewaytomaketheadvertisementattractive,accurate,striking,vividandforceful.Althoughpunviolatesthepragmaticmaxims,itcancorrespondtotherequirementthatsaidbyGeoffreyN.Leech,afamousBritishlinguist,thatadvertisingwordsmustbevivid,conspicuousandimpressive,withhighreadabilityandtheforcetopromotesales,soitisusedwidelyinadvertisement.Puninadvertisementhasmanyformsofexpressionsuchaspunonpolysemy,homophone,hononymy,parody,illustrationsandwords,grammar,etc.andcanresultintheeffectsofhumor,wit,beauty,economy,warning,andevenmakestheproductmorecompetitiveandprofitable.Soonlyunderstanditspragmaticanalysis,typesandfunctionofpun,canitbeusedrightlyandmaketheadvertisementsweettotheear,andpleasingboththeeyeandmind.
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