An Analysis of Puns in Advertising English 英语专业毕业论文.docVIP

An Analysis of Puns in Advertising English Abstract Nowadays, we are endlessly bombarded with all kinds of advertisements through various media such as newspaper, magazine, TV, poster, radio and internet, etc. As an applied language, advertising English has its own linguistic style and features. Its language is original and beautiful and full of connotations. Its sentence structure is succinct. Advertisements, giving the charm of language full play, use the simplest language to express the most complex meanings. The purpose of advertisements is to stimulate people’s desire for shopping. Therefore, manufacturers try their best to use puns to create new meanings. Many kinds of rhetorical devices are used in advertisements. And pun is one of the most frequently use rhetorical devices in English advertisement to help to achieve desired effects of advertisements. It has the ability to make the advertising language more interesting, more meaningful and more humorous, which is helpful to attract to the potential customers’ attention and promote their purchasing actions. The paper first sums up the definition of pun according to different learners’ definitions of pun, then briefly introduces Professor A, Hill’s three elements of pun, at last discusses the classifications and functions of puns in English advertisements. Puns are classified into semantic puns, homophonic puns, grammatical puns, idiomatical puns. The function of puns as follows: conveying information and attracting the audience’s attention, making the advertisement brief, making advertisement aesthetic and avoiding social taboos. The uses of puns in English advertisements make the advertisements more humorous and witty and leave a deep impression on customers. The purpose of this article is to offer the insight into the nature of the pun and help readers improve the ability to read and appreciate this rhetorical vehicle. Key word: advertising English, pun, analysis Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Literature R