英语本科毕业论文：Analysis of English Puns in Advertising with Relevance Theory

本科毕业论文

题目：Analysis of English Puns in Advertising With Relevance Theory

学院：外语学院

班级： 08级英语本科十一班

姓名：邱菲

指导教师: 侯彩静职称：讲师

完成日期： 2012 年 05 月 20 日

Analysis of English Puns in Advertising with Relevance

Theory

Abstract:Nowadays, advertising has become an important part of our daily life. It is a special and effective tool to achieve advertisers’ultimate goal that is to persuade consumers to buy their advertised products or services. In the process of creating advertisements, advertisers value the power and flexibility of language, so they often use more language skills to grab consumers’attention, improve images and promote their products and services. Pun is one of most common rhetorical devices used in advertisements and weighs much more in communication for its specia l features: ambiguity and double contexts. The phenomenon of pun’s frequent applicatio n in advertising has aroused interest and this paper will try to examine it under Sperber and Wilson’s Relevance theory by employing many examples. By analysis, how som e kinds of puns attract consumer s’ attention and the process of how puns achieve optimal relevance are revealed. The analysis of advertising puns can not only deepen the audiences’ understanding of advertising puns but also help the advertisers to make a better use of puns in advertisements.

Key words: puns; relevance theory; forms of puns; puns interpretation

Contents

Abstract(English) ……………………………………………………………………… (I)

1 Introduction (1)

2 Literature Review (1)

3 Relevance Theory and Pun in Advertising (2)

3.1 Pun (2)

3.1.1 The Definition of the Pun (2)

3.1.2 The Main Characteristics of Pun (2)

3.2 Relevance Theory (3)

3.2.1 Ostensive-inferential Communication (4)

3.2.2 Principle of Relevance and Optimal Relevance (4)

3.2.3 Processing Effort and Cognitive effect (5)

3.3 Relevance Theory and Pun in Advertising (6)

4 Case Analysis of Puns Interpretation in English Ads (7)

4.1Forms of Pun in Advertising (7)

4.1.1 Antanaclasis (7)

4.1.2 Paronomasia (7)

4.1.3 Syllepsis (8)

4.1.4 Ambiguity (8)

4.1.5 Brand Name Puns (8)

4.1.6 Parody Puns (9)

4.2 Case Analysis of Puns Interpretation in Advertising (9)

4.2.1 Puns with One Intended Meaning (10)

4.2.2 Understanding Puns with Rejected Interpretation Contributing to the Intended

One (11)

4.2.3 Understanding Puns with Double Interpretations Communicated (11)

4.2.4 Understanding Puns with Intended Interpretations Contributed by Con sumers’

Familiarity of Idioms (13)

5 Conclusion (13)

5.1 Summary of the Study (13)

5.2 Implications of the Study (14)

Bibliography (14)

Abstract (Chinese) (15)

1 Introduction

Along with the quick development of economy, there is an increasing need of various products or services. In order to make these products or services highly marketable and attractive, advertisers uses more rhetorical figures to polish the advertising language. Pun is one rhetoric figure which is widely used by advertisers in advertisements. This phenomenon arises many scholars and consumers’ attention. This paper will study English puns in advertising under Sperber and Wilson’s relevance theory.

For scholars, relevance theory provides a new research to study advertisements. Based on relevance theory, this paper analyzes pun interpretation in advertisements to reveal how English puns attract consumers’attention and the process of how puns interpretation in advertisements of how puns arrives optimal relevance when it is chosen as ostensive stimulus.

Through analysis, the participants of advertisements will better understand the puns’frequently application in advertisements. It is easy for them to associate the use of pun when they read or hear some related advertisements. This paper not only helps advertisers use pun in advertisements in a better way, but also makes consumers deeply understand advertisements and have pun from the interpretation of advertisements. In addition, it helps scholars to do further research into English puns in advertisements from the perspective of relevance theory.

2 Literature Review

There are many scholars both at home and aboard conducted some rese arches on advertising from different angles. These researches are valuable for scholars who are interested in advertising to do further study.

In the west, Leech (1966) studies some linguistic features used in advertising, such as grammar, vocabulary, discourses and rhetorical figures. However, he doesn’t have an further explanation of why these features can gain consumers’ attention. Cook (1992) tries to interpret advertisements as discourse in the book The Discourse of Advertising.He proposes that “the study of language must take context into account.”(2001, 5) Sperber and Wilson (1986) put forward relevance theory in their book R elevance: Communication and Cognition. Many scholars are interested in the connection between relevance theory and advertisements. Then Tanaka (1944) analyzes covert communication in advertising. He

claims that pun is used in covert communication to avoid social responsibility In china, some scholars have done some researches on advertising from relevance theory. Lin Xinhua (2000) studied the classification and double contexts of puns. He states that advertisers usually use pun in advertisements because it can activate consumers’background information and make them enjoy the interpretation of puns in advertisements. Zhan Jinhui and Meng Lin’s co-edited paper (2001) analyzes the various forms and translation of puns in English advertisements. They put that translation is difficult because advertisers should maintain double meaning of a pun.

3 Relevance Theory and Puns in Advertising

3.1 Pun

3.1.1 The Definition of the Pun

The “pun”comes from the Latin word “paranomazein” which means “calling by different name”. We also call it paronomasia.

The Oxford Advanced Learner’s English- Chinese Dictionary gives a definition which is “the clever or humorous use of a word that has more than one meaning, or of two words that have different meanings but sound the same.” (2004:1393)

In the Webster's Third International Dictionary, pun is defined as a “humorous use of a word in such a way as to suggest different meaning or applications, or of words having the same or nearly the same sound but different meanings: a play on words.” (1989:832) From the definitions above, we can draw the conclusion that (1) by using phonetic and semantic conditions, a pun deliberately makes words have two or more meanings; (2) pun is used as one rhetorical figure which can bring some language effects, such as humorous effect.

3.1.2 The Main Characteristics of Pun

Pun has two characteristics: (1) the utterance may have different meanings because of the words which have same (similar) pronunciation with different meanings; (2) each pun has a double context.

3.1.2.1 Ambiguity

The first characteristic is ambiguity which is the important quality of a pun. In everyday communication, people try to avoid ambiguity, but people intentionally create ambiguity when using pun. For example,

(1)What kind of money do girls like the most? Matrimony.

This example is a homophonic pun. It borrows the sound of “money”to attract attention. The ending element “mony” of the word “Matrimony” sound similar with the word “money”. Matrimony means marriage. Everybody knows that girls usually want to marry a boy who is handsome and rich. They expect to change their economic and social statuses through marriage. This pun is very ironic.

(2) Trust us. Over 5000 ears of experience.

This is a hearing aid of advertising. This ad is a homophonic pun. Ear is the homophone of the year. In order to make the words familiar to consumers, this sentence also uses the structure of “years of doing something”. The advertiser wants to use this pun to put that their product have a good quality which has been tested by a great number of customers with hearing problem, and the company has a long history in this field.

3.1.2.2 The Double Context

Another characteristic is that it contains a double context. According to Li, “there are three elements in analyzing and composing a pun: a double context, a hinge and a trigger.”(Li Xinhua, 2000) A hinge is the pun itself. A trigger refers to the intention and background hiding behind the pun. A double context means that two contexts make sense respectively when both are separated.

3.2 Relevance Theory

This paper adopts Sperber and Wilson's Relevance theory as the theoretical foundation to study the advertising language. In 1986, Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson put forward relevance theory for the first time in the book Relevance: Communication and Cognition. They argue that the key to an explanation to human communication lies in relevance.

According to Sperber and Wilson, relevance governs the communication process. Humans pay attention to some things relevant to them rather than others. They want to read or hear the things they care about, so only when they think the information is valuable, they pay attention to it. In ostensive-inferential communication, the speaker produces an ostensive stimulus which creates a presumption of optimal relevance; then the audiences process the speaker’s utterance and get an interpretation in line with the principle of relevance.

3.2.1 Ostensive-inferential Communication

Ostensive-inferential communication is an overt communication. Sperber and Wilson give an definition of ostensive-inferential communication as the following: “The comm unicator produces a stimulus which makes it mutually manifest to communicator and audience that the communicator intends, by means of this stimulus, to make manifest or more manifest to the audience a set of assumptions.” (Sperber and Wilson1986: 63)

There are two types of information provided by ostentation:

(1) “Informative intention: to make manifest or more manifest to the audience a set of assumptions.” (Sperber and Wilson1986: 58)

(2) “Communicative intention: to make it mutually manifest to audience and communicator that the communicator has the informative intention.” (Sperber andWilson1986: 61)

T he speaker’ intention is to change the mutual cognitive environment. In ostensive communication, the speaker employs proper stimulus to make the hearer or reader know his or her attention. Sperber and Wilson think that ostentation communication and inferential communication are the same process, but seen from two different aspects. The communicator is connected with ostentation and the audience with infere nce. In order to achieve a successful communication, the communicator must attract the audience's attention by creating a stim ulus and guarantee the stimulus’optimal relevance; and the audience’ task is to recover the speaker's intentions consciously.

3.2.2 Principle of Relevance and Optimal Relevance

Sperber and Wilson define the principle of relevance as “Every act of ostensive communication communicates a presumptio n of its own optimal relevance.”(Sperber & Wilson, 2001:158).

Sperber and Wilson think that communication is relevance-oriented and relevance plays an essential role in the whole process of communication which involves two participants: communicator and audience. In addition, relevance is the result of the interaction of stimulus of the communicator and cognitive environment of the audience.

For the communicator, with the principle of relevance, they choose a proper stimulus to have an effect on the audience's cognitive environment and attract the addresser's attention.

If the stimulus cannot work, it shows that the stimulus is irrelevant to communication and finally it leads to the failure of the communication. For the addressee, relevance principle guides them to better understand the utterance which implies that the addresser often tries to be relevant and find out relevant information. In this way, the addressee gains the addresser’ attention and finally makes a successful communication.

In the process of communication, the level of relevance degree considers the interest of both the addresser and the addressee. What addresser wants to achieve is not the information that is maximal relevant, but merely optimal relevant. What audiences’ want to get the interpretation of an utterance is not maximally relevant, but merely optimally relevant.

In light of the close relation between the principle of relevance and the optimal relevance, Sperber and Wilson claim that an act of ostensive communication communicates: Presumption of optimal relevance:

“(a) the set of assumptions which the communicator intends to make manifest to the addressee is relevant enough to make it worth the addressee's while to process the ostensive stimulus. (b) the ostensive stimulus is the most relevant one the communicator could have used to communicate.” (Sperber & Wil son, 2001:158).

Sperber and Wilson think that the addresser's responsibility is to choose a proper stimulus which can activate the right assumption existed in the addressee’s cognitive environment. If the addressee can not get its implied communicative intention and achieve adequate contextual effect, the utterance will be unacceptable in meaning, and this will in contradict with the definition of the principle of relevance above. Generally speaking, whether an utterance is optimal or not in the communication, this is measured not only by the amount of effort spent, but also by the optimal distribution between the effort and the effect. That is to say, if an utterance has adequate contextual effects, the addressee needs only to make the smallest effort to understand that utterance, which has the optimal relevance. If not, the utterance cannot be seen as the optimal relevance of that communication environment. Thus, when the addresser makes an ostensive stimulus, what the addressee always hopes is to have the optimal relevance.

3.2.3 Processing Effort and Cognitive effect

Relevance is a matter of degree. The degree of relevance depends on two factors:

cognitive effect and processing effort. “(1) Cognitive effect: results from an interaction of new and old information. (2) Processing effort: involved in interpreting an utterance and can be described as the mental effort.” (Sperber and Wilson 1986)

Sperber and Wilson define relevance as a function between effort and effects:

“Extent Condition1: an assumption is relevant in a context to the extent that its context is large. Extent Condition 2: an assumption is relevant in a context to the extent that the effort required to proces s it in this context is small.”(Sperber and Wilson 1986.158) Newly presented information processed in a context of existing assumption is important to relevance. To improve a context is to have some effect on that context. This is called contextual effect. The greater the contextual effects of a newly presented information, the more relevant it is. Once the communicator succeeds in attracting the audience's attention through the use of stimulus, the addressee can make the new information interact with old information already in his cognitive environment. According to Sperber and Wilson, there exist three types of information in cognitive environment: lexical information, logical information and encyclopedic information. The addressee processes the new information within a certain context. By processing effort, the addressee's cognitive environment will be changed whether he adopts or rejects the new assumption; strengthens or weakens the assumptions that he already has in his mental world.

3.3 Relevance Theory and Pun in Advertising

With the quick development of economy and the quick step of life, it becomes difficult for people to bear long and boring language in communication. (1) Pun is economical (one word or phrase with two meanings). (2) Pun has a stopping power to attract potential consumers and hold their attention for a long time because of humor and wit. Consumers will feel amused and impressed during the short time. The advantages of economy (shortness) and humor lead to the wide existence of the advertisements.

It is known to all that an advertisement aims at selling goods to obtain economical profits. As a way of promotion to persuade consumers to buy advertised products, advertisers use the words having attention value and readability. It is exactly that the pun can achieve the purpose of the advertisement easily.

In the following part, the analysis based on relevance theory will try to find out how

puns in advertisement catch audience’s eyes and finally achieve its goal of selling products, that is, the audience's interpretation of puns in advertisements and the realization of communicative intention of the advertiser.

4 Case Analysis of Puns Interpretation in English Ads

In order to make a further analysis, forms of pun in advertising will be discussed. Different forms of pun create different stylistic effects. By using examples of forms, the paper will explore the ways in which advertisers' presumed optimal relevance is achieved.

4.1Forms of Puns in Advertising

Pun has several forms in advertisements. Each form has its special artistic effects.

4.1.1 Antanaclasis

It refers to words or word phrases having the same sound and form, but with two or even more different meanings. Such words are called homonyms (Feng Cuihua 2004: 236). In this pun, the word or word phrase is used two times.

Antanaclasis is widely used in advertising. For example:

(3)With IBM we have the power to manage the power.(Ad for IBM, Time Nov.18, 1989)

The “power” has two meanings. The first is “the ability or capacity to do something”, and the second is “the ability of a system or machine to operate”.

(4)A deal with us means a good deal to you. (工燕希2004: 75)

In this ad, the word “deal” appears twice times. Here the first means trade or contract, and a good deal can be understand in two ways: deal can be a contract, a good deal means “a good trade” and “a lot”. In a word, a deal with us is bene ficial to you. Please have a business with us trustingly.

4.1.2 Paronomasia

This device refers to the use of words similar in sound but different in meaning and spelling. It is often constructed by homophone or paronym. For example, sun and son; flower and flour; rain and rein, etc. are homophones. As to paronyms, examples include little and litter, air and heir, etc. This type of pun is often humorous and witty.

(5) More sun and air for your son and heir. (Meng Lin & Zhan Jinghui, 2001: 49)

In this is beach advertisement, producer smartly uses sun-son and air-heir. These two pairs are use of homophonic pun, making the advertising language pleasing, funny and

humorous. The advertisers intend to express that there are plenty of sun and air for consumers’ son and heir.

The following is an ad on an Internet bar.

(6) Out for a quick byte. (Tellis 2004: 57)

Byte and bite is a pair of homophones. “Out for a quick byte” indicates that the computers’ speed is very fast. It derives from “a quick bite” mean ing a fast meal.

4.1.3 Syllepsis

It is connected with grammar and in advertisements it refers to a word has a different meaning in relation to two or more other words, which it modifies or governs.

Syllepsis is similar to antanaclasis, but syllepsis often involves one word and antanaclasis employs two. For example:

(7) Coke refreshes you as no other can. (Ad for Coca-Cola) (Liu Wenhong, 2006:166)

(8) Which lager can claim to be truly German? This can. (Ad for Lager Beer, with a picture of a can of Lager beer)

In these two ads, can acts as a modal verbal meaning “be able to” and a noun referring to “container”. Take coke ad for example. Can acts as either a modal verb or a noun. Whichever meaning you choose, the sentence is right. The two meanings act together and influence each other when consumers interpreting this ad. If all the omission parts are recovered, the ad will be like Coke refreshes as no other (can, drink) can (refresh you). 4.1.4 Ambiguity

Ambiguity involves the application of a polysemy which refers to “a word or phrase which has more than one meaning.” (2004:1327)

(9) A power plant that recharges human batteries. (BMW 535i) (Leigh: 1994)

This ad aims at emphasizing BMW's horsepower. Power has several meanings. The most com mon meaning is “strength” or “influence”. Because power has another meaning of authority, the ads communicate the value of status and achievement which can be brought by BMW. It can be understand that BMW symbolizes power and status.

4.1.5 Brand Name Puns

There are a lot of “Brand name puns” used in ads. The advertiser makes the brand name act as a part of the ad and plays upon it. The product name’ repetition is not merely been used two times, but a good chance to tell the audience the special characteristic of the

brand. One advantage of brand name puns is that the advertiser makes the audiences connect the brand with the advertiser's selling idea, for example, the headline of an ad for REACH toothbrush goes as followed:

(10) Nothing is beyond REACH. (Ad for REACH toothbrush. People 2005, 11.14)

This ad aims to promote REACH toothbrush's “easy to reach” feature. With the brand name REACH as a pun, the advertiser's selling point is emphasized while the brand name and its main feature are condensed into one word REACH.

(11) The label of achievement.

Black Label commands more respect. (Xian Dongcheng, 1996: 49) “Label”has two interpretations here. One means sign, and the other is name of the product whisky. This pun leaves the consumers the impression that when they make achievements they should have a drink of Black Label, because it is the symbol of success.

4.1.6 Parody Puns

Sometimes, advertisers play on idioms or quotations. Idioms and quotations are easily remembered and familiar to the audience, so advertisers imitate the message form of familiar proverbs and idioms to stimulate the assumptions of old information in the audience's mind. This kind of puns greatly leaves the audiences a deep impression. For example:

(12) We take no pride in prejudice. (An ad for Times)

This ad of Time quotes from the famous work - Pride and Prejudice. As is known to all, Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice is classic. By using the work's name, the advertiser indicates that the Times is impartial and unbiased.

4.2 Case Analysis of Puns Interpretation in Advertising

The above has devoted several pages on puns in advertising language. Pun is a frequent rhetorical figure used in advertising. It has been stated that rhetorical figure demands the more processing effort. In turn, extra processing effort, for the advertiser's part, holds addressees' attention; for addressees' part, the effort is rewarded by extra contextual effects, as well as pleasure and satisfaction from the interpretation. Pun achieves this effect.

Pun interpretation plays the most important part in achieving optimal relevance. Through case analysis, it is clear that pun is distinctive in advertising, In order to be consistent, the analysis will be conducted in two categories, including context analysis and

interpretation process analysis.

The paper will study four ways of interpretation by examining different kinds of puns,

(1) Two meanings or multiple associations are activated by the addresser, and one interpretation is intended;

(2) The rejected interpretation contributes to or reinforces the intended one;

(3) Multiple interpretations are activated and communicated;

(4) Interpretation of original idioms or wise sayings contributes to the intended.

4.2.1 Puns with One Intended Meaning

This is a kind of pun whose surface meaning seems irrelevant to the advertised products or services. In order to gain the deep meaning, the surface should be rejected. In one word, the advertiser uses a pun to suggest two meanings. The surface works on arousing curiosity while the deep one informing consumers the intended information about the product or service.

(13) Money does not grow on trees. But it blossoms at our branches. (Advertisement for Lloyd bank)

① Context analysis:

Context one: Tree-branch-blossom context. The tree blossoms at branches. Blossom means “come into flower”; “branch” refers to “division of a tree”.

Context two: Money-flourish-bank context. Money will increase a lot at each division of Lloyds Bank. In this context “blossom” means “booming” which origins in the meaning of "come into flower". Branch means "division of a bank".

②Understanding process analysis:

Step 1: The word “branch” links the two contexts.In this ad “Blossom” is u sed as a metaphor. In this ad “tree” and “blossom” appearing together with “branch”, so addressees first get the most accessible interpretation from context one when they are ostensively addressed. But addressees notice that “division of a tree” has nothin g to do with a bank, and money can't blossom at the division of a tree. The most obvious interpretation has to be rejected with the principle of relevance. Having rejected the first interpretation, consumers suddenly find that “branch” has another meaning of “division of a bank” and recover informative intention as the following:

a. Y our money will keep a state of continuous increase if you deposit money in Lloyds

Bank.

Step 2: If the ad goes like:

b. Money does not grow on trees, but it blossoms at Lloyds Bank.

Or c. Y our money will increase continuously at Lloyds Bank.

If the advertisement adopts b, the addressee may feel confused because they don’t know why tree and blossom are used here together and the conjunction “but” seems unnatural. Thus tree-blossom-branch context is lost. If c is selected, there is not any artistic effect for “money increase at bank” is only the fact described.

4.2.2 Understanding Puns with Rejected Interpretation Contributing to the Intended One

In this pun, the audiences reject the first accessible interpretation, but the rejected interpretation brings some effects. It makes consumers recover some encyclopedic knowledge contributing to the intended one and being used to process the intended interpretation.

(14) Every child should have an Apple for school. (An ad for Apple Computer) “Apple” is the brand name of the computer in this advertisement. But when consumers reading it at the first sight, the addressee automatically gains the first interpretation :

a. Every child should have an apple after school.

① Understanding process analysis:

Step 1: To have an apple after school is common for children. But apple appearing with the brand name, the consumers have to reject the first interpretation because the fruit apple irrelevant to the computer. Then consumers gained the intended interpretation :

b. Every child should have an Apple computer in their house which is good for their study and provides entertainment for them.

Step 2: The first rejected interpretation helps consumers recover encyclopedic knowledge that is eating apple good for children’s health. Consumers will link this context with the second of “Apple computer”: Apple computer is good for children’s study and relax like the apple is good for their health. Further contextual effect gained as:

c. Ap ple computer is necessary for children’s health like the fruit apple is necessary.

4.2.3 Understanding Puns with Double Interpretations Communicated

In most cases advertisers communicate two sets of assumptions to addressees. The

advertiser wants consumers to gain two interpretations from the pun. The two interpretations are connected together to reach the addressers’ ultimate intention.

(15) Whenever you shop at Four Square, you’ll like the change. (An ad for Four Square Shop)

When the customers pay attention to the ad, they firstly focus on the word “change”. Because the biggest concern of customers is whether there are new goods for them to choose and whether the price is reasonable enough when they go shopping at a mall.

① Context analysis:

Context one: “change” means “alteration”. The customers can get new things from the shop. Context two: “change” means “money returned to customers when they have paid for something” in trade. In other words, customers will spend less money.

② Understanding process analysis:

Step 1: When customers notice the advertisement, first they are interested in the part: “you will like the change”. This information is relevant to them because every customer expects new things when they are shopping. The advertisement activates two sets of assumptions. The most accessible interpretation is “alteration”. Customers may derive the first interpretation from the advertisement:

a. Y ou will find new goods whenever you shop at Four Square Shop,.

This interpretation produces extra contextual effects, for example,

b. Four Square Shop always follow the fashion.

c. Four Square Shop provides the customers with different things.

Step 2: “Change” always relate to “money given back to the customers” when connected with shopping. When consumers recover this information from their cognitive environment, they can gain new interpretation as:

d. Whenever you shop at Four Square Shop, you will get much money back. The customers are informed that the price of goods is reasonable in Four Square Shop. Together with the first interpretation that customers can get some new things, the advertisement communicates two sets of assumptions to customers.

e. Whenever you shop at Four Square Shop, you can get the new varieties and enjoy low price. Y ou will be plea sed to have these two advantages. The advertiser’s communicative intention is made mutually manifest: “Shop at Four Square!” by indirectly

delivering the two type s of information with one word “change”.

4.2.4 Understanding Puns with Intended Interpretation s Contributed by Consumers’Familiarity of Idioms

The reason why the advertiser uses this kind of pun is that the intended interpretations are activated by consumer s’ familiar idioms or wise sayings. There are three ways in which the idioms or wise sayings influence the intended interpretations:

First, only the form of the idioms or wise sayings is borrowed. The addresser uses addressees’ familiarity with the idioms or wise sayin gs whose real meaning has nothing to do with the intended interpretation. Second, the addresser uses the surface meaning of the idioms and expects consumers to find out the true interpretation. Third, the first meaning contributes a lot to the intended one. The two contexts are closely connec ted with each other. The connection of the idiom an d the addresser’s intention produce a wide range of contextual effects.

(15) A Mars a day keeps you work, rest and play. (Xiang Chengdong, 1996)

In this sentence there are two sayings used: one is “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”; t he other is “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. (Howell, 1659)

The first indicates that taking apple is good for health; the second implie s that “people will work effectively if they have proper rest and play”. By using these two forms, the advertiser intends to communicate new information about Mars chocolate, which has two sets of assumptions:

a. Having a Mars chocolate every day is good.

b. Mars chocolate makes you energetic in work and relaxed in rest and play.

5 Conclusion

5.1 Summary of the Study

The paper uses Sperber and Wilson's Relevance Theory to examine puns application in English advertisements. According to Relevance Theory, the principle o f relevance automatically controls the whole communication process. The principle of relevance provides the best theoretical tool for explaining the ostensive communication. The study tries to explain the phenomenon of pun's frequent application in advertisements.

First, the process of how optimal relevance is achieved in the case of pun application in advertisements has been examined within Relevance Theory. From the analysis, we can

draw three conclusions

First, on the communicator's part, pun is a proper ostensive stimulus because it is not only attracts attention but also it is economical and humorous. The stimulus is relevant enough for consumers to take processing effort. On the audience's part, pun interpretation seems more important. Because of pun's ambiguity, it requires consumers to pay extra processing but produces extra contextual effects.

Second, the paper devoted to explore pun interpretation in advertisements. The analysis is conducted in two categories: context analysis and interpretation process analysis. Through analysis, it is known that advertises’ presumed optimal relevance can achieved in several ways.

Third, pun attracts consumers’ attention. Pun interpretation produces extra contextual effects and increases intellectual pleasure.

5.2 Implications of the Study

The study on pun application in advertisements has become an interest in the field of advertising research. This paper has certain implications:

(1) The study may encourage advertisers to use pun frequently which is powerful in attention-attracting and make better application of pun in advertisements.

(2) Potential consumers will better understand pun in advertisements and have fun when interpreting advertisements.

(3) The study provides theoretical evidence to the advertisers that advertising utterance is of great persuasive power when applied appropriately and properly.

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从关联视角阐释英语广告中的双关语

摘要：如今，广告已经成为我们日常生活的非常重要的组成部分。广告是一种特殊且有效的言语交际方式，其最终目标是说服消费者,使其有意愿去购买广告产品和服务，从而达到推销商品的目的。广告者在制作广告过程中非常注重语言的力量及其灵活性，试图运用很多语言技巧去吸引受众的注意力，并且达到改善形象，推广产品和服务的目的。广告中双关语的运用是最常见的修辞手段之一，由于其具有歧

义和双重语境的特点使其在广告宣传中受到重视。双关语在广告中频繁使用的现象使我们对广告语言产生极大兴趣，本文将尝试把很多例子放在Sperber 和Wilson 的关联理论下去研究。通过分析，各种双关语如何吸引受众注意力以及如何实现最佳关联的过程将被揭示。广告双关语的分析，不仅可以加深观众对广告双关语的了解，而且也促使广告制作者们更好地运用双关语。

关键词：双关语; 关联理论; 双关语类型; 双关语阐释