2 Advertising Language And Rhetoric
2.1 Definition of Advertising Language
What is advertising language? To some extent, advertising language is a kind of tool that advertisers use to present all the commodity information to the public so as to let them accept the commercial information and become consumers. The elaborate advertisements aiming at women can be called female advertisements. Thus it is not difficult to find from this definition that the fundamental purpose of advertising language is to make consumers familiar with the products. British linguist Torben (1992) summarized functions of advertising language as: 1) function of spreading information; 2) persuasion function; 3) function of building image; 4) function of stimulating consumption.
2.2 The Overview of Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the study to research rhetoric, which belongs to the category of linguistics. Rhetoric is one artistic skill to enhance words’ effect. To understand the nature, scope and characteristic of one theory or something else, we usually need to take a look at the definition of it.
Rhetoric refers to a kind of activity which is based on the situation, using various performance devices and methods to improve the express effect of language. Ever-changing rhetorical activities include various rules and disciplines. It is common, stable, and suitable to different people in different places of different time and it won’t change according to inpidual subjective wills.
Rhetoric is a kind of linguistic science to research the rules which are used to improve the expression effect of language. It is one science that regards rhetoric activities as its research object. It is part of the linguistics, and it is an independent branch of learning. Its research object includes the social function of language and the problem——how to effectively use it. It is a theoretical subject, and it is also an application course. It has more practical value than phonetics, semantics and grammar. It is the bridge between the society and the micro internal structure linguistics. It is a window through which linguistics confronts the society. It has very close relationship with literature, arts, logic, and so on.
Figures of speech occupy an important position in rhetoric. The figures of speech have bright national characteristics and extensive sociality, which is created and developed in the long-term rhetorical practice. The figures of speech is the accumulation and summary of expression and expression forms of rhetoric language, and it is also owns the widest general public foundation in rhetoric. The figures of speech is the essence of the artistic language, and it is also the important foundation of language’s innovation and development. The figures of speech is the focus of research in rhetoric.
3 Rhetoric Applied in Female Advertising Language
English and Chinese advertisements are universally brief and are both use concise expression and dramatic language. They always have strong rhetoric figures and many of them use various rhetoric forms.
3.1 Application of Figures of Speech in Female Advertising Language
The figures of speech is one device of language expression, which is formed gradually in the long-term process of organizing, adjusting, and beautifying language, so as to improve the expression effects of language. Generally speaking, all the rhetoric figures of speech own special structure, specific methods and specific functions. In addition, they also have the conventional mode that can be accepted by the public. This part will focus on the analysis of the figure of speech used in the female advertising language, so as to make us understand this kind of advertising well.
3.1.1 Application of Pun
Joel Sherzer said:“A pun is g form of speech play in which g word or phrase unexpectedly and simultaneously combines .There was a very large lady in our town and she wore a dress sized 16,I knew her when she young,but she had a much smaller size,why do you think she is wearing a size 16? I guess it’s just 8+8(ate+ ate).”(2002:53) 修辞学角度下的女性商品广告的语言分析(3):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_8566.html