从关联理论角度分析商品广告中隐喻的应用_英语论文

Applications of Metaphor in Product Advertising From the Perspective of Relevance Theory

摘要

本文是以关联理论为基础，从语用学视角通过一系列例子来研究隐喻在商品广告中的是如何理解的，并解释了广告主选择隐喻这种策略来构建成功的话语的原因。隐喻是基于事物间的相似性而产生的，而相似性的获得，受语境和人们认知能力等因素的影响，但是因为任何话语都是有关联性的，寻求隐喻相似性的过程就是寻求事物关联性的过程。关联理论是“每一个明示交际行动,都传递一种假定：该行动本身具备最佳关联性”。这个交际的成功之处不仅仅在于听者可以理解话语的语言意义,更重要的是如果表达者做出了明示行为,听者可以推理出其真正的意图。因此，广告商希望受众可以从语境中推理并得到暗含意义。

关键词：隐喻；商品广告；关联理论

Abstract

Based on relevance theory, this paper analyzes how metaphors can be understood from the perspective of pragmatics through a number of examples of product advertising and explains why advertisers choose this strategy to attract the public to ensure a successful communication. Metaphor is based on the similarity between things and similarity of the acquisition is subject to context and people's cognitive ability and other factors, but because any discourse is related to the similarity of the process of seeking metaphor, which is just to seek the process of relevancy. Relevance theory is "every ostensive communication action, passing a hypothesis: the action itself has the optimal relevance." The success of this communication not only lies in that the hearer can understand the linguistic meaning of discourse, more importantly, if the expresser makes ostensive behavior, the hearer can reason the real intention. Thus, Advertisers want audience to be able to infer from the context and obtain the implied meaning.

Keywords: metaphor; product advertising; relevance theory

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 1

2.1 Previous studies on metaphor 2

2.2 An overview of product advertising 3

2.3 An introduction to relevance theory 4

3. Applictions of Metaphor in Product Advertising 6

3.1 Definition of metaphor 6

3.2 Analysis of metaphor in product advertising 7

4. Applications of Relevance Theory to Metaphor in Product Advertising 8

4.1 Applications of ostensive-inferential to metaphor in product advertising 9

4.2 Applications of optimal relevance to metaphor in product advertising 10

4.3 Applications of cognitive context to metaphor in product advertising 10

5. Conclusion 11

Works Cited 13