2.2 Similarities at the lexical level

In order to make the information accessible to audience effectively, the choice of words in advertising is very cautious and skillful. The aim of the advertiser is quite specific. He wishes to capture the attention of the members of a mass audience and by means of impressive words to persuade them to buy a product or behave in a particular way, such as going to Hawaii for all their holiday needs. Both linguistic and psychological aspects are taken into consideration in the choice of words. Sharing the same purpose of advertising－to familiarize or remind consumers of the benefits of particular products in the hope of increasing sales, the techniques used at the lexical level by advertisers do not vary markedly. The following points are some prominent similarities.

2.2.1 Few verbs are used

        G. N. Leech, English linguist, lists 20 most used verbs in his English In Advertising: Linguistic study of Advertising In Great Britain (方薇, 1997:20). They are: make, get, give, have, see, buy, come, go, know, keep, look, need, love, use, feel, like, choose, take, start, taste.

        All these verbs listed above are also popular in the corpus we built.

    You will often read such sentences in an advertisement:

    Buy x. Use it. We make… X will give you what you need. You’ll love x. Get x. Fox  example:

        We’ll make this quick. (Hertz Car Return)

    Get great coverage that’s so weightless and water-fresh. (ALMAY)

    All you need is a taste for adventure. (Millstone Coffee)

    You’ll love it even more with the 2.1 megapixel C-2000 ZOOM. (Olympus Camera)

    Don’t have much of a personality? Buy one. (Honda Motor)

        …

All these frequently used verbs are monosyllabic and most of them have Anglo-Saxon origin that is the common core of English vocabulary. Linguistic study shows English native speakers tend to use words of Anglo-Saxon origin, because native words have comparably stable meaning. In advertising, these simple words can win the consumers by their exact, effective expression and a kind of closeness. Etymological studies show that the 20 verbs listed before, except use and taste which are from ancient French, all are Anglo-Saxon origin. Even the two words, use and taste have long become indispensable lexical items in the stock of common core vocabulary of the English people, developing their stable meaning and usage.

   2.2.2 Use of emotive words

A close scrutiny of recent advertisements suggests that the soft-sell technique is now popular. By soft-sell technique we mean the one that favors a more emotive and less directive approach to promote a product, mainly focusing on the building of brand image. As a result, emotive words, most of which are pleasant adjectives, are greatly encouraged to use.

       Data from the corpus shows that the most frequently used adjectives are as follows:

    new, good/better/best, fresh, free, delicious, sure, full, clean, wonderful, special, crisp, real,  fine, great, safe, and rich.

These adjectives help to build a pleasant picture in readers’ minds and manage to create a belief in the potential consumer: If I buy this product or if I choose this service, I will lead a better life. In addition, comparatives and superlatives occur to highlight the advantage of a certain product or service. For example:

Nothing comes closer to home. (Vegetable and Chicken Pasta Bake)

Think Lysol is the best disinfecting spray. (Disinfecting Spray)

 The world’s coolest CDs aren’t made in New York, London or L.A. They are made in my      apartment. (Philips CD Recorder)

The Compaq Armada family is lighter, with new rounded edges for easier packing. (Compaq)

…

    2.2.3 Make pun and alliteration

Pun is an amusing use of a word or phrase that has two meanings which is called Polysemy or of words with the same sound but different meanings which is called Homonymy. Pun, the game of words, will leave a deep impression on readers by its readability, wit, and humor. However, to make a successful and impressive pun is not easy. Except for its own meaning, the word used as a pun is usually closely related to the characteristics of a certain product or the brand name of the product. Such coincidence doesn’t occur often. Here we present several classic pun- used advertisements. For example:

    Give your hair a touch of spring.

Ask for more. (More is a famous brand of cigarette)

Give your business the sharp edge. (Sharp Corporation)

    …

    By using pun, advertisements will be easily remembered by the readers. In addition, filled with wit and humor, puns help the advertised product win favor from readers.

       Alliteration is the use of words that begin with the same sound in order to make a special communicative effect. Usually they are pleasing to ears because of the clever choice of the word by the advertiser. In addition, the repetition of the beginning sound emphasizes the meaning the advertisement wants to express. The follo

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