THE LANGUAGE OF ADVERTISING

*Lakshmanan.M.P

There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we

have contact with the world. We are evaluated and
classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we
look, what we say, and how we say it.
-Dale Carnegie
Abstract
We are living in an era of information explosion in which advertising seems to be
an indispensable building block of the media. Over-production and underdemand often lead to a competitive market where advertising is justified. Of all
business activities, probably none is better known, more widely discussed, or
more highly criticized by the public than advertising. One reason for this is that
advertising has become the spokesman for business. As a form of mass
communication closely linked with the world of commerce and marketing,
advertising is a powerful tool for the flow of information from the seller to the
buyer. It influences and persuades people to act or believe. There are many
special and specific reasons for using advertising in its several forms.
Announcing a new product or service, expanding the market to new buyers,
announcing a modification or a price change, educating customers, challenging
competition, recruiting of staff and attracting investors are a few of such reasons.
In the process of creating advertisements for all these reasons, language, i.e.,
choice of expression is of crucial importance. What kinds of choices make an
advertisement highly effective is something worthy to be studied from a
linguistic perspective.ie the distinctive linguistic characteristics of advertisement.

Introduction
In the words of the renowned
advertising pioneer, William Bernbach, The truth isnt
the truth until people believe you, and they cant believe
you if they dont know what youre saying, and they cant
know what youre saying if they dont listen to you, and
they wont listen to you if youre not interesting unless
you say things imaginatively, originally, freshly, which is
important because, It is insight into human nature that is
the key to the communicators skill. For whereas the
writer is concerned with what he puts into his writings,
the communicator is concerned with what the reader gets
out of it. He therefore becomes a student of how people
read or listen.
*Assistant Professor,Govt.college,Chittur,Palakkad

With these two famous quotes, Bernbach emphasizes the

importance of language in the modern world of
advertising. Commercial verbiage is designed to entice
the reader to read on, to explore the product or service
being offered in greater detail.

Literature Review
The study of language of advertising from a linguistic
perspective has been attempted by several scholars
(Leech 1966; Geis 1982; Vestergaard and Schrodder
1985; Mencher 1990, etc.). Leech (1966), in his
pioneering and comprehensive study on English in
advertising, has analyzed in detail different aspects
pertaining to grammar, vocabulary, discourse and rhyme
and rhetoric of advertising with special reference to
television.
Illustration,
display
typography,
vocal
emphasis, prompt spelling, grammatical solecism,
metaphor and paradox are some of the aspects linked
with attention value. Simple and colloquial style and
familiar vocabulary are connected with readability.
Phonological regularities such as alliteration, rhythm,
rhyme and jingle are related to memorability. Frequent
use of imperatives and superlatives are connected with
selling power. The distinctive property of advertising
language has been closely identified with the use of
clauses, phrases and words as minor sentences, which
constitute a different kind of grammar called as
disjunctive grammar. Geis (1982) has made an attempt
to describe how language is used in American
advertising, especially television advertising. He has
focused on certain linguistic devices that figure most
prominently in advertising. According to him, the
advertising claims employing the word help as in
phrases like helps to achieve and comparative phrases
like more or less are impressive because they are
indistinguishable from the law like generic claims of
scientists. He has concluded that advertisers in general
tend to prefer vague language rather than language with
explicit empirical consequences and to prefer subjective
claims to objective claims. Vestergaard and Schroder
(1985) have studied the language use in commercial

press advertising in relationship with communicative

functions of language such as expressive, directive,
informational, contextual and poetic etc. They have also
identified the importance of imperatives and directive
speech acts in encouraging the audience to buy the
products. Mencher (1990) has looked into the aspect of
vocabulary in advertising and identified ten words as the
most personal and persuasive. They are: new, save,
safety, proven, love, discover, guarantee,
results, you and health.

Language as a means of advertising

Language has a powerful influence over people and their
behaviour. This is especially true in the fields of
marketing and advertising. The choice of language to
convey specific messages with the intention of
influencing people is vitally important. Visual content and
design in advertising have a very great impact on the
consumer, but it is language that helps people to identify
a product and remember it. Language is considered as an
effective tool in extending a companys message to the
people, particularly to consumers. Advertisements are
used primarily to provide the consumer product
awareness, and this will not be effectively done without
the use of language. The marketing and advertising
personnel have to consider the emotive power of the
words they use in advertising. There are several ways in
which advertising is being used to persuade people to
buy their product.

Advertising unifies language, pictures, music; it contains

information, invokes emotions and imaginations, it can
capture all five senses and, besides it, it has social and
practical aim. Advertising is the sales and promotion of
goods, ideas and/or images through impersonal media. It
is with us everywhere in our modern society and it hits us
in different ways even when we are not ready for it. The
language of advertising is not for the uneducated as it is
full of rhetorical figures and incongruity. It is highly

persuasive, full of deviations, ambiguities, euphemisms

and ungrammaticalities which make language Purists to
frown seriously at it. But, one of the best ways the
language of advertising can be eye-catching and
memorable, is for it to express new ideas in new ways
including new creations and coinages even if it means
violating the rules of the language as long as it achieves
its goals through these techniques persuasively.
The language of advertising is usually very
positive and emphasizes why between parity products
one stands out against the other. The language of ads is
often used in ways which are more frequently associated
with poetry or oratory than with commerce, since the
society is ever-changing, ad techniques are also often
changing in order to keep up with the society and also for
novelty. Even with the frequent change in ad techniques
from time to time, they nevertheless continue to make an
impact on society.
Advertising helps in selling i.e., selling
through
the
art
and
business
of
persuasive
communication. With emphatic use of language, the
copywriter draws catchy and memorable lines and makes
his selling ideas clear before the buyers. Advertising
makes a psychological impact on the consumers and so
invites them to buy a product. Being loaded with
psychological overtone, the language of advertising
messages is subtle and mesmerising. A dusky woman will
buy a tube of imported fairness cream at high price
because the advertisement assures her great career and
perfect marriage with instant loveliness. Therefore it is
the psychological makeup of the advertisement that
makes us think that when we buy Maruti, we buy
prestige; when we buy Chawanprash, we buy health and
longevity.
Language is the most powerful, convenient and
permanent means of communication and, therefore, it
makes mass selling possible through advertisements.
Advertising is an art of persuading people. The copywriter
is like a juggler. He knows which words would be most

emotional and moving in a headline to attract the buyers.

It is the power of language that sells the product like a
hot cake and takes out money from the pockets of
buyers. Language, not used artistically, fails to stir the
minds of the people.
Language has creativity and productivity. It
is this feature, which enables the advertiser to create
exciting appeals in the advertisements. While designing
an advertisement, he brings together art and commerce.
Advertisement agencies are in search of gifted writers
who can beguile the customers by the beauty of their
language. Sell the sizzles, not the steak is another way of
saying. Show, dont tell. People are always more
mesmerised by sleight of hand than a documentary. It is
human nature to want to escape from the humdrum into
fantasy land. Advertising offers people a reason to be
seduced. Sell them an idea, draw them a picture, and
invite them into paradise, even for a moment. They will
come down to earth again when they actually use the
Product. Consumers subconsciously expect this to happen
(Valladares, 2000).A vast amount of time, money and
energy go into the creative work of developing
advertising appeals to influence the buying behaviour of
consumers. The basic concepts in marketing tell us that it
is all about satisfying consumers wants and needs. All
appeals are created for the purpose of advertising needs
and wants and sharing how the advertised products can
satisfy those needs and wants.
Advertisers try to assess which needs are most important
to consumers at any given time. However, no category of
needs constantly takes precedence over the other. Here
again language does wonder in conveying the message in
the most appropriate manner. Language meant for
advertisement is very witty, charming, and sometimes
mysterious. Its basic object is to convert an indifferent
customer into a potential buyer.
Components of language

Linguists have identified five basic components

(phonology,
morphology,
syntax,
semantics,
and
pragmatics) found across languages.
Phonological features of Language of advertising
The study of speech structure within a language,
including both the patterns of basic speech units and the
accepted rules of pronunciation, is known as phonology.
The smallest units of sound that make up a language are
called phonemes. Advertising language often uses the
techniques similar to those in poetic texts. The advantage
of so-called mnemonic devices (rhyme, rhythm,
alliteration and assonance) is the mnemotechnical effect.
It guarantees that the receiver of the advertisement
better remembers the text and recalls it at the right
moment.
Rhyme
Rhyme is a pattern of identity of sound between words
or verse-lines extending from the end to the last fully
accented vowel and not further. Rhyme refers to sounds,
not spelling. It is commonly found in jingles, slogans and
headlines. Rhyme covers the repeating of the similar
sounds in the words.
For e.g.:- "Don't just book it, Thomas Cook it" (Thomas
Cook is a travel company)."Nothing sucks like an
Electrolux" (vacuum cleaner).
Rhythm
The aim of advertising is to be catchy and easy to
remember for which the prosodic features intonation,
rhythm and lexical stress, that are having great
emotional and mnemonic effect, will be useful. Even the
scientists cannot explain attractive power of rhythm and
repetition on human mind. Copywriters often use
language with rhythmical arrangement. The listener or
reader need not notice it and he perceives it only
subconsciously. The result is that the text is memorable
and linguistically neat.
Alliteration

Alliteration can be defined as literary technique, in which

successive words (more strictly, stressed syllables) begin
with the same consonant sound or letter. It is widely
used in advertising slogans.
Eg:- Performance. Prestige. Passion for Innovation.
Assonance
Assonance is a linguistic device, in which the same vowel
in successive stressed syllables creates a vowel harmony.
It is not so obvious type of scheme as alliteration.
How much reality can you handle?
Transliteration
Even the use of transliteration in advertisement is not so
frequent. When it is occurred it makes a positive result. It
definitely attracts readers attention. Transliteration
means the transformation of foreign words into English.
Usually the spelling of the foreign word is different but
the pronunciation in these special cases is the same as
English. For E.g.:-BE COINTREAUVERSIAL. (Here:
COINTREAU is the name of French alcoholic drink)
Homophones
In English, there are many words that sound the same but
are spelled differently. Linguists call them homophones.
Copywriters use homophony to create puns in advertising
language. This kind of play works best in print.
Onomathopoeic words
It is a combination of speech-sounds produced in nature
(wind, sea, thunder) by things (machines, tools) by
people (singing, laughter) and by animals. A combination
of speech sounds of this type will inevitably be associated
with
whatever
produces
the
natural
sound.
Onomathopoeic sounds can help to imagine certain
situation or action better. They can in a way serve as
mnemonic as well. It definitely brings something
appealing to the slogan and that is the goal of
advertisers.

Morphological and Lexical

Advertising Language:-

features

of

Morphology is the study of the smallest units of

meaning, morphemes. Knowledge of the morphology of
our language is critical to vocabulary development and
reflects
the
smallest
building
blocks
for
comprehension.The characteristics of the vocabulary of
advertising is analysed in following paragraphs.
Verb phrase
There exist two types of structure of verb phrase: finite
verb phrase and non-finite verb phrase. The first one is a
verb phrase in which the first or only word is a finite verb,
the rest of the phrase (if any) consisting of non-finite
verbs. The infinitive, the ing participle and the ed
participle are the non-finite forms of the verb. In
advertising, verbal groups are mostly of maximum
simplicity, consisting of only one word. According to
Leech, passive voice occurs very sporadically and so does
the application of auxiliary verbs. Two auxiliary verbs
often used in advertising are the future auxiliary will,
because it evokes the impression of promise and the
modal auxiliary can. If an animate subject precedes the
verb can, (in most cases you = customer you
can), the consumer is told that the product gives him
or her the ability to do this or that. If an inanimate
subject (in most cases the brand-name e.g. Nivea
peeling can) precedes can, the consumer is told what
possibilities the product offers.
Noun phrase
In general, noun phrases in advertisements are far more
complex than verb phrases. In advertising language, the
interesting part of the noun phrase is the pre modifying
part, which is usually very complex and is characterized
by certain unusual structural features. The complexity of
pre-modification is based on the effort to catch, describe
and specify the properties of the product in attractive
way:
First automatic chronograph with a 72-hour powerreserve and patented compression push-buttons.
Mechanical automatic movement , made in house.

Here the only verb is the verb make in passive voice. In

many cases, whole advertising text does not contain any
verb; it consists only of noun phrases. Inside the noun
phrase, clusters of two, three or more adjectives are
possible:
Eg:-Gingery
Fudgy
Nutty
Creamy
Mischievous
Mouthfuls.
Adjectives
In many cases
advertisements may contain the
hyperbolic
character
of
the
language.
This
exaggeration causes increased number of comparative
and superlative adjectives. The product is better, nicer,
newer, and tighter and the customer is happier and more
satisfied. The product offers more information, more
entertainment, more comfort, more than any other
product. Most advertisements use gradable adjectives
(they describe qualities that can be measured in degrees;
they can be used in comparative or superlative forms)
than non-gradable adjectives (they describe qualities
that are completely present or completely absent). A
limited range of evaluative adjectives includes new,
clean, white, real, fresh, right, natural, big, great, slim,
soft,
wholesome,
improved
are
also
used
in
advertisements.
Numerals
Many advertisements make use of numerals to define the
characteristics of the product exactly. Numerals are used
to define quantity of various aspects, for example
percentage of some substance in a product, number of
years in connection to the length of the tradition of the
product (Bhima Gold 85 Years old), the number of
satisfied customers, etc. Manipulating numbers to give an
exaggerated notion of their gain and a minimized version
of their spending is one of the tricks of the trade. So, we
say, your safety costs just Rs. 5 a day rather than Rs. 150
a month or Rs. 1825 a year. But when it comes to your
gain, you say get an interest of Rs. 1800/- a year rather
than Rs. 5 a day. Zeroes have a mesmerising quality
which a smart copywriter exploits to sell (Thomas, 1997).

The Hero Honda (CD-Dawn) ad picks up the similar theme

and highlights the magic of digits in this way:
100 Days;1,00,000 Bikes; Celebrating a Record
Breaking Achievement.
Zeroes epitomise the hugeness of size. It multiplies the
value of number and so the product. Some ad lines
include mathematical signs to establish their product in
the market. These signs could be anything, but they are
effective and meaningful when they are use in context of
place. Two more ads have the similar propositions are
Dettol: Be 100% sure and Anchor Tooth Paste:
100% vegetarian.
In both ads, % marks are used to emphasize the USP
(unique selling proposition). The numerical adjective
(cardinal) 100 is being actively placed with % mark to
ensure the genuineness of the product. First ad talks of
purity as a unique selling funda while other ad targets the
vegetarian gentry. Dettol is a symbol of the good health
and hygiene. The brand Dettol shows that how much one
cares and loves for his family. Anchor toothpaste has a
different appeal segmented to a particular group who has
an aversion to no vegetarian products. When writing ad
copy, copywriter tries to include signs and symbols as
they take less space and effort and finally convey the
messages across the consumers
Formation of new words and phrases
Advertising texts take advantage of using made-up or
adapted words and expressions in order to support the
creative aspect of advertisement and its attraction. The
other forms of creation of new words are affixation,
conversion, shortening, blending, and back-formation.
Use of Compound words
Very striking feature of advertising language is a variety
of lexical units, where each unit is consisting of two or
more bases (roots).They are called compound words. A
compound word may be characterized by its
inseparability (it cannot be interrupted by another word),
semantic unity, morphological and syntactic functioning
and certain phonetical and graphic features. Examples of
compounds used in advertisements are:
good-ashomemade, pain-relieving, state-of-the-art, hand-crafted,

head-to-toe, one-of-a-kind, platinum-inlayed, all-new,

front-facing, touch-sensitive, built-in etc.Compounds are
very flexible and embody the innovative spirit of
advertising fully; they can also make a profound
impression on peoples mind when the consumers see the
product for the first sight.
Idiomatic constructions
Copywriters use idioms and proverbs in advertisements,
because these constructions are familiar to most
potential customers in a society. If the picture
accompanies the text, the picture usually does not
represent the figurative - and, of course - correct and
common meaning of the idiom, but it represents the
image and representation of the literal meanings of its
constituents
Challenge us and get yourself a bigger slice of the
cake. (Siemens Financial Services)
An idiom a bigger slice of the cake means a share of the
available money or benefits that you believe you have a
right to. A picture represents two happy young women
eating a cake
Use of First and Second Personal Pronouns
Pronouns of the first and second person: we, I and
you outnumber the other pronouns in advertisements
because these help create a friend-like intimate
atmosphere to move and persuade the audience.
Advertisements with lots of pronouns of the first and
second person are called gossip advertisements. The
audience will easily accept a product, a service or an idea
as if a good friend recommended them. The use of
second person addressee you tends to shorten the
distance between the product or the producer and
consumers, as if the producer or the ad is speaking to you
face to face, making sincere promises, honest
recommendations. For example:
Ford: The choice is yours. The honor is ours.

This headline is from the Ford motor, where the

manufacturer put itself in a very humble position
therefore it makes the readers feel they are respectable
and higher in status.
The use of first person addresser we and us is the
most direct way to tell the receiver what the sponsor of
an ad slogan stands for, his idea, his view, and his credit.
Its a little bit like a self-introduction to the potential
customers to let them know you, recognize you, believe
you and trust you. For example,
Yamaha: Every time we race, you win.
It is for Yamaha electronic organ. It implies no matter how
fierce the competition is, the customer is always getting
benefits.
Use of Emotive
Adjectival Phrases

or

Evaluative

Adjectives

or

Such words can stimulate envy, dreams and desires by

evoking looks, touch, taste, smell, and sounds without
actually misrepresenting a product.According to the
research of choice of words in advertising by linguist G. N.
Leech, the most frequently used 20 words are:
1.new 2.good/best 3.free 4.fresh 5.delicious 6.full
7.sure
8.clean 9.wonderful
10.special
11.crisp
12.fine 13.big 14.great 15.real 16.easy 17.bright
18.extra 19.safe 20.rich
Among these words, new is the most common one,
which shows peoples desire for original idea and fresh
concept. An American advertising expert once said, The
most powerful words you can use in a headline are free
and new.
Use of Technical Terms and Scientific Sounding
Words
In the advertisements of electrical appliances, especially
exquisite instruments, such as photocopiers, digital
videos, digital televisions, one can see lots of technical

terms that is rarely heard of. Using of these words helps

to leave an impression of professional and advanced in
the technical field. For example:
Pure Color. Beautiful full-color copies are in full bloom
from Minolta. Because our Laser Intensity Modulation
System (LIMOS) various color intensity per dot in 256
gradations with 400 dots per inch resolution. All to create
subtle colors and textures you have to see to believe. So
experience Minolta digital full color copiers. For color
copying, theyre pure quality. This is the advertisement of
Minolta color copier, in which LIMOS (Laser Intensity
Modulation System) is the technical term and sounds very
professional. People may not know the exact meaning of
it, but they may consider it scientific and trustworthy.
Use of Negative Words
Negative words are often used in advertisements such as
no, none, nothing, never, etc. to show the uniqueness and
unparalleled quality of the product. For example: Opium:
Never has a perfume provoked such emotion.
Use of Inclusive Words
Apart from negative words, the admen are also fond of
the inclusive words such as all, every, always, etc. to
indicate that the reference is universal. For e.g. CocaCola: Always Coca-Cola.
Use of Coined Words
Coined words are both new and memorable. Coined
words are kind of smart words that have special meaning
in the specified context. They can raise the interests of
the ad headline receivers, make them ponder upon the
meaning and marvel at the smart idea of the admen. By
so doing, they recognize the brand.
For example: Hotel: TWOGETHER. The ultimate all
inclusive one price sun kissed holiday.
It is an advertisement on providing a couple with a
holiday inn. Twogether and together are similar both

in spelling and pronunciation. To is misspelled as Two

on purpose by the advertiser to indicate that the couple
could get the romantic yesterday once more if they spend
their holiday together in this inn. Psychologically, emotion
between lovers tends to become common and ordinary
on the surface after a long period, Twogether here can
remind them of the romantic time in the past.
This advertisement
is
just intended to
cater
for
such a psychological need.
Pun
The pun is is a form of word play that deliberately
exploits an ambiguity between similar-sounding words for
humorous or rhetorical effect. The use of Puns by admen
has a number of advantages: 1. it attracts readers
attention 2.make advertisement readable and memorable
3.arise consumers interest and imagination and finally
4.it deeply affect readers by its readability, wit, and
humour. Pun is a play on words; it increases the humour
of advertising and makes the advertising pregnant with
meaning. Appropriate application of pun can attract
readers attention, make the body copy readable and
memorable and arouse consumers interest and
imagination.
For example:
Coke refreshes you like no other can(Coca-Cola)
In this advertising, can maybe understand as a
bottle for drink, and it also can be used as an auxiliary
verb. So this sentence has two meanings:
First is Coke refreshes you like no other can (can
refresh you);
Second is Coke refreshes you like no other (drinks)
can (refresh you).
Foreign words/Loan Words
Foreign words are used in advertisements to emphasize
the origin of the product or exclusiveness of the product
in relation to particular country:
La crme de la crme of lip colour.
French word crme evokes the impression of good-class
French cosmetics. Even more, the phrase crme de la

crme is taken from French and it means the best

people or things of their kind.
Humour
Humour is one of the greatest things in human beings
life. It helps us to overcome hard life situations, to
simplify the problem or just to make our day or mood
better. It is no wonder that humour is not omitted in
advertising branch. The cause might be the fact that as
some people remember good jokes, some people
remember good slogans and humour is a good means
how to achieve it. Readers usually do not tend to
memorize the things that are sad or boring. These two
aspects are avoided by marketers. Advertisers know that
the more fun in the slogan, the better. It is matter of fact
that the use of humour must be appropriate to the type of
advertised product. Consequently it is obvious that in
some cases seriousness must prevail.
Syntax:The study of how individual words and their most
basic meaningful units are combined to create sentences
is known as syntax. The rules of grammar that is followed
while communicating using a language is called syntax.

Sentence Types:Sentences may be classified into any of following four

types; declaratives, interrogatives, imperatives and
exclamatives. The function of declarative sentence is to
describe the products reasonably and perfectly; the
function of imperative sentence is to persuade consumers
to
buy
the
product;
the
function
of interrogative sentences is to raise a question then
answer it, which helps the consumer to eliminate the
doubt of the product. These three types of sentences are
all fit for the principle that advertising should have
attention value and memory value. Questions are used in
advertisements as it evokes the sense of personal
communication in the reader. It causes that the reader
cooperates with the text having his own individual
situation in mind. One insurance company emotionally

bargains the consumers by creating the fear of critical

illness in its mediclaim policy:
Who will take care of your family, if you fall ill?
Another reason is the presupposition. Angela
Goddard writes that presupposition is all about reading
between lines; since this is, as it suggests, a hidden
process, it is very interesting to advertisers, as we can be
taking in all sorts of assumptions without consciously
paying attention to them. Presuppositions are present in
any communication and many questions presuppose
something. An E.g.:Why do leading beauty experts and models use and
recommend Perfectil?
Here one can deduce and belief from the content of this
advertisement that beauty experts and models use and
recommend
Perfectil.
In
advertising
language,
presupposition is very frequent way of expressing the
content. Advertisers rather use presupposition than
assertion because it is much easier to deny an assertion
than a presupposition: The statement Leading beauty
experts and models use and recommend Perfectil. one
may oppose: I dont believe. No way. But in question
mentioned above, the receiver is unconsciously led to
believe that the content is truthful and that there are no
doubts about the fact that they use and recommend it. In
advertisements, there are often cases where the question
is stated as kind of a problem and then the text offers
an answer a solution for the problem:
Got wedding on the brain? Time to visit our new
website.
Another typical type of question used in advertising is
rhetorical question. It assumes only one possible
answer:
What more could anyone ask from a Clarins gift?
The implied answer to this is Of course, nothing.
Imperatives are sentences, which normally have
no overt grammatical subject, and whose verb has the
base form. Copywriters use imperatives, because it
creates a sense of one person is talking to another
because all ads are urging us to some action. The

frequently used imperative clauses in advertisements

are:
*Items, which have to do with the acquisition of the
product: get, buy, ask for, choose, etc.
*Items, which have to do with the consumption or use of
the product: have, try, use, enjoy, etc.
*Items, which act as appeals for notice: look, see, watch,
remember, make sure, etc.
For E.G:Express card: Dont leave home without it.
United Airlines: Life is a journey, travel it well.
Exclamatives are sentences which have an initial
phrase introduced by what or how, usually with subjectverb order.

Sentence structure:The most important structural tendencies used by

copywriters in advertising language are outlined below.
Schematic Pattering
Parallelism is one of the forms of schematic pattering.
It can be defined as repetition of formal patterns.
Parallelism means the parallel presentation of two or
more than two similar or relevant ideas in similar
structural forms. It is a rhetorical device heightening the
emotional tone of the message and its importance. For
Eg:
Tips for a good nights sleep: - Drink less caffeine.
- Take warm baths.
- Arrange your insurance with NFU Mutual.
Each clause has the same idea and structure beginning
with verb in imperative following by direct object. The
typography and layout often contributes to the text; in
this case, each clause is printed in separate line. The last
clause makes up a semantic and formal parallel to first
two clauses. Parallelism is often accompanied by

Anaphora the repetition of the same word or group of

words at the beginning of several consecutive sentences
or verses to emphasize an image or a concept
Explore the hills. Explore the rivers. Explore the
mountains. Explore the sea.
Epiphora - the repetition of the same word or words at
the end of successive phrases, clauses or sentences.
See new. Hear new. Feel new.
Antimetabole is another form of schematic pattering. It
is
defined as the repetition of words in successive clauses,
but in reverse grammatical order, e.g. I know what I like,
and I like what I know. Schematic pattering occurs in all
levels of language. Anaphora, epiphora, alliteration,
assonance and antithesis also belong to techniques of
schematic pattering.
Ellipsis
Ellipsis belongs to cohesive devices and it is defined as
the omission of part of a structure.
Ellipsis in
advertising is used for economical reasons; to save space
and money because words cost money.
Incomplete sentences
In some cases the whole advertisement may come
without a main verb. There is a widely spread tendency to
punctuate phrases. One reason is, that the reader of the
advertisement turns to the visual layout, which provides
him many clues to correct interpretation, so the explicit
structure of the sentence is not so important. For E.g.:The curls of your dreams. Now available when youre
awake.
We may connect these two incomplete sentences with
the linking verb are. In this case, the verb can be clearly
deduced from the context and integrated, but there are
cases where the tense and aspect are not so definite.
Another reason for omitting verbs is that there is no
importance to define neither the tense nor the aspect of
the verb or it would be cumbersome.

Semantics
Semantics refers to the ways in which a language
conveys meaning. Semantics moves beyond the literal
meaning of words and is culture-dependent. The same
linguistic expression, however, may have also its
figurative meaning. It connotes additional layers of
meaning and evokes associations. The connotative
meanings
depend
on
peoples
entire
previous
experiences and on conventions of community.
Therefore, the connotations of the same expression will
differ slightly from person to person and the same
denotations can have different connotations in different
context. (Vestergaard and Schroder 1985) believe that in
advertising language, the most frequent word for
acquisition of product is get, and not buy, because
buy has some unpleasant connotations, like money and
the parting with it. A trope is a word or phrase that is
used in a way that is different from its usual meaning in
order to create a particular mental image or effect. It is a
figurative expression. The most important tropes used in
advertising
language
are:
personification,
simile,
hyperbole,
metaphor
and
metonymy,
antithesis,
polysemy, and homonymy.
Personification
Personification is a term used mainly in literature to name
the figure of speech, which involves directly speaking of
an inanimate object, or an abstract concept, as if it were
a living entity, often one with specifically human
attributes. These attributes may include sensations,
emotions, desires, physical gestures and expressions, and
powers of speech, among others. The readers of
advertisements usually do not register or realize that
there is used personification in
the text. It is used very widely in all the expressions like
(name of a facial crme) gives you silky skin,
(name of a product) fulfills your wishes or Dirty kitchen?
Nothing cleans it up like (name of a cleaner) are on
the base of personification of a brand name: a cleaner
cleans, but even thought, cleaning is an activity proper
to human beings.
Simile

Simile is defined as a direct, expressed comparison

between two things essentially unlike each other, but
resembling each other in at least one way. Usually,
similes are marked by use of the words like, than, as
or as if.
We may also find comparative constructions used when
comparing two things or two situations: asas, so
as.
Hyperbole
A hyperbole is the deliberate use of overstatement or
exaggeration using adjectives and adverbs to achieve
emphasis. Businessmen and manufacturers use the figure
of speech to advertise their goods in as attractive a way
as possible. For E.g.:- No other pain-relieving gel works
like Deep Relief.
Metaphor
Lakoff and Johnson define metaphor as statements
and/or pictures which cause a receiver to experience one
thing in terms of another., for example: HALLS
advertisement
A single metaphor may be worth of a hundred words of
advertising text. It has an interesting value and
stimulates the curiosity of the reader about the product.
In advertising, a metaphor usually creates a comparison
between the product or service and some other quality
the advertiser wishes to be associated with the product or
service advertised. There are cases, in which a famous
person stands for and represents the whole brand.
Metonymy
A metonymy is the use of a single characteristic to
identify a more complex entity. It is extremely common
for people to take one well-understood or easy-to
perceive aspect of something and use that aspect to
stand either for the thing as a whole or for some other
aspect or part of it. The commonly used examples of
metonymy are The press for the news media, Wall
Street
for
the
American
financial
industry.In
advertisements, an associated word often expresses the
whole group: I like Volvo (= Volvo cars)

Antithesis
Antithesis is a figure of speech, which uses the same or
similar structure to express two opposite ideas so as to
achieve the effects of emphasizing the meaning and the
contrast. The combination of pleasant senses of vision
and hearing often stimulates the good feelings of readers
and arouses consumers' buying desire. Antithesis relates
to words, clauses or sentences. It is based on antonyms
(words of opposite meaning) or opposite ideas:
Talks inside. Shouts outside. New 2006 Fiesta.
Imagine a mini phone with maximum style and design.

Pragmatics
Pragmatics refers to the ways the members of the
speech community achieve their goals using language.
The way we speak to our parents is not the same as the
way we interact with a sibling, for example. The language
used in a formal speech may bear little resemblance to
what we would hear at a lunch with five friends. Knowing
the difference and when to use which style is the essence
of pragmatics.
CONCLUSION
Advertising takes the consumers to a illusionary world
where in just a minute a hungry child gets instant
gratification with Maggi noodles, a dark rustic girl
becomes Miss India in few days after applying a particular
brand of fairness cream and the back pain of a housewife
gets out of the window, in a few seconds with Moov.
These are the unique marvels of advertising that heavily
broods on our emotional anxieties, psychological fears
and social affiliations. In this way, advertising sells hope,
projects dream, satisfies ego and ensures prestige and
status by inviting us to grab a particular product.
Advertisers often refer to core values, when selecting
their primary appeals. Because values are so closely tied
to human behaviour and so difficult to change, private
research firms try to monitor values and look for grouping
of values and behaviour patterns. Attitudes are a

reflection of our values. Some ads are based on our

strong, positive emotions. Exploiting our dreams and
aspirations, the advertisers pick-up the beautiful words
and
phrases
to
design
emotional
messages.
Advertisements are the best specimen to witness the
social changes and trends that affect the masses. The
copywriters criterion for creating an advertisement is the
finest form of deep analysis and strong command over his
customers and market. Language is a weapon that he
triggers off on human psyche. The advertiser knows the
nerves of the society and its subjects, and accordingly he
plans his advertising messages and casts his spells over
the customers. The copywriter is very cautious in
selection of words and phrases while writing an ad copy.
He studies the temperament of a buyer and makes use of
language with the assurance that it will evoke the desired
reaction to what he wants to sell. The copywriters are
always in search of smarter ways to grind the customers
to part with his money. Sometimes, the advertiser is over
ambitious in promoting his product by creating unrealistic
desires without showing the means to fulfill such desires.

REFERENCES
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