Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Zhu Linghong
Capital Nor m al University
Abstract
Along with the rapid develop ment of social econo m y ,advertising has penetrated every corner of society.
People are exposed to nu merous adverting messages everyday.To co m pete with many other similar advertising
messages ,advertisers use various devices to catch readers attention ,arouse their desire ,and induce their
action.
In the present article ,the writer atte m pts to apply the theories of general stylistics to the analysis of the
co m mercial consu mer advertise ments in press.In order to generalize the stylistic features of advertising
language , six sam ples have been selected fro m Reader s Digest and Washington Post.These sam ples will be
described and analyzed in the light of stylistic studies ,i.e.fro m the aspects of graphology , lexis ,and syntax.
The practical significance of the study is to sho w the stylistic features of English print advertise ments so
that English learners may have a better understanding of the nature of language and appreciate the beauty of
advertising English.
Key w ords
print ads ;stylistics ;stylistic feature
1.Introduction
Along with the rapid develop m ent of social econo m y ,advertising is beco ming increasingly popular.
In order to secure a nu m ber of readers and to co m pete with m any other similar advertising m essages ,
advertisers try to m ake their advertise m ents(ads)as effective as possible. They use various linguistic
devices to catch attention ,arouse desire , induce action ,and contribute towards satisfaction.
In this article ,the writer tries to generalize the m ajor linguistic features of advertising language in
the hope of helping language learners to understand English ads and to appreciate the beauty of
advertising language. To do so ,the writer restricts her discussion to the language of the co m m ercial
advertise m ents in press (also called print ads ) and selects six sa m ples fro m Reader s Digest and
Washington Post.They are respectively “Canon Printer”(Sa m ple 1 ), “I m a big loser”(Sa m ple 2 ),
“EOS Canon”(Sa m ple 3 ), “ Hyundai”(Sa m ple 4 ), “SWISS Airline”(Sa m ple 5 ), “ Kuala Lu m pur”
(Sa m ple 6).These sa m ples will be described and analyzed in the light of stylistic studies with the focus on
linguistic description of advertising texts.
2.Linguistic Description
The first step in any stylistic study is to m ake a w holeso m e and syste m atic description of linguistic
features of the text or texts ,w hich is usually attained fro m the study of phonology ,graphology , lexis ,
and gra m m ar.In this article ,the stylistic features in phonology will be o mitted since print ads e m ploy
visual channel rather than auditory channel to convey inform ation.Accordingly , the sa m ple ads selected
here will be described and analyzed at the graphological , lexical ,and syntactical/ gra m m aticallevels.
71
The Linguistic Features of English Advertising Zhu Linghong
And ,for a short time ,you even have the luxury of paying less. So test- drive the XG350 at your
Hyundai dealership. Because when you get this m uch car for this little m oney ,you win.(Sa m ple 4)
According to gra m m atical rules ,the sentence should be written as follows :
And ,for a short time ,you even have the luxury of paying less ,so text- drive the XG350 at you
Hyundai dealership ,because when you get this m uch car for this little m oney ,you win.
In this case ,the sentence contains 34 w ords ,w hich is m uch longer than the ideal average length(17
w ords).Besides ,the sentence structure is rather co m plicated ,containing 4 clauses with 1 coordination
and 2 layers of subordination.
In reality ,the advertiser turns the clauses into sentence frag m ents by applying full stops.In so
doing , the advertiser shortens the sentence length ,sim plifies the sentence structure ,and so m akes the ad
m ore accessible.
Moreover ,by separating the adverbial clause of cause fro m the m ain clause ,
the advertiser highlights
the reason w hy the reader should test- drive the XG350 Hyundai —“w hen you get this m uch car for this
little m oney ,you win. ” With such a sound reason ,how can people refuse the offer of test- driving the
car ?Accordingly , the sentence frag m ent here m akes the ad even m ore forceful in persuading readers to
test- drive the car.
The i860 prints out up to 23pp m in black and up to 16pp m in color — m aking it one of the fastest
printers in its class.(Sa m ple 1)
The adverbial of consequence“m aking it one of the fastest printersin its class”can be separated fro m
the m ain clause by a co m m a.And the sentence should look like this :
The i860 prints out up to 23pp m in black and up to 16pp m in color ,m aking it one of the fastest
printers in its class.
In the ad ,however ,a dash is e m ployed instead of a co m m a.In this way ,the adverbial beco m es
m ore eye-catching ,as it has been separated further away fro m the m ain part of the sentence.The use of
dash here helps to highlight the consequence , so as to e m phasize the super quality of the printer — it is
one of the fastest printers in its class.In another exa m ple ,
There s never been a better time to check out the 2004 Hyundai XG350 ,with its elegant styling and
im pressive features — including America s Best Warranty :10 years/100 ,
000 miles. (Sa m ple 4)
The dash in this exa m ple is used to highlight one of its im pressive features — it includes Am erica s
Best Warranty.
72
CELEA Journal 65
Percentage of
Sa m ples Exa m ples of Monosyllabic Verbs
Monosyllabic Verbs
In English ,short w ords are usually the m ost fa miliar and therefore the m ost easily understood by a
wide range of readers. Moreover ,m ost short English w ords are of Anglo- Saxon origin.These w ords can
generate greater e m otion than their Latinate equivalents ,hence m axim u m im pact.The high frequency of
m onosyllabic verbs used in the sa m ple ads also helps to m ake the ads m ore persuasive.
For exa m ple ,with extra roo m for you in our new SWISS Business Class designed to relax you even
more.(Sa m ple 5)
In addition to constructing claims to the co m parative superiority of their products ,advertisers also
use superlative degree to describe the uniqueness of the products.For exa m ple :
And when wed to over 50EFautofocus lenses ,the newest entry into the EOSsystem pops the ultim ate
question.(Sa m ple 3)
By using superlative degree ,the ad conveys the m essage that the product advertised is equipped with
the latest technology ,hence the best of its kind without speaking ill of others.
We want to m ake flying an experience of excellence. ... You ll enjoy m ore legroo m and our attentive
service. And you ll appreciate our unique lie- flat seats offering the ultim ate in sleeping co mfort.
(Sa m ple 5)
In this exa m ple ,the use of personal pronoun“ you ” m akes the reader feel that he is the particular
person the advertisers care about and are eager to help. And together with the pronoun “ we”,the ad
gives the reader the im pression that he can just enjoy the co mfort and leisure ,and leave the w ork to the
advertisers.Through the use of personal pronouns , the advertisers try to convince the reader that all the
products and service they offer are out of the consideration of his particular needs and benefits ,and
hence persuade the reader to do the purchase.
2.2.6. 1 Coinage
New w ords or phrases created by m eans of imitation are not rarely seen in English ads.Such newly
coined w ords and phrases m ay suggestthatthe product advertised possesses peculiar qualities as well as the
value of novelty.
In English ,affixes are often used to coin new w ords. The m ost co m m only used affixes include
super-,ex-,ultra-,auto-,and -aid.For exa m ple ,superslim ,ultracare ,band- aid ,kleenex.
That wears Gucci ,Arm ani ,prada ,and a smile.... Where Chardonnay share a table with char-
koay-
teow.(Sa m ple 6)
In this ad ,the use of Malay w ords helps to create an exotic atm osphere w hich m ay attract m ore
tourists to go to the city advertised.
Hook up with a buddy online ,get your own meal plan and easy recipes ,or chat with a dietitian.
C m on ,if Ican be a big loser ,there s nothing stopping you.(Sa m ple 2)
In this exa m ple ,the advertiser uses im peratives as mild co m m ands to pro m pt the action — to join
slim -
fast progra m .Im perative sentences are so m etim es preferred because such sentences are persuasive
and appealing to readers.
Besides im perative sentences ,interrogative sentences are also frequently found in advertising
English.Interrogatives are questions prim arily used to seek inform ation on a specific point.However , in
advertising English ,interrogatives are m ainly used as a rhetoric device w hich does not expect any answer
or the advertisers answer the questions the mselves.For exa m ple :
Since the advertising text aims at attracting readers attention and informing the m of a certain
product ,and long difficult sentences w ould drain readers interest in reading the text ,short and sim ple
sentences are preferred in advertising writing.The investigation of the sa m ples reveals that the average
sentence length in English advertising is shorter than the suggested length.The average sentence length of
each sa m ple ad is show n in the following table.
Sa m ple 1 97 11 8.82
Sa m ple 3 72 6 12
Sa m ple 4 62 4 15.
5
Sa m ple 5 86 8 10.75
Sa m ple 6 75 7 10.71
76
CELEA Journal 65
In order to be easily co m prehensible ,English advertising tends to adopt short sentence. Besides ,
short sentences m ay help to retain readers attention and persuade the m to do the purchase with the tense
atm osphere and fast pace they have created.
So you can lose twice the weight than counting calories by your loneso me.... And shake that notion of
just shapes out of your head. There s soup ,pasta ,meal bars ,even ice crea m snacks. (Sa m ple 2)
The frequent use of sim ple sentences can help to reduce the difficulty of the text.Mean w hile ,sim ple
sentences convey a m ood of action. Moreover ,a succession of sim ple sentences can m ake the paragraph
powerful.Allthese are in harm ony with the goal of advertising —to persuade readers to buy the product.
Canon s solution ?A five-ink printer. Introducing the Canon i860 :with a pig ment- based black for
laser quality docu ments ,and a photo- grade black for high-contrast photos. Its speed ?...... The
i860 s resolution ?Up to a crisp 4800 *1200 dpi. (Sa m ple 1)
So m etim es in advertising English ,co m plex sentences are needed to express the co m plicated logical
m eaning.In order to stress the m eaning or to m ake the structure clear ,the m ain clause of a co m plex
sentence is separated fro m the subordinate clauses by full stops.Besides , so m e phrases or w ords are also
used as independent sentences.Such sentences or sentence frag m ents sound brisk and rhyth mical.Also ,
they are striking to the eyes ,and therefore the advertising m essages are m ore clearly presented and easily
m e m orized.
3.Su m m ary
Through the application of the analysis approaches and m ethods of general stylistics ,the stylistic
features of print English advertising are studied fro m the aspects of graphology , lexis ,and syntax.It is
show n that in an atte m pt to catch readers attention and to im press readers of the excellence of their
products or services ,advertisers apply a variety of devices ,for exa m ple ,punctuations ,different kinds of
vocabulary ,and different types of sentences types in the advertising texts.
References
Arens , W .F.2002. Contemporary Advertising.Boston :McGraw - Hill.
Crystal ,D .&D .Davy.1969.Investigating English Style.London :Long man.
Goddard ,A .1998. The Language of Advertising Written Texts.London :Routledge.
Jefkins ,F.2000. Advertising — Forth Edition.London :Prentice Hall.
Leech ,G .1966. English in Advertising.London :Long man.
Liu ,Shisheng.1998. Outlines of Western Stylistics.Jinan :Shandong Education Press.
O Guinn ,T .C .2003. Advertising and Integrated Brand Promotion.Ohio :Tho mson.
Percy ,L., J.R .Rossiter &R .Elliott.2001. Strategic Advertising Management.New York :OUP.
Tang ,Fen.2002. Discourse Analysis of Advertising Chinese.Hangzhou :Zhejiang University.
Wales ,K .1989. A Dictionary of Stylistics.London :Long man.
Wright ,L.&J. Hope.2000. Stylistics :A Practical Coursebook. Beijing :Foreign Language Teaching and
Research Press.
77
The Linguistic Features of English Advertising Zhu Linghong
卢秀成,2000 《
,广告英语》。上海:上海科学技术出版社。
钱瑗,
1991 《
,实用英语文体学》。北京:北京师范大学出版社。
谭卫国,1994 《
,实用新闻广告英语》。长沙:湖南出版社。
汪滔,
2001 《
,广告英语》。合肥:安徽科学技术出版社。
Appendix
Sa m ple 1
Canon Printer
There s a big difference between
black &black
That s w hy the i860 has
One for text and one for photos.
Photos print out best with a certain kind of black.Text prints best with another.Proble m is , you can t fit
both in a standard four- ink printer.Canon s solution ?A five- ink printer.Introducing the Canon i860 :
with a pig m ent- based black for laser quality docu m ents ,and a photo- grade black for high-contrast
photos.Its speed ?The i860 prints out up to 23pp m in black and up to 16pp m in color — m aking it one of
the fastest printers in its class.The i860 s resolution ?Up to a crisp 4800 *1200 dpi.To learn m ore call 1-
800-ok- canon or pay a visit to w w w .usa.ca m on. co m /consu m er.
Canon KNOW HOW
Sa m ple 2
I M A BIG LOSER
You Can Lose Twice the Weight with The Slim - Fast Plan
“Hey ,that s m y kind of plan.Slim - fast took the guessw ork out.They counted the calories and included
the nutrition your body needs.So you can lose twice the weight than counting calories by your loneso m e.
They got it dow n to a syste m w here you can eat six tim es a day.And shake that notion of just shapes out
of your head.There s soup , pasta ,m eal bars ,even ice crea m snacks.Thisis no quick fix —it s a way to
eat healthy that you can stick with.And it s the only plan with a built-in ,easy-
to-follow activity grogra m .
Want free support ?Hook up with a buddy online , get your ow n m eal plan and easy recipes ,or chat with
a dietitian.C m on , if Ican be a big loser , there s nothing stopping you. ”
For free personal support ,call1- 800 SLIM - FAST or visit slimfast.co m
Sa m ple 3
EOS Canon
the new EOS D30 digital ca mera Em bark on a w hole new w orld of photography.Leading edge technology
m arries all the features of a traditional SLR .Full co m patibility with the E-TLL wireless autoflash syste m
m eans spectacular shots with naturallooking light.Catching the action dow n the aisle , at 3fps.And w hen
wed to over 50 EFautofocuslenses , the newest entry into the EOSsyste m pops the ultim ate question.Are
you digital yet ?
Em bark
On
Spectacular
Sa m ple 4
Hyundai
Fully loaded.Full covered.
Full of co m m on sense.
The Hyundai XG350 , 22 , 499.
There s never been a better tim e to check out the 2004 Hyundai XG350 ,with its elegant styling and
im pressive features — including Am erica s Best Warranty :10 years/ 100 ,
000 miles. And ,for a short
tim e ,you even have the luxury of paying less.So test- drive the XG350 at your Hyundai dealership.
Because w hen you get this m uch car for this little m oney ,you win.
( Continued on p.46...)
78