Pragmatic theory of language use in advertising

Paper Keywords: speech act theory; indirect language; cooperative principle; Relevance
Abstract: advertising language as a special form of communication, all the time not affecting the majority of consumer behavior. Advertiser in order to achieve their advertising to persuade consumers to buy products, often means using a variety of language. These expressions means to reflect the pragmatics of speech act theory, language, indirect, cooperative principle and relevance theory.

Language and words are the most important part of advertising. Surprise move the soul of the language of advertising, advertising art author's mission is to use language and text to convey information and promotional merchandise to achieve the purpose. The language of artistic means of expression reflects the pragmatics of speech act theory, language indirect, cooperative principle, politeness and relevance theory. In this paper, pragmatic point of view, the theory attempts to analyze its reflection in the ad.

First, the embodiment of Speech Act Theory
Speech act theory is the British philosopher J · Austin the first. He believes that a person talking, while in most cases, the implementation of the three acts: locutionary act (locutionary act), illocutionary acts (illocutionary act) , and perlocutionary act (perlocutionary act). locutionary act "speaking" the act itself. illocutionary act is through the "talking" to implement this action by an act, people can do many things by talking, to the kinds of purposes. perlocutionary act is the consequences of speaking.

In the ad, advertising producers advertising discourse by the word act, achieve the illocutionary act by the successor, and finally achieve perlocutionary act.

[Example l] today, you drink it? (Robust drinks)
To say that, this behavior is made by the act. By sentence seemingly simple questions, the illocutionary act is to remind people to buy Robust drinks. The words caused people to buy after the behavior is Robust beverages, to achieve its purpose of advertising.

[Example 2] regardless of seasons of thieves! (Standard Accident Insurance Company)
Say is a commercial act within itself is a statement by the act of threatening words the purpose of intimidation, which constitute the illocutionary act, through this speech activities, encourage people to take some action to eliminate a potential risk that the purchase of their insurance, to achieve perlocutionary act.

Second, the embodiment of indirect language
It is often not frank enough to say he wanted it, but often indirectly in some way to express yourself. The language used in the "roundabout" phenomenon is the language of indirection. From the speech act point of view, Searle Indirect linguistic phenomenon that is actually "through the implementation of other indirect speech act to implement a certain kind of speech act." indirect language people use two different situations: one is to speak in direct language and possible indirectly, to choose between the language situation, for some reason have chosen an indirect way of saying, this kind of indirect language is a specific intent. Another is that the speaker can not express their own language was no alternative but to directly use the T indirect expression.

In the ad, advertisers often do not use mandatory language, because the mandatory language is straightforward words, because too straightforward and appears intense, it forces others to how to how to do it. This purchase will significantly dampen consumer psychology, but also make their product look pale and weak and can not impressed by people, not set up to mark the image, to convince consumers to buy the product purpose. and indirect speech on the contrary, it gives such an impression that the The more transparent the more convincing and is therefore more able to Hancang hidden meaning. In other words, the more people the less learned can suggest others. Such advertisements often "ulterior motives", to people to imagine or aftertaste.

[Example 3] The intentions of the mother would use the "zinc." ("Three fine card" oral zinc gluconate)
Advertisers are not directly persuade consumers to buy the product, and no statement of its characteristics, but to use the "heart", "Zinc" two homophonic words indirectly expressed its intent: If you a heart of the mother, then to your child to take "oral zinc gluconate" it. and advertisers are well aware that most families have only one child in the present case, when the mother's intentions for their children naturally, and thus will buy the advertising products.

[Example 4] smart person a fool. ("Great bit" desktop publishing)
The "fool" is easy to operate a "fool" the printing system. Its advertising intention is: if you are smart people, then it would select the "Fool" card, desktop publishing, the system is easy and simple, easy to learn.

[Example 5] The new ads do a good flight, no new flying refrigerator good. (Flying brand new refrigerator)
Two birds with one stone this ad, on the one hand praised the ad well; the other hand, flying with the new refrigerator for comparison, the comparative results one by one to fly the new refrigerator is not good, indirectly suggesting a new refrigerator to fly better. Not only people this advertisement, but also makes this product more to heart.

[Example 6] presented to you, brisk morning. (Gillette blades)
The purpose of the purchase of a razor is to want to shave, I feel fresh. Advertisements appropriate to suggest the use of the refreshing effect of the product, the intention is: to use Gillette blades, you can be clean shaven beard , cool-cool feeling.

Third, the embodiment of the principles of cooperation
American philosopher Grice believes that the language of communication in all activities in order to achieve specific purposes, between the speaker and listener that there is a tacit agreement, both sides should abide by a principle, he called this principle the principle of cooperation for the session (Cooperative Principle, referred to as CP). the principles of cooperation embodied in four specific criteria: a. the number of criteria (Quantity maxim); b. Quality Guidelines (Qualitymaxim); c. related criteria (Relation maxim); d. means criteria (Manner maxim) . In other words, communication should be by the most direct, most relevant way to express the true intent of their communication. However, communication as to who is usually the intention of their words always have a certain distance between, the recognition of the distance knowledge is to understand the communicative intent of the premise, communicators in the communication process contrary to the principles of cooperation by a certain criteria in the tips to each other within the meaning of his words were not his. When the other party aware of communication each other's words failed to comply with the principles of cooperation, the He will not force themselves across the surface of the other words to try to understand the meaning of words the true meaning of the speaker, the speaker of where to seek embodies the principles of cooperation and thus a conversational implicature (Conversation implicature).

Communication in advertising, advertisers often conscious violation of the principles of cooperation in some of the criteria, in order to pass on to consumers the information consistent with the principles of cooperation and hope that consumers can derive from the advertising information.

[Example 7] What kind of man reads Play Boy? (Playboy magazine)
Using the ad questions, both launched trade names, and to create suspense, but apparently it does not comply with the number of criteria, did not make his words reach the required level of detail. Because the ad does it say that what people read Play Boy Magazine , but to see the ad people to guess the hidden implication in which: It's you or him.In fact all of men read Play Boy.

[Example 8] The Keebler Elevs have baked up the lightest, crispiest snacks ever to be called crackers.These extra thin bite-size crackers are rippled with zesty seasonings and crunch just like your favorite chips, but they're baked, not fried. They're the perfect snack for munching by the handful.

This is America, a description of the packaging of crackers, which has ever repeated use of the structure and extra thin, the perfect and so extreme that the meaning of the word, do exaggerated conflict. This ad is clearly a violation of quality standards, the words were than the truth too far, been described as very words. However, precisely because of this exaggerated performance practices, highlighting the excellent quality of goods, the customer saw a bit to try to buy boxes. reposted elsewhere in the Research Papers Download http://www. hi138.com [Example 9] If you don't clean your teeth with Tartar Control Crest, objects in mirror may be closer than they appear. (P & G's Crest toothpaste)
The ad on the surface these two unrelated, in violation of association standards, said a seemingly unrelated words and topics, but savored the ad, you can decipher the hidden meaning: no Crest toothpaste , your teeth will be broken soon.

[Example 10] Softly ... softly ... softly you move to the crib to make certain that all is well with the most precious thing in your life, the most wonderful baby in all the world.Softly, too, the smooth Ocean Brand Sheets welcome you when you return to your own bed, band softly these Ocean Brand Sheets meet your budget requirements.For these are the famous Ocean Combed Percales'latest products of Ocean Brand craftsmanship.


This is a sell sheets of advertising, the ad repeated Ocean Brand and softly, softly, were repeated 5 times, in clear violation of the guidelines required by way of talking to be concise, avoid them here. But it is an advertisement is the repetition, evoke a feeling of soft, set a soft image, the nature of such goods and soft closely linked.

Fourth, the embodiment of the principles associated
In order to allow consumers to keep in mind the purpose of advertising, advertising language is not boring, cliché, unusual advertising language often inspire curiosity and imagination. This advertising language often reflects the relevance of pragmatics theory.

Sperber and Wilson in the related theory that the speaker's purpose, intention, the listener can be identified, because they have a consensus on the cognitive environment, which means that the success of communication, to see both sides of communication of each other's cognitive environment is were able to significantly reflect and reflect each other, people usually understand the word choice and their associated cognitive understanding of the environment. communication to the communication of information implies that there is a connection. The people associated with the speaker's intent to a reasonable deduction to reach a correct understanding of discourse.

In the ad, advertisers and readers use, consumer coexistence cognitive environment, strive to meet each other were mapped, and form the best contextual effects, so that consumers can fully dissolve in the atmosphere created by advertising. At the same time the reader Relevance is also understood by the true intentions of advertisers.

[Example 11] Not all cars are created equal. (Japan's Mitsubishi Motors)
This ad first glance, seem to find it difficult to understand. But this sentence trick is that advertisers use the familiar in the American Declaration of Independence, once said "All men are created equal", the Japanese advertisers. En to cars , will certainly sentence to read negative. These changes to reflect the theory, use and readers, consumer coexistence cognitive environment, and guide the reader to understand its real purpose: Japanese cars better than the cars produced in other countries.

In advertising design, advertising the famous aphorism that some face-lift, it is reflected in the relevance theory of pragmatics, the use of well-known social and cultural knowledge in order to cause people to think and resonance.

[Example 12] We take no pride and prejudice. (Time magazine)
This ad, the reader will naturally think of a famous British writer Jane Austen's classic Pride and Prejudice (<<Pride and Prejudice>>) to realize its themselves as impartial justice to the true intent.

The essence of advertising to pay for a product to consumers, too straightforward statement that consumers often feel resentment and even aversion. Therefore, advertisers must use various means to design a decent heart clever slogan, it properly reflect the benefits of the true intentions of advertisers, which means in some ways reflects the theory of pragmatics. but it must be noted that in the ad, sometimes reflected not only those mentioned in this article the theory also involve other theories or principles, such as the politeness principle: What's on your arm should be as beautiful as who's on it. this ad to abide by the principles of politeness in the commends the criteria - try to exaggerate the other's praise. and in a ad, several theories or principles is often reflected the same time. as in Example 3, this ad not only reflects the indirect nature of the language, but also embodies the principle of relevance, clever use of homonym of the word "zinc", people naturally think of gluconic acid zinc, highlighting the products that people keep in mind this ad was impressed. Links http://www.hi138.com Research Papers Download