针对中文自媒体广告中英文流行语的语用分析_英语论文

A Pragmatic Analysis of English Memes in Chinese We-Media Advertising

摘要

中国自媒体的兴起正引发国内广告语的革新，其显著表现为：诸多英文流行语涌现于中文广告中。作为语用学研究热门领域的广告语，国内外已有不少文献从语用角度对其进行了广泛而深入的研究。但着眼于广告言语流行风现象的文献却并不多见，而当中剖析广告中引用外文流行语风潮的研究尤其甚微。由是，本论文意欲在相关语用原则构建的理论框架下，通过比较法以及案例分析，解读英文流行语“进驻”中文自媒体广告该现象中所蕴含的语用功能和语用动机。

本研究对收集的自媒体广告语样本进行定性研究；从四个语用原则主体切入，论证语用功能是如何体现在以引入英文流行语为显著特征的广告革新中的。此外，本文通过对比分析并参考典型案例推敲新兴广告语，从语用角度探讨英文流行语在中文广告语境中对广告效应的促进，将其语用动机归纳为：增添广告趣味，突出广告重点，增强广告说服力三方面。

本研究的意义在于对当下风靡自媒体的中文广告语境中插入英文流行语这一语用现象作了较为全面地剖析。针对其中语用功能与动机进行解码，为自媒体广告制作人提供了新思路，同时也为消费者解读新兴广告语给予了启示。

关键词：语用功能；语用动机；英文流行语；中文自媒体广告

Abstract 

The explosive growth of We-Media platforms in China has innovated advertising language with one remarkable feature as English Memes are employed in the context of Chinese advertisements. Despite plenty of extensive studies home and abroad on advertising from pragmatic perspective, few have touched on memetic phenomenon in advertisements and even fewer are based on pieces with memes in a foreign language. The main body of this thesis, therefore, is devoted to revealing pragmatic functions and motivations underlying this new trend.

This thesis conducts the qualitative analysis on collected samples and slogans from We-Media ads. It mainly elaborates on illustrating the embodiment of four major pragmatic principles applied in the innovation of Chinese ads with English Memes. Moreover, through comparison and case study, the conclusion indicates that pragmatic motivations are evoked by the purpose of marketers in enhancing interestingness function, emphasis function and persuasion function.

The significance of the present study resides in its initiative to look into English Memes, which are motivated by rapid development of We-Media, in Chinese advertising context. With the aim at decoding English Memes in Chinese advertising from the perspective of pragmatics, this thesis provides guidance for those who are engaged in the creation of We-Media advertising and sheds new lights on the pragmatic interpretation of Chinese advertisements.

Keywords: Pragmatic functions; Pragmatic motivations; English Memes; Chinese We-Media advertising

Contents

Chapter One: Introduction 1

1.1 Background Information 1

1.2 Literature Review 1

1.2.1 Relevant work on socio-pragmatic perspective 1

1.2.2 Previous domestic researches on pragmatic principles applied in advertising 1

1.2.3 Literature studies on Memes in advertising in the same language 2

1.3 Research Questions 3

1.4 Methodology 4

Chapter Two: 4

Major Pragmatic Principles Underlying English Memes in We-Media Ads 4

2.1 General classification of English Memes in Chinese We-Media ads 4

2.1.1 English Memes with meaning and function remaining the same 4

2.1.2 English Memes with meaning enriched or syntactic functions reformed 4

2.1.3 Homophony—English Memes coined according to Chinese phonetic transcription 5

2.1.4 Analogy—English Memes derived from substituting certain parts of original pattern 5

2.1.5 Abbreviation—English Memes made by leaving out some of the letters 5

2.2 Presupposition & Vagueness 5

2.3 Cooperative Principle & Implicature 6

2.3.1 Maxim of Quantity 6

2.3.2 Maxim of Manner 6

2.4 Politeness Principle & Face-saving Theory 7

2.4.1 Tact Maxim 7

2.4.2 Sympathy Maxim 7

2.5 Code-switching 7

Chapter Three: Pragmatic Motivations for English Memes Popularizing in Chinese Ads Online 8

3.1 Comparison between traditional advertising and We-Media ads with English Memes 8

3.2 Pragmatic analysis of reasons for English Memes in Chinese We-Media ads 8

3.2.1 Enhancing Interestingness Function 9

3.2.2 Enhancing Emphasis Function 10

3.2.3 Enhancing Persuasion Function 10

Chapter Four: Conclusion 11

References 12