摘要

广告是一种非常重要的信息交流手段，它对人们的消费观产生了很大影响。当代社会中，模糊语言在英语广告中普遍使用。这是广告人为了达到某些目的而故意使用的宣传手段——说服顾客相信他们产品的真实性及效果，而使他们最终购买这种产品。本文从格莱斯的合作原则来解读英语广告中模糊语的使用效果。广告作为一种顾客与商家之间的特殊交流形式，理所应当遵循合作原则。但在很多种情况下，广告人不遵循合作原则，恰恰是有意违反来达成目的。这就需要广告商把握一定的尺度，这样才不会欺骗消费者。而消费者也应当正确解读广告中的模糊现象，从而进行有选择的理智消费。

关键词：英语广告；模糊语言；合作原则；遵循合作原则；有意违反合作原则；正确解读

Abstract

Advertising is a very important way of communication, which has great influence on people's value of consumption. In modern society, vagueness is widely used in English advertising. It is used on purpose by advertisers to achieve some specific goals—to persuade customers to believe in the truth and the effect of their products, and then, let customers buy their products as many as possible. This paper is to analyze the effects of vagueness from CP. In daily communication, we observe CP to make sure of regular communication. It takes for granted that advertisers should observe the maxims, because advertising is a special form of communication. Under such circumstances, advertisers always deliberately violate CP to realize their aims. Advertisers should apply vague expressions to advertisements properly so that they won't cheat customers. Meanwhile, customers should learn to decode the vagueness in English advertising from the perspective of CP, and purchase goods rationally.

Key words: English advertisement; vague expressions; Cooperative Principle (CP);observing the CP ; violating the CP; decoding correctly

1 Introduction

In modern society, advertising is an important method to introduce and promote the products. People can see advertisements almost everywhere. They are on TV, on walls, on magazines and so on. They play an important part in influencing customers' decisions whether to buy them or not. Can it have so large effect? What's the functions of advertisement? First, it let you get some knowledge of the products. Only after you get familiar with products, it is possible for you to buy them next. Second, it is persuasive. It arouses deep interest of customers and persuades them to buy products. Here comes the question. How can an advertisement become persuasive? How can it make customers to buy products just after reading the Ads? Some special means are used, such as using figures of speech, or vague language. This paper is going to make a research on the usage of vagueness in advertising.