Figures of Speech in Advertising English(6)

英语论文

express the good service which travellers can enjoy in their trip.

2.6 Irony

Irony is a figure of speech that achieves emphasis by saying the opposite of what is meant the intended meaning of the words being the opposite of their usual sense. In everyday life we often hear people using irony in their speech, though they may not be conscious of it. It is self-contradictory, but it is also rational when carving and polishing. An obvious true fact recounted with the irony, also lets people know absurdness and clearly distinguishes the truth from the irony comprehension. At last they can achieves the irony true goal. In the advertisement, irony is a significant rhetoric device and they can give people great impression. For example: ⑴ The more hot water you use, the more money it saves! (Water Heater) This is the heading of a Water Heater advertisement. On the surface of the advertisement, it is a paradox: why the more hot water is used and the more money will be saved? This kind of strange parlance arouses people‘s astonishment, which will stimulate people‘s desire to purchase the products. In fact, the advertiser just wants to propagandize good performance of water heaters and the differences from the other ones. ⑵ If people keep telling you to quit smoking cigarettes, don‘t listen, they are probably trying to trick you into living. (Anti -cancer association) This is a social public welfare advertisement which is pushed by USA anti-cancer association. In the advert, the designer uses irony to warn people the danger of smoking and gets a far-reaching meaning.

2.7 Pun

2.7.1 Homophonic Puns

Homophonic puns are composed of words with the same spelling, the same or similar pronunciation. Designers are delight to use homophonic puns in advertisements, because this kind of pun can make advertisements hold the style of humor, nifty, farcicality, which can strengthen persuasion and infection of the advertisement, and then people will get a deep impression. By using homonyms， homophones or homographs，the writer can achieve two different meanings from one sentence⑴ More sun and air for your son and heir. (Advertisement of a bathing place) In the advertisement, ―sun‖ and ―son‖ ―air‖ and ―heir‖ are two groups of puns. Because of the puns, the advertisement is not only nice to read but also sweet to listen. It‘s very beautiful. (2) Trust us. Over 5000 ears of experience . (Audi- phone‘s advertisement) The literal meaning of the advertisements is that the product has gone through many consumers‘ tests. But, between the lines, a pair homophonic word ears-year s can be found, which shows a long history of the audiphones and suggests that they are good quality. [3] ― VIPs‘ an atomical comfort.Variable Impact Pressure Sole‖ The advertisement of sportshoes uses the homophonic word ―VIPs‖. As we know, VIP usually stands for ― very important persons‖, while, here, it stands for ―Variable Impact Pressure Sole‖. It implies if you use VIPs, you will be a VIP. The word ―VIPs‘ motivates the audiences‘ vanity and induces them to buy the product.[4] ―Goodbuy Winter! 100% cotton knitwear $40‖ It is an advertisement for the sale of winter clothes. The advertisement seems to people that it s a good and cheap to buy cotton knitwear. But when the audiences read ―goodbuy winter‖ together, they will understand the good use of pun. ―Goodbuy winter‖ sounds the same as ―goodbye winter‖. The advertisement use homophone to show two meanings: it is a good business to buy the cotton knitwear now, and winter has passed away. Naturally, people will associate the situation happening every year that when they say goodbye to winter, the clothes will have a great discount and it is good time to buy them.

2.7.2 Semantic Puns

Semantic puns utilize multi- vocal words or sentences to form puns in special conditions. It is commonly used in advertisements too. In advertisements, homophonic puns and semantic puns are