The Style of Advertisements.
Non-classified Advertisements and Commercials
Relations to Other Styles
- relevant in the business style
- also relevant in the newspaper style
- shares some features with the publicistic style
Functions
- provides information
- persuades about the qualities of the item offered
- reminds of the item to stabilise one’s marked position
- appeals for purchase or co-operation
- covers a whole range of situations: products, services, jobs
- addresses general public
x but: designed wrt specific target groups (beer commercials: targeted at men > use their language, broadcast during a football game)
Forms
- written = advertisements
- spoken = radio, TV commercials
- slogans /‘Spain. Everything under the sun.’/
- also political speeches, sermons, etc.
- billboards, circulars, internet commercials
Substyles
- the style of non-classified advertisements
- also the genre of classified advertisements
General Characteristics
- the style of non-classified x classified advertisements
- greater freedom of expression
- greater appeal
- graphical layout
- illustrations, pictures, colours
- repetitions /‘Maybe she’s born with it. Maybe it’s Maybelline.’/
- credibility strategy (a toothpaste recommended by a dentist; anything recommended by a celebrity) /‘Max Factor. The make-up of make-up artists.’/
- personal, colloquial
Syntactical Features
- frequently marked word-order
- declaratives and imperatives
- simple sentences rather then complex sentences
- elliptical, even vague /‘A better deal’/
Lexical Features
- often words outside the standard language variety
- marked colloquial words, slang words, dialect words
- emotional words, interjections
- positive and unreserved words /‘Pilsner. The world’s first golden beer.’/
- original and memorable catchwords
- words with contextual meaning; simultaneous realisation of two meanings
- inventive word-forming
- puns /‘Guinnless isn’t good for you.’/
- metaphors /‘Pilsner. Out of the darkness comes light.’/
- alliteration /‘Take your lashes to luxurious lengths.’/
- rhyme /‘Winston tastes good like a cigarette should’/
- phraseology, idioms
Special Nomenclature
- advertising terminology: jingle; brand; freebie
Classified Advertisements
Forms
- classified advertisements: Events, Meetings, Holidays, Situations Vacant, Personal, Accommodations Offered, etc.
- announcements: births and deaths, marriages, legal notices, health warnings, etc.
Syntactical Features
- elliptic and abbreviated for the sake of economy /‘Ford/Merc exp a must. Excel sal/bnfts.’ > Ford/Mercury experience a must. Excellent salary and benefits.’/
- short and compact sentences
- omission of articles
- lack of punctuation
Lexical Features
- neutral words
Základní údaje
-
Přednáška
Stylistika. -
Semestr
Zimní semestr 2005/06. -
Přednášející
Václav Řeřicha. -
Status
Povinná přednáška pro III. blok.
Literatura
Gal'perin, Il'ja Romanovič. Stylistics. Moskva: Vysšaja škola, 1971.
Knittlová, Dagmar, Ida Rochovanská. Funkční styly v angličtině a češtině. I. díl. Olomouc: Univerzita Palackého Olomouc, 1977.