Khóa luận A study on language of advertisements in foreign newspapers - Duong Thi Thoan

Nội dung text: Khóa luận A study on language of advertisements in foreign newspapers - Duong Thi Thoan

1. Bộ giáo dục và đào tạo tr•ờng đại học dân lập hải phòng ISO 9001-2008 Khóa luận tốt nghiệp ngành: NGOạI NGữ Sinh viên : Dương Thị Thoan Người hướng dẫn: Ths. Phạm Thị Bớch Ngọc (Yêu cầu ghi đầy đủ học hàm, học vị ) Hải phòng - 2009 1
2. Haiphong private university Department of foreign languages Graduation paper A study on LANGUAGE OF ADVERTISEMENTS IN FOREIGN NEWSPAPERS By: DUONG THI THOAN Class: NA904 Supervisor: PHAM THI BICH NGOC, M.A Hai phong - 2009 2
3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Mrs. Pham Thi Bich Ngoc (M.A) who from the beginning to the end helped me to finish this paper with valuable instructions and precious materials. I would also like to show my special thanks to Mrs. Dang Thi Van (M.A) who has always been most willing to give me precious suggestions and reference books with generous patience and encouragement during the process of my writing. My sincere thanks also go to Mrs. Tran Thi Ngoc Lien (M.A) – the Dean of English Department of Haiphong Private University and all other teachers who whole-heartedly taught me for four years. I am thankful to all my friends who help me to collect useful information and necessary materials for the fulfillment of my paper. Finally yet importantly, I would like to give my passionate thanks to my devoted parents for their day-to-day sacrifice, support and encouragement during the process of writing this paper. I would not have been able to finish this paper so smoothly without the kind and great help from the people mentioned above. Haiphong, June 2008 Duong Thi Thoan 3
4. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgement PART ONE: INTRODUCTION .1 I. Rationale 1 II. Aims of the study 2 III. Scope of the study 2 IV. Method of the study 2 V. Design of the study 3 PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT 4 CHAPTER I: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 4 1. English language 4 1.1. Definition of language 4 1.2. English language 5 1.2.1. What is English language? 5 1.2.2. History of English language 6 1.2.2.1. Indo-European and Germanic Influences 6 1.2.2.2. Old English (500-1100 AD) 7 1.2.2.3. The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) 8 1.2.2.4. Early Modern English (1500-1800) 8 1.2.2.5. Late-Modern English (1800- Present) 9 1.2.2.6. American English 9 2. Advertisement 10 2.1. What is advertisement? 10 2.2. Types of advertisement 11 4
5. 2.2.1. Print Advertising – Newspapers, Magazines, Brochures, Fliers 11 2.2.2. Outdoor Advertising – Billboards, Kiosks, Tradeshows and Events 11 2.2.3. Broadcast advertising – Television, Radio and the Interne 12 2.2.4. Covert Advertising – Advertising in Movies 12 2.2.5. Surrogate Advertising – Advertising Indirectly 13 2.2.6. Public Service Advertising – Advertising for Social Causes 13 2.2.7. Celebrity Advertising 13 2.3. Components of an advertisement 14 2.3.1. Artwork 14 2.3.2. Headline 15 2.3.3. Body 15 2.3.4. Contact 15 2.3.5. Extras 15 2.4. Advertisements in newspapers 15 CHAPTER II: LANGUAGE FEATURES OF ENGLISH ADVERTISEMENTS IN FOREIGN NEWSPAPERS 18 1. Words and Phrases 18 1.1. Words 18 1.1.1. Choose the simple words 18 1.1.2. Used of emotive words 20 1.1.3. Used of weasel words 21 1.1.4. New Words Constantly appear 23 1.1.5. Excellent words used in advertisements 24 1.2. Phrases 26 1.2.1. Free offers 27 5
6. 1.2.2. Charge offers 28 1.2.3. News 29 1.2.4. How to 30 1.2.5. Information 31 1.2.6. Confidence Building 32 1.2.7. Price 33 1.2.8. Miscellaneous phrases 34 1.2.9. Immediate Action 35 2. Parts of speech 36 2.1. Verbs 36 2.2. Adjective 41 2.3. Nouns 44 2.4. Pronouns 46 3. Sentence 48 3.1. Sentence structure 49 3.2. Sentence patterns 50 4. Tense and Voice 51 4.1. Tense 51 4.2. Voice 52 5. Pun and Repetition 53 5.1. Pun 53 5.2. Repetition54 6. Simile and Metaphor 55 6.1. Simile 55 6.2. Metaphor 55 Chapter III: IMPLICATION 56 1. Some problems in reading English advertisements in Foreign 6
7. Newspapers 56 1.1. New words 56 1.2. Special sentences 58 2. Some suggestions to overcome the problems 58 PART THREE: CONCLUSION 60 Reference 61 Part ONE: introduction I. Rationale Nowadays, English is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy. In order to learn the world, we need to learn English. Reading English newspapers everyday is a very good way to improve our English because newspapers play an important role in distributing news and general information. By the time we read a newspaper, we have already learned about breaking news stories on television or radio. We rely on newspapers to provide detailed background information and analysis, which television and radio newscasts rarely offer. Newspapers not only inform an event happened but also help us understand what led up to the event and how it will affect the world around us. Because language develops together with society, being a good reader is a key to the door of success indeed in the era of science and technology. I have always been attracted to advertisement when reading newspapers by its lively images and its language features as well. Do you feel able to fully understand an advertisement message? Not as classroom situation, reading advertisements in daily newspapers – reading in the real world - supplies us all information to choose the best goods. We cannot count troubles due to not reading advertisements carefully before purchasing. Advertisement is a language, this 7
8. means that we have to study it in order to practice it and, first of all, to understand it. Language in advertisements is of crucial importance because it is the main carrier of the message all along. It distinguishes itself from common language by its own features. However, most of English learners have difficulties in reading advertisements in foreign newspapers due to complex grammar, lexicology, the use of language of native speakers, etc. Therefore, I conducted this study with the hope that it could help learners have a deep knowledge of English used in advertisements and could understand advertisements exactly. II. Aims of the study My study aims at: - Introducing theoretical background of language, advertisement and newspaper. - Giving an analysis of language used in English advertisement in newspapers. - Pointing out some difficulties, common mistakes possibly made by Vietnamese learners and suggesting some solutions to avoid misunderstanding when reading advertisement in foreign newspapers. III. Scope of the study English language of advertisement in foreign newspapers is extremely large of the study. Due to the limitation of time, knowledge, and experience, I am not ambitious to study all matters but focus on features of words, phrases, parts of speech, sentence, tense, voice, pun and alliteration of advertising language. Particularly, I pay much attention to language of daily consumer goods advertisements, technical equipment advertisements and service advertisements in some famous newspapers such as Equipment News, The New York Times, Newsweek (issues from 2008-2009), and in some online newspapers: 8
9. IV. Method of the study In order to achieve the mentioned aims, in my study process, I store knowledge from a lot different kinds of resources specialized as following: - Referencing different books and websites on language, advertisement to establish the theoretical background for the paper, - Collecting and analyzing number of advertisement in foreign newspapers, V. Design of the study My graduation paper is divided into three main parts of which the second one is the most important part. - Part one gives out the rationale, the aims, the scope, the methods, and the design of the study. - Part two mentions the main content of the study and it is further divided into 3 chapters as below: Chapter I: Theoretical background - introduces definition and some characteristics of English language and advertisement. Chapter II: Language features of English advertisement in Foreign Newspapers - analyses some features of words, phrases, parts of speech, sentence, tense, voice, pun, repetition, simile and metaphor of English advertising language. Chapter III: Implication - points out some problems in reading English advertisement process and gives some suggestions to overcome the problems. - Part three gives a brief summary of the main points mentioned in the 9
10. previous parts and some suggestions for further study. 10
11. PART TWO: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER I. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1. English language 1.1. Definition of language Lyons, J (1981:3) states five definitions of language as follows: (i) According to Sapir (1921: 8): “Language is a purely human and non- instinctive method of communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of voluntarily produced symbols.” (ii) Bloch & Trager (1942:5): “A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which a social group co-operates.” (iii) Hall (1968:158) tells us that language is “the institution whereby humans communicate and interact with each by means of habitually used oral- auditory arbitrary symbols”. (iv) Robins (1979:9-14) does not give a formal definition of language: he rightly points out that such definition “tend to be trivial and uninformative, unless they presuppose some general theory of language and of linguistic analysis”. However, he does list and discuss a number of salient facts that “must be taken into account in any seriously intended theory of language”. Throughout successive editions of this standard textbook, he notes that languages are “symbol systems almost wholly based on pure or arbitrary convention”, but lays special emphasis on their flexibility and adaptability. (v) The last definition to be quoted here strikes a very different note: “From now on I will consider a language to be a set (finite or infinite) of sentences, each finite in length and constructed out of a finite set of elements.” This definition is taken from Chomsky‟s Syntactic Structures (1957:13), whose publication inaugurated the movement known as transformational grammar. The five definitions of „language‟ quoted and briefly discussed above have served to introduce some of the properties, which some linguists have taken to 11
12. be essential features of languages, as we know them. Most of them have taken the view that languages are systems of symbols designed, as it were, for the purpose of communication. Types of language (  Formal - Language used for a professional feel such as in a business letter.  Informal - Language used in an everyday situation, which may include slang.  Slang - Used in general conversation and not found in the dictionary.  Informative - Gives the reader specific information such as facts and figures.  Descriptive - Uses many adjectives to help explain what is being spoken about.  Emotive - Uses many adjectives to explain a person's feelings.  Dialogue - Text that is being spoken.  Emphasizing - Drawing attention to a particular point  Persuasive - Trying to force a particular point of view on someone  Imperative - Gives the reader instructions and orders. 1.1. English language 1.1.1. What is English language? ( “English is a West Germanic language that originated in Anglo-Saxon England. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and of the United States since the late 19th century, it has become the vehicular language in many parts of the world. English is used extensively as a second language and as an official language in Commonwealth countries and many international organizations.” Approximately 375 million people speak English as their first language. 12
13. English today is probably the third largest language by number of native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. However, when combining native and non-native speakers it is probably the most commonly spoken language in the world, though possibly second to a combination of the Chinese languages (depending on whether or not distinctions in the latter are classified as "languages" or "dialects"). Estimates that include second language speakers vary greatly from 470 million to over a billion depending on how literacy or mastery is defined and measured. Linguistics professor David Crystal calculates that non-native speakers now outnumber native speakers by a ratio of three to one. The countries with the highest populations of native English speakers are, in descending order: United States (215 million), United Kingdom (61million), Canada (18.2 million), Australia (15.5 million), Ireland (3.8 million), South Africa (3.7 million), and New Zealand (3.0-3.7 million). Countries such as Jamaica and Nigeria also have millions of native speakers of dialect continual ranging from an English-based Creole to a more standard version of English. Of those nations where English is spoken as a second language, India has the most such speakers ('Indian English'). Crystal claims that, combining native and non- native speakers, India now has more people who speak or understand English than any other country in the world. Following India is the People's Republic of China. Books, magazines, and newspapers written in English are available in many countries around the world. English is also the most commonly used language in the sciences. In 1997, the Science Citation Index reported that 95% of its articles were written in English, even though only half of them came from authors in English-speaking countries. 1.1.2. History of English language Dave Wilton, Monday, January 15, 2001: 1.1.2.1. Indo-European and Germanic Influences English is a member of the Indo-European family of languages. This broad family includes most of the European languages spoken today. The Indo- 13
14. European family includes several major branches: Latin and the modern Romance languages; The Germanic languages; The Indo-Iranian languages, including Hindi and Sanskrit; The Slavic languages; The Baltic languages of Latvian and Lithuanian (but not Estonian); The Celtic languages; Greek. The influence of the original Indo-European language, designated proto- Indo-European, can be seen today, even though no written record of it exists. The word for father, for example, is vater in German, pater in Latin, and pitr in Sanskrit. These words are all cognates, similar words in different languages that share the same root. Of these branches of the Indo-European family, two are, for our purposes of studying the development of English, of paramount importance, the Germanic and the Romance (called that because the Romance languages derive from Latin, the language of ancient Rome, not because of any bodice-ripping literary genre). English is in the Germanic group of languages. This group began as a common language in the Elbe river region about 3,000 years ago. 1.1.2.2. Old English (500-1100 AD) West Germanic invaders from Jutland and southern Denmark: the Angles (whose name is the source of the words England and English), Saxons, and Jutes, began populating the British Isles in the fifth and sixth centuries AD. They spoke a mutually intelligible language, similar to modern Frisian-the language of northeastern region of the Netherlands-that is called Old English. Four major dialects of Old English emerged, Northumbrian in the north of England, Mercian in the Midlands, West Saxon in the south and west, and Kentish in the Southeast. The majority of words in modern English come from foreign, not Old 14
15. English roots. In fact, only about one sixth of the known Old English words have descendants surviving today. However, this statistic is deceptive; Old English is much more important than this number would indicate. About half of the most commonly used words in modern English have Old English roots. Words like be, water, and strong, for example, derive from Old English roots. Old English, whose best-known surviving example is the poem Beowulf, lasted until about 1100. This last date is rather arbitrary, but most scholars choose it because it is shortly after the most important event in the development of the English language, the Norman Conquest. 1.1.2.3. The Norman Conquest and Middle English (1100-1500) William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy, invaded and conquered England and the Anglo-Saxons in 1066 AD. The new overlords spoke a dialect of Old French known as Anglo-Norman. The Normans were also of Germanic stock (Norman comes from Norseman) and Anglo-Norman was a French dialect that had considerable Germanic influences in addition to the basic Latin roots. The influence of the Normans can be illustrated by looking at two words, beef and cow. Beef, commonly eaten by the aristocracy, derives from the Anglo- Norman, while the Anglo-Saxon commoners, who tended the cattle, retained the Germanic cow. Many legal terms, such as indict, jury, and verdict have Anglo- Norman roots because the Normans ran the courts. This split, where words commonly used by the aristocracy have Romantic roots and words frequently used by the Anglo-Saxon commoners have Germanic roots, can be seen in many instances. By 1362, the linguistic division between the nobility and the commoners was largely over. In that year, the Statute of Pleading was adopted, which made English the language of the courts and it began to be used in Parliament. The Middle English period came to a close around 1500 AD with the rise of Modern English. 1.1.2.4. Early Modern English (1500-1800) 15
16. The first major factor influenced the language and served to separate Middle and Modern English was the Great Vowel Shift. This was a change in pronunciation that began around 1400. While modern English speakers can read Chaucer with some difficulty, Chaucer‟s pronunciation would have been completely unintelligible to the modern era. Shakespeare, on the other hand, would be accented, but understandable. Long vowel sounds began to be made higher in the mouth and the letter e at the end of words became silent. Chaucer‟s Lyf (pronounced /leef/) became the modern word life. In Middle English name was pronounced /nam-a/, five was pronounced /feef/, and down was pronounced /doon/. In linguistic terms, the shift was rather sudden, the major changes occurring within a century. The shift is still not over; however, vowel sounds are still shortening, although the change has become considerably more gradual. The other major factor in the development of Modern English was the advent of the printing press. William Caxton brought the printing press to England in 1476. Books became cheaper and as a result, literacy became more common. Publishing for the masses became a profitable enterprise, and works in English, as opposed to Latin, became more common. Finally, the printing press brought standardization to English. The dialect of London, where most publishing houses were located, became the standard. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the first English dictionary was published in 1604. 1.1.2.5. Late-Modern English (1800-Present) The principal distinction between early- and late-modern English is vocabulary. Pronunciation, grammar, and spelling are largely the same, but Late-Modern English has many more words. These words are the result of two historical factors. The first is the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the technological society. This necessitated new words for things and ideas that had not previously existed. The second was the British Empire. At its height, Britain ruled one quarter of the earth‟s surface and English adopted many foreign words and made them its own. 16
17. 1.1.2.6. American English Also significant beginning around 1600 AD was the English colonization of North America and the subsequent creation of a distinct American dialect. Some pronunciations and usages “froze” when they reached the American shore. In certain respects, American English is closer to the English of Shakespeare than modern British English is. Some Americanisms that the British decry are actually originally British expressions that were preserved in the colonies while lost at home (e.g., fall as a synonym for autumn, trash for rubbish, frame-up that was reintroduced to Britain through Hollywood gangster movies and use of loan as a verb instead of lend). 2. Advertisement 2.1. What is advertisement? (Newsweek) Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service. ( “While now central to the contemporary global economy and the reproduction of global production networks, it is only quite recently that advertising has been more than a marginal influence on patterns of sales and production. The formation of modern advertising was intimately bound up with 17
18. the emergence of new forms of monopoly capitalism around the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century as one element in corporate strategies to create, organize and where possible control markets, especially for mass produced consumer goods. Mass production necessitated mass consumption, and this in turn required a certain homogenization of consumer tastes for final products. At its limit, this involved seeking to create „world cultural convergence‟, to homogenize consumer tastes and engineer a „convergence of lifestyle, culture and behaviors among consumer segments across the world‟. ( Retrieved on 2009-04-20) Money spent on advertising has increased dramatically in recent years. In 2007, spending on advertising has been estimated at over $150 billion in the United States ( Retrieved on 2009- 04-20). And $385 billion worldwide, ( Retrieved on 2009-04-20) and the latter to exceed $450 billion by 2010. 2.2. Types of advertisement ( 2.2.1. Print Advertising – Newspapers, Magazines, Brochures, Fliers The print media have always been a popular advertising medium. Advertising products via newspapers or magazines is a common practice. In addition to this, the print media also offers options like promotional brochures and fliers for advertising purposes. Often the newspapers and the magazines sell the advertising space according to the area occupied by the advertisement, the position of the advertisement (front page/middle page), as well as the readership of the publications. For instance, an advertisement in a relatively new and less popular newspaper would cost far less than placing an advertisement in a popular newspaper with a high readership. The price of print advertisements also depend on the supplement in which they appear, for example an advertisement in the glossy supplement costs way higher than that in the newspaper 18
19. supplement which uses a mediocre quality paper. In this chapter, part 2.2 and 2.4 will analyses more clearly about components and characteristics of advertisement in newspapers. 2.2.2. Outdoor - Advertising – Billboards, Kiosks, Tradeshows and Events Outdoor advertising is also a very popular form of advertising, which makes use of several tools and techniques to attract the customers outdoors. The most common examples of outdoor advertising are billboards, kiosks, and several events and tradeshows organized by the company. The billboard advertising is very popular however has to be really terse and catchy in order to grab the attention of the passersby. The kiosks not only provide an easy outlet for the company products but also make an effective advertising tool to promote the company‟s products. Organizing several events or sponsoring those makes for an excellent advertising opportunity. The company can organize trade fairs, or even exhibitions for advertising their products. If not this, the company can organize several events that are closely associated with their field. For instance, a company that manufactures sports utilities can sponsor a sports tournament to advertise its products. 2.2.3. Broadcast advertising – Television, Radio and the Internet Broadcast advertising is a very popular advertising medium that constitutes of several branches like television, radio or the Internet. Television advertisements have been very popular ever since they have been introduced. The cost of television advertising often depends on the duration of the advertisement, the time of broadcast (prime time/peak time), and of course the popularity of the television channel on which the advertisement is going to be broadcasted. The radio might have lost its charm owing to the new age media however; the radio remains to be the choice of small-scale advertisers. The radio jingles have been very popular advertising media and have a large impact on the audience, which is evident in the fact that many people still remember and enjoy the popular radio jingles. 19
20. 2.2.4. Covert Advertising – Advertising in Movies Covert advertising is a unique kind of advertising in which a product or a particular brand is incorporated in some entertainment and media channels like movies, television shows or even sports. There is no commercial in the entertainment but the brand or the product is subtly (or sometimes evidently) showcased in the entertainment show. Some of the famous examples for this sort of advertising have to be the appearance of brand Nokia which is displayed on Tom Cruise‟s phone in the movie Minority Report, or the use of Cadillac cars in the movie Matrix Reloaded. 2.2.5. Surrogate Advertising – Advertising Indirectly Surrogate advertising is prominently seen in cases where advertising a particular product is banned by law. Advertisement for products like cigarettes or alcohol which are injurious to heath are prohibited by law in several countries and hence these companies have to come up with several other products that might have the same brand name and indirectly remind people of the cigarettes or beer bottles of the same brand. Common examples include Fosters and Kingfisher beer brands, which are often seen to promote their brand with the help of surrogate advertising. 2.2.6. Public Service Advertising – Advertising for Social Causes Public service advertising is a technique that makes use of advertising as an effective communication medium to convey socially relevant messaged about important matters and social welfare causes like AIDS, energy conservation, political integrity, deforestation, illiteracy, poverty and so on. David Oglivy who is considered to be one of the pioneers of advertising and marketing concepts had reportedly encouraged the use of advertising field for a social cause. Oglivy once said, "Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest - it is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes." Today public service advertising has been increasingly used in a non-commercial fashion in several countries across the world in order to promote various social 20
21. causes. In USA, the radio and television stations are granted on the basis of a fixed amount of Public service advertisements aired by the channel. 2.2.7. Celebrity Advertising Although the audience is getting smarter and smarter and the modern day consumer getting immune to the exaggerated claims made in a majority of advertisements, there exist a section of advertisers that still bank upon celebrities and their popularity for advertising their products. Using celebrities for advertising involves signing up celebrities for advertising campaigns, which consist of all sorts of advertising including, television advertisements or even print advertisements. 2.3. Components of an advertisement in newspapers ( A complete advertisement consists of five parts: 21
22. (People) 2.3.1. Artwork Photographs, drawings, and graphic embellishments are a key visual element of many types of advertisements. Some advertisements may have only a single visual while others might have several pictures. Even text-only advertisements might have some graphics in the form of decorative bullets or borders. When included with visuals the caption is one of the first things most readers look at after the visual. It is not in all advertisements. 2.3.2. Headline 22
23. The title or main headline may be the strongest element of the advertisement or it may be secondary to a strong visual. Some advertisements may have subheads and other title elements as well. 2.3.3. Body The body or copy is the main text of the advertisements. Some advertisements may take a minimalist approach, a line, two, or a single paragraph. Other advertisements may be quite text-heavy with paragraphs of information, possibly arranged in columns newspaper style. While the words are the most important part of the copy, visual elements such as indentation, pull- quotes, bullet lists, and creative kerning and tracking can help to organize and emphasize the message of the body of the advertisements. 2.3.4. Contact The contact or signature of an advertisement may appear anywhere in the advertisement although it is usually near the bottom. It consists of one or more of: Logo Advertiser Name Address Phone Number Map or Driving Directions Web Site Address 2.3.5. Extras Some print advertisements may have additional special elements such as an attached business reply envelope, tear-out portion with a coupon, tip sheet and product sample. 2.4. Advertisements in newspapers ( Newspaper, publication usually issued on a daily or weekly basis, the main function of which is to report news. Many newspapers also furnish special information to readers, such as weather reports, television schedules, and listings 23
24. of stock prices. They provide commentary on politics, economics, and arts and culture, and sometimes include entertainment features, such as comics and crossword puzzles. In nearly all cases and in varying degrees, newspapers depend on commercial advertising for their income. www.usa.canon.com While newspapers lack the intrusiveness of radio and television, they are still an effective advertising medium. They do an excellent job of reaching established customers, and therefore, are an excellent base for retail advertising. There are well over 9000 Newspapers in Canada and the United States and they collectively comprise the largest advertisement medium. Over two thirds of the dollars spent in Newspaper advertising is derived from local advertisers. There are a number of characteristics of newspapers that make them especially appealing to advertisers: Most newspapers, both daily and weekly, reach the majority of homes in their primary city or town. Newspapers permit an advertiser to reach a large number of people within a specified geographical area. 24
25. The printed advertising message has both permanence and desired obsolescence. A reader can refer back to, or even clip and save, a particular advertisement, yet tomorrow‟s edition is new, fresh, and as eagerly sought by the same reader. The newspaper offers a predictable frequency of publication: once, twice or up to seven times a week. Newspapers have immediacy. You can place an advertisement on Monday and be getting results before the week is over. Short deadlines permit quick responses to changing market conditions. People expect to find advertising in their newspapers. In fact, many people buy newspapers just to read the advertisements from the restaurants, movies and discount stores. Reading the newspaper has become a habit for most families. It has something for everyone. You can reach certain segments of your market by placing your advertisements in different sections of the paper such as: sports, comics, crosswords, news, classifieds, etc. An advertiser has flexibility in terms of advertisement size and placement. Production changes can be made quickly, if necessary, a new insert can be added on short notice. Advertisements can be examined at leisure. Exposure is not limited, so readers can take their time reading the messages. It offers a great variety of advertisement sizes. If you do not have a large budget, you can still run a series of small advertisements. Many options are available. Copy alone; copy with graphics; black and white; or full color. Newspaper supplements often feature certain subjects that readers pull out and save. 25
26. CHAPTER II: ENGLISH LANGUAGE OF ADVERTISEMENTS IN FOREIGN NEWSPAPERS 1. Words and phrases In order to make the information accessible to audience effectively, the choice of words in advertising is very cautious and skillful. The aim of the advertiser is quite specific: capture the attention of the members of a mass audience and by means of impressive words to persuade them to buy a product or behave in a particular way, such as going to Hawaii for all their holiday needs. Both linguistic and psychological aspects are taken into consideration in the choice of words. Sharing the same purpose of advertising to familiarize or remind consumers of the benefits of particular products in the hope of increasing sales, the techniques used at the lexical level by advertisers do not vary markedly. 1.1. Words 1.1.1. Choose the simple words Advertisement language must be easily understood terms so that readers can get information as soon as possible. In advertising, simple words can win the consumers by their exact, effective expression and a kind of closeness. For example: 26
27. (People) This article is clearly and concisely understood in order to arouse the interest of customers on food which make them mouth-watering. 27
28. www.amazon.com My goodness! My Guinness! Common language facilitates people to memory and speak, this reproduce the scene of people drinking the Guinness beer, which is full of praise. 1.1.2. Used of emotive words An examination of recent advertisements suggests that the soft-sell technique is now popular. By soft-sell technique, advertisers mean the one that favors a more emotive and less directive approach to promote a product, mainly focusing on the building of brand image. As a result, emotive words, most of which are pleasant adjectives, are greatly encouraged to use. The most frequently used adjectives are as follows: New, good/better/best, fresh, free, delicious, sure, full, clean, wonderful, special, crisp, real, fine, great, safe, and rich. These adjectives help to build a pleasant picture in readers‟ minds and manage to create a belief in the potential consumer: If I buy this product or if I choose this service, I will lead a better life. In addition, comparatives and superlatives occur to highlight the advantage of a certain product or service. For example: 28
29. (Equipment News) The world‟s coolest CDs aren‟t made in New York, London or L.A. They are made in my apartment. www.amazon.com The Compaq Armada family is lighter, with new rounded edges for easier packing. 1.1.3. Used of weasel words Gove, P.B (1976) defined a weasel word as “a word used in order to evade or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position”. The use of weasel words has become a device in advertising. Weasel words make people hear things that are not being said, accept as truth that have only been implied, and believe things that have only been implied and suggested. Let us take a look under a strong light at several frequently used words. Help: 29
30. (People) In this example, helps can be omitted because they have lost their original meaning: aid, assist. Yet, help in advertising English is never redundant. It has magic power in advertisers‟ eyes. Help is the great qualifier; once the advertiser says it, he can say anything after it. Help qualifies everything. The audience has never heard anyone say, “This product will keep you young,” or “This toothpaste will positively prevent cavities for all time.” Obviously, advertisers cannot say anything like that, because there are not any products like that made. However, by adding that one little word help, in front, they can use the strongest language possible afterwards. In addition, the most fascinating part of it is that the readers are immune to the word. The readers literally do not hear the word help. They only knew what comes after it. That is strong language, and likely to be much more important to the readers than the little word at the front. Like: 30
31. (Newsweek) Like is also a qualifier, and is used in much the same way as help. Nevertheless, like is also a comparative element, with a very specific purpose; advertisers use like to get the audience to stop thinking about something that is bigger than or better or different from the product which are being sold. In other words, they can make the audience believe that the product is more than it is by likening it to something else. Like help, like does not catch much attention. However, by using it, almost anything can be said and promised afterwards. 1.1.4. New Words Constantly Appear The language of advertising is, of course, normally very positive and emphasizes why one product stands out in comparison with another. Advertising language may not always be "correct" language in the normal sense. In order to attract people‟s attention, copywriters like to create some new words which are more active. The new words are mainly used for truthfulness, humor or emphasis in English advertising texts. 31
32. (Newsweek) “Surefit” is a new word, which makes consumes think of a sentence: “Surely to fit your feet”. That means the shoes are fit for your feet. www.timesonline.co.uk The well-known watch brand “Timex” is a variation of “Time + Excellent”, which persuasively shows the merit of the watch brand. Thus, brand names get and retain a unique image. 1.1.5. ( gives 100 excellent words used in advertisement: 32
33. 1. Absolutely 30. Gift 2. Amazing 31. Gigantic 3. Approved 32. Greatest 4. Attractive 33. Guaranteed 5. Authentic 34. Helpful 6. Bargain 35. Highest 7. Beautiful 36. Huge 8. Better 37. Immediately 9. Big 38. Improved 10. Colorful 39. Informative 11. Colossal 40. Instructive 12. Complete 41. Interesting 13. Confidential 42. Largest 14. Crammed 43. Latest 15. Delivered 44. Lavishly 16. Direct 45. Liberal 17. Discount 46. Lifetime 18. Easily 47. Limited 19. Endorsed 48. Lowest 20. Enormous 49. Magic 21. Excellent 50. Mammoth 22. Exciting 51. Miracle 23. Exclusive 52. Noted 24. Expert 53. Odd 25. Famous 54. Outstanding 26. Fascinating 55. Personalized 27. Fortune 56. Popular 28. Full 57. Powerful 29. Genuine 58. Practical 33
34. 59. Professional 80. Startling 60. Profitable 81. Strange 61. Profusely 82. Strong 62. Proven 83. Sturdy 63. Quality 84. Successful 64. Quickly 85. Superior 65. Rare 86. Surprise 66. Reduced 87. Terrific 67. Refundable 88. Tested 68. Remarkable 89. Tremendous 69. Reliable 90. Unconditional 70. Revealing 91. Unique 71. Revolutionary 92. Unlimited 72. Scarce 93. Unparalleled 73. Secrets 94. Unsurpassed 74. Security 95. Unusual 75. Selected 96. Useful 76. Sensational 97. Valuable 77. Simplified 98. Wealth 78. Sizable 99. Weird 79. Special 100. Wonderful 1.2. Phrases Newspaper headlines are not always complete sentences. Many headlines consist of noun phrases with no verb. The noun phrases in English print advertising have two unusual features: its ability to operate as an independent clause in all areas of an advertisement - headline, subhead, signature line and text - and its complex premodifying structures. Premodification in the noun phrase is characterized by the abundant use of comparative and superlative 34
35. adjectives and of colorful compounds, and by the tendency to place the product (or trade) name in first or early position in lengthy designations. This last, unusual feature disrupts the traditional word - order of premodifying adjectives in the noun phrase. ( introduces the most persuasive phrases in advertising: 1.2.1. Free Offers A review of direct marketing advertisements reveals that the most frequently used phrases are free offers. (The New York Times) 35
36. (Equipment News) Yours free Free cost estimate Free gift Free consultation Booklet free Try it ten days free Ask for free folder Thirty-two-page catalog free Free guide book Free plans for Free trial lesson Free sample Free to new members Yours for the asking Free examination Test lesson free Free demonstration Free gift if you act at once 1.2.2. Charge offers Some advertisers change a fee or require a postage stamp: 36
37. www.usatoday.com Moneymaking facts free Free lesson, $50 $25 brings details Stamp brings details $.00 brings complete Free gift if you act at once Stamped envelope brings Send $.25 to help cover postage and handling 1.2.3. News If advertisers have news to tell, it should be given prominence. It will increase response. 37
38. www.usatoday.com Just arrived Hot off the press New here Just published It‟s here new discovery Just out New, improved Beginning (date) New invention At last Important development New method of The world‟s first New modernized Just off the press Latest findings 1.2.4. How-To People want to know how to do things, how to get ahead, how to solve problem, how to make money, how to enjoy life. In each of the following phrases, we can complete the phrase with many solutions to the problem. 38
39. www.timesonline.co.uk How to How to get the most out of How to get How to avoid How to have How to end How to keep How to get rid of How to start How to conquer How to begin How I improved my How to become How to enjoy How to improve your How you can How to develop 1.2.5. Information People buy magazines and newspapers and listen to broadcasts to get information. Advertisers can successfully compete for attention by telling their prospects the things they want to know. 39
40. www.timesonline.co.uk Seven ways to Your one sure way to The truth about Guide to The one sensible way to Helpful hints on Plain talks with Advice to Profitable tips for What you should know about Confidential chats with Facts you should know Twenty tips for Mistakes you can avoid The common sense of 1.2.6. Confidence Building 40
41. www.nytimes.com No matter how attractive the advertiser‟s offer is, he must build believability into his advertisement. Award winning Seal of approval Founded (year) Established years You risk nothing Make this test Over thousands sold What others say (include testimonials) See before you buy Money back if not delighted Proved in laboratory tests If not delighted, just write Cancel on the bill 1.2.7. Price 41
42. www.nytimes.com People are always looking for bargains. Here are some phrases that deal with price: Sale priced Only ten percent above wholesale/dealers cost Save up to $ Less than half price Fantastic saving Price going up Price goes up (date) Order before the price goes up Never again at this price 1.2.8. Miscellaneous phrases 42
43. www.nytimes.com Here are frequently used phrase that can work in a number of situations: Send no money The secret of No obligation Yours if you can quality No salesperson will call Do you have these symptom of ? Special offer Who else wants ? The key to From manufacture to you Only $.25 a day Buy direct and save Now you can For quick information, call You don‟t have to be rich to Orders shipped within 24 hours Money-saving offer Easy payment plan 1.2.9. Immediate Action 43
44. www.nytimes.com Most people tend to delay action. Urge them to act quickly. Better still; give them a valid reason for quick action. Act now Last chance Don‟t delay Order now Order today Order now, pay later Delay may be serious Don‟t put it off Send today Send post card today Get started today Act fast Be the first Rush name for details For a short time only While the supply lasts Price going up Supply limited 44
45. 2. Parts of speech 2.1. Verbs Simple verbs are frequently employed in English advertisements, which is an obvious wording characteristics of English advertising texts. Verbs are the most important part of language. It is a prominent feature in English advertising that verbs are regularly used for the ultimate goal of advertising , which is to enable consumers to buy their goods. Therefore, in terms of the using of words, dynamic and strong word will produce a better feeling effects. Verbs can be used to “touch” the consumer's heart. In this way, they will have impulse to buy the goods. For example: (The New York Times) Drink Coca-cola! 45
46. www.nydailynews.com In the above examples, “dance”, and “drink” are to fulfill the “get action” requirement seem more euphemistic and even more attractive. www.washingtontimes.com After reading the above advertisements, we feel encouraged to take buying action or make repeated purchases. The active voice does not force people to take the passive 46
47. action while it makes people feel that they do something of their own accord. G. N. Leech (1997) listed 20 most used verbs: make, get, give, have, see, buy, come, go, know, keep, look, need, love, use, feel, like, choose, take, start, taste. We often read such sentences in an advertisement: Buy x. Use it. We make X will give you what you need. You will love x. Get x. Fox example: (Equipment News) 47
48. (Newsweek) 48
49. www.nydailynews.com All you need is a taste for adventure. (Millstone Coffee) All these frequently used verbs are monosyllabic and most of them have Anglo-Saxon origin that is the common core of English vocabulary. Linguistic study shows English native speakers tend to use words of Anglo-Saxon origin, because native words have comparably stable meaning. In advertising, these simple words can win the consumers by their exact, effective expression and a kind of closeness. Etymological studies show that the 20 verbs listed before, except use and taste, which are from ancient French, all are Anglo-Saxon origin. Even the two words, use and taste have long become indispensable lexical items in the stock of common core vocabulary of the English people, developing their stable meaning and usage. 2.2. Adjective 49
50. It is hard for us to think of any really persuasive message without the use of descriptive and vivid adjectives. Copywriters like to use a large number of adjectives not only to describe the quality and features of the products or services, but to a great extent to praise and beautify them. For example: (Newsweek) “Weightless” and “water-fresh” used in this advertisement strongly attractive customers. Another example: 50
51. (People) The adjective “fresh” in this example appears three times to emphasize how fresh the product is, making its quality particularly attractive. Moreover, the adjective “fit” points out the remarkable function of the product. The copywriter tends to select the superlative or comparative forms of adjectives that carry positive meanings to make a comparison and stress the wonderful qualities of the advertised product. 51
52. (Equipment News) Make your truck tougher. (Newsweek) “Tougher” and “Younger” just emphasizes the magic power of the product and service. Discover the season‟s newest splendor. The word “newest”, which is an advertisement of a kind of perfume, means “fashionable to the highest degree”. Of course, the advertisers must make sure that the advertised goods or services 52
53. are actually the best in the same category. Sometimes people do not know how superb the goods or the services are in quality. Anyhow, people tend to believe what is said in advertisements. 2.3. Nouns It is no doubt that nouns are most widely used in advertising. Almost every sentence and every phrase have nouns because nouns are the key words. They are crucial and indispensable. Nouns used in advertising are often specific, brief and understandable; few abstract nouns are used because they make consumers feel embarrass. The most representative use of nouns in advertising lies in the brand names of the products or the services. A brand name, also a trade name, is “an arbitrarily adopted name that is given by a manufacturer or merchant to an article or service to distinguish it as produced or sold by him and that may be used and protected as a trademark.” (Webster’s, 1994:1250) A good brand name can help develop the consumer‟s loyalty to a specific brand or product. It also gives the consumers different feelings about different products or services. Noun is the most frequently used in advertisements. 53
54. (The New York Time) For English plural nouns in advertisements, even though a customer only orders one meal at a time in a restaurant, the sign should read meals, as in "Home Cooked Meals". The same is true for apples, oranges and bananas in "Apples, $2.25/kg. Items sold one at a time are still plural, but may have each after the price, if customers usually buy more than one, "candy bars, $1.00 each," "pumpkins, $2.99 each." ,"haircuts $10.00." Another unit of measure may be used after the noun, "two-bedroom apartments, $799/month", "candy, $1.50/bag". Compound nouns are often seen in advertisements instead of completely long sentence. For example: 54
55. news.com Kodak Single-use-cameras take pictures where you wouldn‟t normally take your camera. Here, copywriter uses the compound word skillfully and describes both the capability and function of the product incisively and vividly. 2.4. Pronouns Pronouns of the first and second person: we, I and you outnumber the other pronouns in advertisements. It is because that you, we and I help create a friend- like intimate atmosphere to move and persuade the audience. Advertisements with lots of pronouns of the first and second person are called gossip advertisements. Here, gossip has not the least derogative meaning. It originates from old English god sib, meaning friendly chats between women. Advertisements that go like talking with friends closely link the advertisement and the audience. The audience 55
56. will easily accept a product, a service or an idea as if a good friend recommended them. (People) Sometimes, we use infinitive pronouns, such as: all, everyone, none, nothing and so on in order to deflect the extraordinary characteristics of a particular commodity or it has been spending and receiving most of people. ( “Our finest time” It is about a well-known red wine. A pair of lover drinks together at romantic atmosphere. Though pronouns of the first and second person are popular in advertisements, there are some differences in the use of these pronouns in difference kinds of advertisements. The first person we almost never occur in daily consumer goods 56
57. advertisements and technical equipment advertisements, whereas we are used in almost the service advertisements. The following is an example: There are two factors to explain the phenomenon. First, in daily consumer goods advertisements and technical equipment advertisements, a product is the focus of information. When the product needs to be mentioned, “It” is used, and in most cases, the brand name is used, even repeated to impress the readers. However, in service advertisements, service is actually the product. Since service is intangible, we can be regarded as the replacement of the service. Second, it is more necessary for service advertisements to create a friend-like atmosphere, because winning trust is the first thing service advertisements want to do. 3. Sentence 57
58. The purpose of all advertising is to familiarize consumers with or remind them of the benefits of particular products in the hope of increasing sales, and the techniques used by advertisers do not vary markedly. An advertisement is often merely glimpsed in passing and so, to be effective, its message must be colorful, legible, understandable and memorable. Thus, the length of a sentence in advertising is usually short. 3.1. Sentence structures Simple sentences and elliptical sentences are often used in advertisements. Compared with complex sentences, simple sentences are more understandable and forceful. Elliptical sentences are actually incomplete in structure but complete in meaning. It can be used to avoid redundancy, to give prominence to a message, to narrow the intervals of communication, to simplify the procedure of expression, and to intensify the linguistic effect, etc. The adoption of elliptical sentences can spare more print space, and take less time for readers to finish reading. In addition, a group of sentence fragments may gain special advertising effectiveness. Therefore, skillful arrangement of elliptical sentences may add color to a sentence. For example: 58
59. (Equipment News) The words in this advertisement is very simple and oral. It uses the slang “gotta”, which means “got to” in America English, to give an impression that this advertisement comes from the real life. In advertisements, complex sentences are not often used because they will most likely frustrate readers in understanding the advertiser‟s message because of their trickiness and obscurity. 3.2. Sentence patterns The most frequently used sentence patterns are statements, commands, interrogative sentences and exclamations. Statements, especially simple statements, are the most frequently used in advertising. Well-composed statements will give the readers a very deep impression. 59
60. www.people.co.uk In this advertisement, all the sentences are simple statements. They are clear enough to show the capability and quality. They also stimulate the readers‟ desire and help realize the function of advertising - do well in selling. Often in advertisements, the imperative form of the verb is used, where we are told to do something. For example: 'try the ', 'see your dealer', 'call your State Distributor' Interrogative sentences and imperative sentences are heavily used in English advertisements. Imperative sentences are short, encouraging and forceful. They are used to arouse audiences‟ wants or encourage them to buy something. For instance: 60
61. In the explanation of the high frequency of the use of interrogative sentences, G.N. Leech (1997:77) discusses two main functions of interrogative sentences. Viewing from the angle of psychology, interrogative sentences divided the process of information receiving into two phases by first raising a question and then answering it. Thus, it turns the passive receiving into active understanding. From the linguistic angle, interrogative sentences decrease the grammatical difficulty, because they are usually short in advertisements. www.nydailynews.com 61
62. 4. Tense and Voice 4.1. Tense Present tense prevails in most advertisements because present tense implies a universal timelessness. www.nytimes.com On the rare occasions where the past tense and the present perfect tense is used, it stresses the long traditions associated with a product, such as “We’ve taken our whisky in many ways, but always seriously”; or emphasizes its reliability, such as “We’ve solved a long-standing problem,”; or makes an appeal to authority, such as “Eight out of ten owners said their cats preferred it.” 4.2. Voice The active voice is very popular in advertisement and the passive is usually avoided because the passive voice gives the audience an indirect and unnatural feeling. In daily communication, passive voice is seldom used; so is in advertisements. 62
63. www.usatoday.com 5. Pun and Repetition 5.1. Pun Puns are very popular in advertisements because they attract the attention of bored recipients, saturated with advertisements. Pun is an amusing use of a word or phrase that has two meanings, which is called Polysemy, or of words with the same sound but different meanings, which is called Homonymy. Pun, the game of words, will leave a deep impression on readers by its readability, wit, and humor. However, to make a successful and impressive pun is not easy. Except for its own meaning, the word used as a pun is usually closely related to the characteristics of a certain product or the brand name of the product. Such coincidence does not occur often. Here I present several classic pun- used advertisements. For example: 63
64. (Newsweek) “Spring” and “More” in these example are names of products. By using pun, advertisements will be easily remembered by the readers. In addition, filled with wit and humor, puns help the advertised product win favor from readers. 5.2. Repetition Advertisements tend to repeat words or ideas. Something repeated frequently is 64
65. more likely to be remembered. Most often, it is the brand name of the product, or some word associated with it. In some advertisements, the copywriters often use the method of repetition to stress certain information. For example: ( Here, “sipping” is repeated two times, which makes reader be attracted and easily remember the advertisement. Alliteration is the use of words that begin with the same sound in order to make a special communicative effect. Usually they are pleasing to ears because of the clever choice of the word by the advertiser. In addition, the repetition of the beginning sound emphasizes the meaning the advertisement wants to express. 6. Simile and Metaphor Smile and metaphor are used in advertisements to illustrate the characteristics of the advertised products or services. 6.1. Simile A simile is a figure of speech which makes a comparison between two unlike elements having at least one quality or characteristic in common. In advertisements, simile means that copywriters compare two unlike things, often in a phrase introduced by like or as. For example: Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine. (Orange juice) 6.2. Metaphor Metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates 65
66. one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison. For example: This advertisement for a McDonald's hamburger plays with the double meaning of piece of meat. When that expression is used about a person, it means they are being thought of only in terms of how their body could be used for sex. This is related to meat market, slang for a bar or other place people go primarily to find sexual partners. The smaller text on the bottom continues the metaphor of the hamburger as a sexy person: "You can look but you can't touch. OK. You can touch. But can you handle me? Check out my dimensions. Two all beef patties and juicy all over." Another example: “It's a country rich in art, with a wealth of museums. Blessed by year round good 66
67. weather, Spain is a magnet for sun worshippers and holidaymakers.” (Spain Traveling Advertisement) CHAPTER III: IMPLICATION OF THE STUDY 1. Some problems in reading English advertisements in Foreign Newspapers For those who learn English as a second language, it is not easy at all to catch all messages of English advertisements. During reading progress, the most serious difficulties, in my opinion, will be mentioned as following: 1.1. New words It is not new words as we meet in English study every day, I mean here, in some of advertisements, the copywriter misspells some words on purpose, or adds some suffix or prefix to the common words. Although the new words still keep the original meanings, they are quite different from the original words both in writing and in spelling. However, advertisers are fond of doing that because it makes the advertisement more vivid, interesting and attractive. For example: Give a Timex to all, and to all a good time. Timex = time + excellent. In English advertising the suffix ex is often added to the root, showing the good quality of a product. In addition, “good time” here has a double meaning: it may mean “pleasant time” or showing the time exactly Come to our fruice. Fruice = fruit + juice. This newly coined word arouses people‟s attention by its 67
68. novelty in form. The Orangemostest Drink in the world. When one reads or hears this example, he or she may think Orangemostest is a wrong word, but actually it is deliberately created by the advertiser, Orangemostest in this advertisement consists of three parts: orange, most and est. It is well-known that orange juice is a popular drink liked by the old and the young for its nutrition and thirsty-quenching quality. Two superlatives most and est are added to orange so as to stress the best quality of this product Kwik-Kwik transport service. In this example, the author makes clever use of a witty, strange and eye-catching word “Kwik-Kwik”, which sounds like “quick - quick”, and is very attractive to customers. The reduced letters seem to show urgency and quick service to the customers. Coinages of this kind are nowhere to be found in dictionaries, but they seem familiar to readers in appearance. One can guess their meanings by means of the context without help of dictionaries. When customers come across newly coined words their interest is stimulated, and they want to go on reading and take action. Thus, the aim of advertising is reached. But coinages must be well based on after-taste and implication, stressing the novelty and uniqueness of the products, without which coinages can produce little effect and will be meaningless. Misspelling some common words is also a clever use of coinages. Now let‟s see the following example: We know eggsactly how to tell eggs. “eggsactly” not only has the similar pronunciation as “exactly”, but it has connections with the last word “eggs” in this sentence, thus impressing people a great deal Drinka Pinta Milka Day. 68
69. This is an ad of milk. The correct forms of these three words are “ Drink, Pint, Milk ”. The sentence in standard grammar should be “Drink a pint of Milk a day.” The pronunciation of “of ” is similar to that of “a”, so the advertiser misspells it as above-quoted, which not only attracts consumers‟ attention to the advertisement, but also achieves beauty and rhythm of the ad‟s language Twogether! The Ultimate All Inclusive One-Brice Sun- kissed Holiday. This is an advertisement providing a couple with a holiday inn. “Twogether ” and “together” are similar both in spelling and pronunciation. “To” is misspelled as “Two” on purpose by the advertiser to indicate that the couple could get the romantic yesterday once more if they spend their holiday together in this inn. Psychologically, emotion between lovers tends to become common and ordinary on the surface after a long period, “Twogether” here can remind them of the romantic time in the past. This advertisement is just to cater for such a need and such psychology. Depending on the specific goods, copywriters sometimes borrow the language of origin countries. Thus, understanding advertisement, we also know about the culture of countries, which goods come from. For example: Order it in bottles or in cans. Perrier with added je ne sais quoi. The meaning of “je ne sais quoi” is “I don‟t know what”. The purpose to use this simple French is to show the French flavor of this drink. The loanwords in some advertisement are good methods to express the exoticism of the products. We conclude from the above examples that newly created words vividly express the desirable features, qualities, or functions of the product or service being advertised. 69
70. 1.2. Special sentences The second problem I have to count, because the advertisement fees are so high, sentences are always cut as short as possible to reduce the cost. For example: To Let or For Sale. Enter something magical. (Oldmobile) More than a timepiece, an acquisition. (Piagit watch) 2. Some suggestions to overcome the problems In this part, I would like to give some ideas to read English advertisements more effectively. First, make sure that you always improve your English to limit new words or new structure. Then, during reading process, when you come across a word you do not know, see if you can figure out its meaning from the context. Look at the way the word is made up, with its letters and syllables. Does it remind you of any words you already know? What parts of it are familiar? Many words in the English language are made up of common roots they share with other words. You may be able to deduce the meaning of the new word from the way the syllables are put together and the way it is used. You should consult a dictionary to be sure. However, you had better try to guess meanings between sentences, not to look up them in dictionary right away. This also can increase your reading speed. If your guessing is wrong, do not give up. Keep reading, you will encounter the words several times to become familiar with them and know to use them in context. Language is always evolving and new words are being created every day. New words can come from technology, from scientific discoveries, from other languages, from culture, and from the streets. Thus, if you want to enrich your English, follow the advice I give you: READ, READ, and READ. 70
71. PART THREE: CONCLUSION In modern society, with the help of mass media, advertising has already permeated into various aspects of human life. Every day, people have to read, hear or watch a large number of advertisements no matter whether they like or not. However, advertisements arouse more and more people to concern, as well as the advertising researchers. My graduation paper puts emphasis on English advertising language in foreign newspapers with the hope that this study will help learners in improving their English, especially, give some assistance to those whom are studying or working for advertising English. The rationale, aims, methods, scope and design of the study are mentioned in part one with the aim that the readers could have an overview of my study. Part two includes three chapters. Based on the theoretical background of English language and advertisement in chapter I, chapter II simply analyze some language features; concluding features of words and phrases, parts of speech, sentence, tense and voice, pun and repetition, simile and metaphor; of English advertisements in foreign newspapers. Then, some difficulties in reading process and some suggestions are given in chapter III. Part three summarizes main ideas mentioned in previous parts and gives some suggestions for further study. From this study, it can be concluded that English in advertising is very interesting but very large thesis to study. Some suggestions drawn from this study for further research: study advertising English in some other media such as television, radio, posters, Internet, etc. 71
72. At last, due to the limitation of time and knowledge, and the poor of experience, mistakes are unavoidable in this paper. All remarks, contribution are deeply welcome and highly appreciated. References 1. Bloch, B. & Trager, G.L. (1942). Outline of Linguistic Analysis. Batimore: Linguistic Society of America/Waverly Press. 2. Chomsky, N. (1957). Syntatic Structures. The Hague: Mouton. 3. Gove, P.B. (1976). Webster's third new international dictionary of the English language. Merriam, Springfield, MA, USA. 4. Hall, R.A. (1968). An Essay on Language. Philadelphia & New York: Chilton Books. 5. Leech, G. N. (1966). English in Advertising. London: Longman. 6. Lyons, J. (1981). Language and Linguistics. Cambridge University Press 7. Robins, R.H. (1979). General Linguistics: An Introductory Survey. London: Longman. 8. Sapir, E. (1921). Language. New York: Harcourt Brace. 9. Schulte, J.D. (2009). Direct Marketing Toolkit for Small and Home based Business. National Mail Order Association 72
73. Retrieved on 2009-04- 20. 570210044EEA7?opendocument&vendor=none. Retrieved on 2009-04-20. Retrieved on 2009-04-20 73