The Comparative Analysis Between English and Chinese Advertising Language

【Abstract】With the rapid development of economy， advertisements are seen everywhere. Meanwhile， language plays an important role in strengthening the advertisements expressive force. Owing to many factors， Chinese and English advertisements have different styles and features. Thus， comparing Chinese and English advertising language is helpful to understand and use them better. This article will focus on the language similarities and differences between them.

【Key words】English and Chinese advertising language； differences； similarities.

Chapter One Introduction

1.1 Background

Under the wave of globalization， advertisements can be expressed through various channels， from which people can learn the latest fashion and information. Advertising language displays a relationship of language and culture. Thus， there exist many differences between English and Chinese advertising language. While， advertisement itself possess common values， such as attention， memory， expressive value， selling power and readability.

1.2 Purpose

The thesis has two objectives. On the one hand， it explores the differences in Chinese and English advertising language. On the other hand， it demonstrates the common features they share.

Chapter Two Literature Review

2.1 Definition

The term “advertise” originated from the Latin word “advertere”， meaning “draw peoples attention to something”. Later， it turned into “advertise”，meant“inform somebody something and catch his attention”.Gradually， advertising has been endowed with different meanings. The most widely accepted one was “the non-personal communication of information usually paid for and usually persuasive in nature about products， service， or ideas by identified sponsors through various media”（Bovee & Aren，1992：7）In conclusion，we define advertising is a paid， persuasive marketing tool used by identified sponsors for the promotion of products and services.

2.2 Previous studies on advertising language abroad

The book English in Advertising： A Linguistic Study of Advertising in Britain written by Geoffery Leech （1976） is regarded as the first study of advertising language. Collected 672 advertisements from television， Leech made a full-scale analysis on the linguistics features， vocabularies and rhetoric devices used.In recent years， many researchers focus on the comparison between different countries advertisements，such as America， Canada， and China etc.

2.3 Previous studies on advertising language at home

The study of advertising language in China is relatively a new one.The first period counted from the Reform and Opening-up to 1990s. Scholars studied advertising language from grammar， lexical， and rhetoric devices. Wang Chen（1986）s Primary Discussion on Advertising Language is counted as the representatives. Then ， the 21st century is regarded as the “Silver Age”. China has been one of the members of WTO， advertisements were put in international markets. Studies stressed how to write and translate attractive international advertisements in globalization.

Chapter Three Methodology

3.1 Research questions

3.1.1 What are the common language features in English and Chinese advertising language？

（1） What are the common lexical features ？

（2） What are the common rhetorical devices？

3.1.2 How do English and Chinese advertising language differ？

（1） How do they differ in phonetic？

（2） How do they differ in lexical？

3.2 Data

This research bases on the collection of Chinese and English advertisements which cover the recent fifteen years. Its impossible to keep records of each advertisements. Thus， the researcher here collect as many as advertisements as possible.

Chapter Four Results and Discussion

4.1 Similarities

4.1.1 Common lexical features

（1） Frequent use of monosyllabic verbs

Monosyllabic verbs are simple and short which convey clear meaning to people and make advertisements vivid. For instance： “Start Ahead”（Rejoice） “Make yourself heard”（Ericcson） Obey your thirst.（Sprite） 高品質，好滋味。（太太乐鸡精）全心全意，小天鹅。（小天鹅电器）

（2） Frequent use of adjectives

Adjectives are important modifiers in advertising，which often appear in comparative or superlative forms.The use of adjectives is not only an effective way to stress the quality of products， but also stimulates customers consuming desires.For example：The taste is great.（Nescafe）； Lets make things better. （Philips） 大家好才是真的好。（好迪洗发水）；更轻，更薄，更暖。（七匹狼服饰）

4.2.2 Common rhetorical devices

Rhetorical devices are usually used in literal works to make language lively and grab peoples attention.

（1） Puns

Puns are used to play the humorous effect in both English and Chinese advertising language. The word contains at least two different meanings. Chinese and English advertisements are rich in puns. For example： Coke refreshes you like no other can.（Coca-Cola） Here， can is used as a pun， which refers to an aluminum can used to hold a kind of beverage like Coca-Cola and Pepsi. If can refers to modal verb， then it could be interpreted as Coke refreshes you like no other drinks can refresh you. “万紫千红谁裁出，飞燕剪出春光来”（飞燕剪刀） Here，“飞燕”not only means to swallows， but also to pair of scissors named as “飞燕”.

（2） Repetition

Repetition is a powerful rhetorical device to create good rhythm to make the language musical，attractive and memorable. By repeating the major words， advertisers make an ever-lasting impression on consumers. For example：Stay first class， drive first class. （Hotel）The repetition of first class highlight its high-level service.非常可乐，你乐我乐，大家乐。（非常可乐广告）By repeating “乐”，it stress the enjoyment of the drink it.The consumers purchasing desire is motivated.

4.2 The differences

4.2.1 Phonetic Differences

（1） The use of Homonym in Chinese advertising language

In Chinese words， homonym is widespread. It aims to transform the meaning and concept. While， its hard to find homonym in English words. For example：“趁早下‘斑请勿‘痘留” is a cosmetics companys advertisement. It changed “班” and“逗”to “斑”and “痘”to imply its effect is to remove beverage and acne. It is easy for consumers to understand and remember it.

（2） The different use of alliteration and rhyme

After having done lots of researches， researchers found that Chinese makes great use of end rime， while English tends to employ alliteration. For example：Hi-Fi， Hi-Fun， Hi-Fashion， only from SONY.（SONY）； The more you learn， the more you know； the more you know， the more you forget. The more you forget， the less you know. So why bother to learn？ “鉆石恒久远，一颗永流传。”（迪比尔斯钻石）“精心送给妈，需要理由吗？”（静心口服液）

4.2.2 Lexical variations

（1） People tends to create new English words

English is inflectional language. Its convenient for people to create new words by using prefix or suffix and other word-building methods. Thus， advertisers make a new word which is suitable for the advertisement.It not only makes the advertisements become interesting， but also conveys major information effectively. While Chinese is atomic language， its impossible for people to create new characters. For example： “Fresh-up with seven-up.”（Seven-Up） Here， in order to match the name of the brand seven-up， advertiser create a new word fresh-up. It also shows the feature of the drink，give you a kind feeling of refreshment.

（2） People take full advantages of the configuration of Chinese characters

Chinese character is a unity of pictograph， ideograph and phonology which advertisers can make full use. However， English words dont possess this trait. For example“歪孬甭”is the advertisement of correction fluid. The advertiser erase “不”to highlight the product is easy to use. That is “正好用”. This also conforms to the products purpose which is to correct mistakes in writing.

Chapter Five Conclusion

5.1 Findings

Since the development of economic， people see and hear advertisements whenever and wherever. On the one hand， the paper clarifies their common features in lexical， syntactic. On the other hand， it points out the phonetic and lexical differences. They root in different culture and confront different groups customers.In conclusion， they share similarities and differences. These findings help advertisers to promote their products in different regions. On the other hand， customers can understand different advertisements better.

5.2 Limitations

Despite the achievements mentioned， the study is far from satisfaction.Firstly， culture is a complex concept which almost includes and affects almost all aspects. So， it s unlikely to cover all factors which lead to the differences.Secondly， the paper mainly focuses on some advertisements which are put on the television， leaving other kinds， such as internet and radio advertisements.

References：

[1]Geoffery Leech（1996）.English in Advertising：A Linguistic Study of Advertising in Britain London：Longman，pp.xiv + 210.

[2]Gillian Dyer（1993）.Advertising as Communication Taylor&Francis Ebooks.

[3]Luo S.M[羅素梅]（1993）.Exploration for the Figure of Speech of Advertising English 1993.

[4]Qi Y.F[戚云方]（2003）.Advertisements and advertising language.Zhejiang University Press.

作者简介：程子润（1997.6-），女，汉族，安徽安庆人，本科，主要研究方向：英语语言学。