關于英文廣告中語用預設的研究

韓曉加

【摘要】廣告通常用簡潔的言語表達豐富的內容并使人們快速了解產品。其運行機制便是是語用預設。具體而言，這歸功于語用預設的兩個特殊性：合適性和共知性。這些特征使得廣告更具有說服力。本文通過對所收集的最新廣告語料中語用預設的特征、功能和分類的分析來探究廣告用語中的運行機制，從而幫助人們更好地明白廣告的用意，防止陷入廣告的花言巧語之中。

【關鍵詞】廣告 語用預設 語用預設分類及功能

【Abstract】 That ads use concise words to express more can make people completely learn the product. The operating mechanism is the use of pragmatic presuppositions. More specifically， it is the two main special properties of pragmatic presupposition： felicity and common ground. This article tried to explore the mechanism of ads by analyzing their characteristics， classifications and functions with the new database and then help people understand the art of ads and avoid getting lured by the advertisement.

【Key words】Ads； Pragmatic presuppositions； Classifications and functions

1. Introduction

Ads are a kind of special communicative means. Pragmatic presuppositions offer ads skills to achieve its value.

Pragmatic presupposition is “something the speaker assumes to be the case prior to making an utterance， or a message precondition for the processing of any communication”. The article gives a new angle to analyze the mechanism of ads.

2. Literature Review

Peccei regards presupposition as “ inferences about what is assumed to be true in the utterance rather than directly asserted to be true”.

He illustrated two basic properties： Appropriateness and Common Ground. Appropriateness regards the context as the precondition in a speech event. Common ground is the shared knowledge of the speaker and the hearer in a conversation.

3. Classifications of pragmatic presupposition

Chen divided presuppositions into four types： factive， belief， state， behavioral presuppositions.

3.1 Factive presupposition

Factive presupposition refers to that the speaker affirms some facts that every person has known in the communication. They are presuppositions but not spoken out.

1） Our wheels are always turning.

This company is famous for producing engines. Here， “always” increases the strength of the fact in quality. It makes the customer have the presupposition that engines made by this company can make wheels turn forever and never break down.

3.2 Belief presupposition

Belief presupposition is those suppositions which contain good information to make the hearer form a good belief and change their conventional beliefs.

2） Quality never goes out of style （Levis）

People usually hold the belief that if clothes are in a good quality， they are out of style. However， this ad tries to change the conventional belief.

3.3 State presupposition

State presupposition involves two types： one is to illustrate the bad state in the past of the customer and the other is to presuppose the good state in the future after using the product.

3） Tides in， dirts out.

This piece of advertisement presuppose the good state in the future after using the product. It presupposes that dirt will be removed if you use Tide. When the customer imagine the cleanness， they are eager to purchase Tide.

3.4 Behavior presupposition in the advertisement

Behavior presuppositions make people have good behaviors or get rid of unpleasant behaviors.

4） Just do it. （Nike）

This piece of advertisement suggests the customer to do exercises without thinking for a moment. This kind of simulated impulsion will push the customer to buy the sports shoes.

4. Functions of presuppositions

Presupposition can make ads be brief since they are known information which neednt to be spoken out.

Presupposition can make ads be more persuasive. It is subjective and together with assertion which may not be a fact or be true actually but become true from the customers view.

Presupposition can make ads be euphemistic. Ads only mention good states which the product will bring to the customer or point bad state of customers in a polite way.

5. Conclusion

Pragmatic presuppositions are applied widely in the ads. This article tested the effectiveness of combining presuppositions and advertisements from perspectives of characteristics， classifications and functions of pragmatic presuppositions in English advertising by exemplification. The Pragmatic Presupposition is a new perspective to analyze ads and gives new meanings.

References：

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[2]Yule，G.（1996）.Pragmatics[M].Oxford：Oxford University Press， 25，27-29.

[3]Peccei，J.S.（2000）.Pragmatics[M].London and New York： Routledge.Padstow，19.

[4]陳新仁.論廣告用語中的語用預設[J].外國語，1998（5）：54-55.