英语广告探析论文

[Abstract]Theadvertisementisanindispensablepartinthesociety.SotheresearchesontheEnglishadvertisementsarebecomingmoreandmoreusefulandimportant.Atthebeginningofthethesis,theauthorholdsthedefinition,theeffectandthecomponentoftheadvertisement.Andthentheauthorstatessomethingaboutdiscourseanalysisfromitsdefinition,components,andlevels.Discourseanalysisistheprocessofdescription,explanation,illustration,andevaluation.Theunderstandingofthetextisthelowlevel,butthehighoneisevaluatingthetext.SystemicFunctionalGrammar(SFG)isprovedthatitismoresuitablefordiscourseanalysisthananyothertheories.Itconsistsofsystemicgrammarandfunctionalgrammar.SystemicGrammarclaimsthatlanguageisasystemnetworkofmeaningpotentialorthatitisasemioticsystem.FunctionalGrammarisclassifiedlanguagefunctionintothreeparts:ideationalmetafunction,interpersonalmetafunction,andtextualmetafunction.Finally,theauthorputsthesetheoriesintothepracticeofanalyzingtheEnglishadvertisement.Withthediscussionandanalysis,itisprovedthatSFGcandeveloptherelationshipbetweenthemfurther,andEnglishadvertisementcanbeunderstoodclearly.

[KeyWords]Englishadvertisement;discourseanalysis;systemicfunctionalgrammar;functionalgrammar

[摘要]广告现在已经成为社会生活不可缺少的一部分，对广告语篇分析有其存在的必然性。论文首先论述了广告的定义，影响以及其文案的组成部分。接下来论述了关于语篇分析，从语篇分析的概念，组成部分，以及两个层面。语篇分析是一个描写，解释，说明，评估的过程，对语篇理解了还要会做出评论。而系统功能语法被指出这个语法比其他语言学框架更适合用来分析语篇，所以论文接下来描述了系统功能语法的理论内容去支持语篇分析，系统功能语法包括系统语法和功能语法。系统语法核心思想是认为语言是有个意义潜势的系统网络。功能语法从语言的功能的角度总结出语言的三大元功能：概念功能，人际功能，语篇功能。最后作者用以上的相关理论对一个英语广告实例进行了具体分析。通过以上论述和分析，作者证明了系统功能语法指导语篇分析的可行性。作者也望两者能更加的完善，以至能更系统地分析理解广告语篇。

[关键词]英语广告；语篇分析；系统功能语法；功能语法

1.Introduction

Sincethe1960s,Halliday,theProfessoroflinguistics,developsasystematicandcomprehensivetheoryoflanguage,called“Systemic-FunctionalGrammar(SFG)”,andpublisheshisbook“AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar”in1985and1994.Manyscholarsalsopublishedanumberofbooksandpapersonsystemicgrammar.TheresearchofSystemicFunctionalGrammarbeginsin1970sandbecomepopularinthelate1980s.

Englishadvertisingbeginsinthemedievaltimesandtheadvertising-boomappearsinthe1920s.Todayadvertisinghasbecomeanindispensabletoolformoderncompaniesandinstitutions.SothediscourseanalysisofEnglishadvertisingisverynecessary.Withtheanalysis,peoplecanunderstandtheadvertisementcompletelyandsupplythefurtherimprovementwithsomeevidence.

NowfewpeoplehavetriedtousethetheoriesoftheSFGtoanalyzeEnglishadvertisements.ButProfessorHuangguowenmakesadetailedstudyonthecombinationoftheSFGandtheanalysisofEnglishadvertisementinhisnewlypublishedbook“TheoryandPracticeofDiscourseAnalysis---AStudyinAdvertisingDiscourse(2001)”.

ThethesiswillmakeatentativeendeavortoapplythetheoriesoftheSFGtotheanalysisofEnglishadvertisements,hopingtoprovethatthetheoriesofSFGcanbeusedtoanalyzeEnglishadvertisingandareactuallyeffective.

2.Advertising

2.1Thedefinitionofadvertising

Mostofthescholarsholdthat“Advertising”originatesfromtheLatinword“Adventure”whichmeansarousingpeople’sinteresttotakeaction.In1300to1475,itwaschangedtothemedievalEnglish“Advertise”,whichmeant,“Someonepaysattentiontosomething”.Thefirstnewspaperadvertisementissaidtohaveappearedin1704intheBostonNewsLetterinAmerica.Duringthe18thcenturyadvertisinggrewinpopularitybothinBritainandtheAmericancolonies.

Before1890,inthewestern,thedefinitionofadvertisingisgenerallycalled,as“Advertisingisapieceofnewsabouttheproductortheservice.”In1948,TheCommitteeonDefinitionsoftheAmericanMarketingAssociationdefines:“thenon-personalcommunicationofinformationusuallypaidforandusuallypersuasiveinnatureaboutproducts,serviceorideabyidentifiedsponsorsthroughthevariousmedia.”AmericanSponsorsAssociationhold:Advertisingisthepaidcommunicationforthemasses,anditsfinalpurposeistotransmitmessages,changetheattitude,inducepeopletotakeactionandbenefitidentifiedsponsors.TheEncartaEncyclopediadefines“advertising”as“aformofcommercialmasscommunicationdesignedtopromotethesaleofaproductorservice,oramessageonbehalfofaninstitution,organization,orcandidateforpoliticaloffice”.[1]

Now,drawthefollowingconclusion:“Advertisingisapaid,mass-mediatedattempttopersuade”.[2]Firstly,identifiedsponsorsneedtopayforit.Secondly,itisdeliveredthroughacommunicationmediumdesignedtoreachmorethanoneperson.Thirdly,itisthepubliccommunicationdesignedtochangeorreinforcetheattitudeandtheaction.

2.2Theeffectofadvertising

Advertisingcanmakeacontributiontosales---alongwiththerightproduct,therightprice,andtherightdistribution.Itcannotonlycreatesocialwealthdirectlyandprovidelotsofjobs,butalsopromotethedevelopmentofotherindustries.AndadvertisingisrelatedtoGDP(GrossDomesticProduct)inthatitcancontributetolevelsofoverallconsumerdemandwhenitplaysakeyroleinintroducingnewproducts.Advertisingcanhaveastabilizingeffectondownturnsinbusinessactivity.

Advertisingisallegedtostimulatecompetitionandthereforemotivatefirmstostriveforbetterproducts,betterproductionmethods,andothercompetitiveadvantagesthatultimatelybenefittheeconomyasawhole.Duetotheeconomiesofscaleproducedbyadvertising,consumersactuallyrealizeless—expensiveproducts.Asbroad-baseddemandstimulationresultsinlowerproductionandadministrativecostsperunit,lowpricesarepassedontoconsumers.Thepressureofcompetitionandthedesiretohavefresh,marketableproductsstimulatefirmstoproduceimprovedproductsanddosomeinnovations.Allofthesecancontributetothestandardoflivingandqualityoflifeinasociety.

Advertisingeducatesconsumers,equippingthemwiththeinformationtheyneedtomakeinformedpurchasedecisions.Consumersbecomemoreeducatedregardingthefeatures,benefits,functions,andvalueproducts.Further,consumerscanbecomemoreawareoftheirowntendenciestowardbeingpersuadedandrelyingoncertaintypesofproductinformation.Accordingtotheabove,better-educatedconsumersenhancetheirlifestylesandeconomicpowerthroughastutemarketplacedecision-making.

Inall,withthedevelopmentofthetechnologyandthediversityofthemassmedia,advertisinghasinfluencedpeoplepervasivelyinthedailylife.Advertisingplaysanimportantroleinthesociety.Foreigncountries(especiallyAmerican)havedevelopedtheadvertisingforalongtime,soChineseneedtousetheexperienceofothercountriesforreference.ThatisthestudyofEnglishadvertisinghasitsnecessity.ThestudyofanalysisofEnglishadvertisingismeaningful.

2.3Thecomponentsofcopywriting

“Copywritingistheprocessofexpressingthevalueandbenefits;abrandhastooffer,viawrittenorverbaldescriptions.”[3]Acompletepieceofcopywritinggenerallyconsistsofheadline(includingsub-headline),bodycopy,slogan,andsupplementaryitems.

Theheadlineisthemostimportantpart,whichistheleadingsentenceusedatthetoporbottomoftheadvertising.Itshouldarouseinterestsandattractattentions.Itcanmakepeoplekeeponreadingandgettoknowmoreabouttheproductbeingsold.Itmustbeshort,simplewordaboutnotmorethan10words,butitincludesenoughinformation,thenameofbrandandsoon.Subheadisanadditionalheadlineusuallyappearsaboveorbelowtheheadline.Itincludesimportantbrandinformationnotincludedintheheadline.Liketheheadlineittransmitskeysellingpointsorbrandinformationquickly.Itshouldreinforcetheheadlineandservesasatransitiontothebodycopy.

Bodycopytellsamorecompletestoryabouttheproductorservice,onlyoneoutof10readersreadthebodycopy,soitwillarousepeople’sinterestandmoreinformationforpeopletoknowof.Generallyitincludesemotionalcopyandreason-whycopy.

Slogan,itsstructureissimilartotheheadline.Asloganisashortphraseusedtohelpestablishanimage,identity,orpositionforabrandoranorganization.Itcanprovidescontinuityacrossdifferentmediaandbetweenadvertisingcampaigns.Itexpressesadvertisingmessagewithbrief,repeatable,andmemorablestatement.Thatis,itcanmakeconsumerstakeactions.Takesomefamousslogansforexample:“Justdoit!(Nike)”,“Freshupwithseven-up(Seven-up)”,“ThingsgobetterwithCoca-cola(Coca-cola)”.

Supplementaryitemsarethecompleteinstructionsofadvertisingcontent.Itincludesillustration,trademark,andnameofcommodity,logotype,address,telephonenumber,price,accountsnumber,boxandpanel,sealandsoon.Illustrationandtrademarkareveryimportantinthem.Mostofpeoplereadadfollowingtheorder:illustration,headline,andbodycopy.Soillustrationisthemostimportantpartforasuccessfulad.Illustrationarousesinteresttoreadtheheadline,identifythesubjectofthead,clarifyclaimsmadebythecopy,andcreateafarmableimpressionoftheinformation.Trademarkincludesbrandname,corporateorstorenameandvisualsymbol.Itmaybeuseinshortening.Awell-knownbrandnameisworthyandthereforeisofgreatimportancetoacorporation.Thefeaturesofthetrademarkaredescribableandremarkable,suchas“Ford”,“Adidas”.

3.Discourseanalysis

In1952,Zellings.Harriss,thestructuralists,reportedthearticle“DiscourseAnalysis”inthemagazine“Language”.Inthelast50years,alotofscholarsmakesomeeffortstothissubjectandgainsomeachievements.Fromthedocument,discourseanalysisinvolveslinguistics,semiotics,psychology,anthropology,sociology,literature,informationscienceandsoon,andgraduallyformstheknowledgestudyinglanguage-in-useinthecommunication.

“Discourseanalysisisthestudyofhowsentencesinspokenandwrittenlanguageformlargermeaningfulunitssuchparagraphs,conversations,interview,etc.Forexample,discourseanalysisdealswith(a)howthechoiceofarticles,pronouns,andtensesaffectsthestructureofthediscourse.(b)Therelationshipbetweenutterancesinadiscourse.(c)Themovesmadebyspeakerstointroduceanewtopic,changethetopic,orassertahigherrolerelationshiptotheotherparticipants.”[4]

“Discourseanalysisemphasizesthatlanguageisnotmerelyaself-containedsystemofsymbolsbutmoreimportantlyamodeofdoing,being,andbecoming.Discourseanalysisseekstodescribeandexplainlinguisticphenomenaintermsoftheaffective,cognitive,situational,andculturalcontextsoftheiruseandtoidentifylinguisticresourcesthroughwhichwe(re)constructourlife(ouridentity,belief,ideology,andsoforth).Essentially,itaskswhyweuselanguagethewaywedoandhowweliveliveslinguistically.Discourseanalysisinsistsontheuseofnaturallyoccurringlanguagedate(asopposedtoinventeddata)”.[5]

Generallyspeaking,discourseanalysisisadevelopingandnon-qualitativesubject,whichhasneithertheguidanceofaspecifictheorynorgenerallyrecognizedanalysiswaysandsteps.Schiffirn,Americandiscourseanalyst,introducessixmethodsusinginthediscourseanalysis:speechacttheory,internationalsociologist,andtheethnographyofcommunication,pragmatics,conversationanalysis,andvariationanalysis.M.A.K.Hallidayinhisbook“AnintroductiontoFunctionalGrammar”holdsthat“Theaim(ofSFG)hasbeentoconstructagrammarforpurposesoftextanalysis:onethatwouldmakeitpossibletosaysensibleandusefulthingsaboutanytext,spokenorwritten,inmodernEnglish.”[6]

3.1Purposeofdiscourseanalysis

SFGconstructagrammarforpurposesoftextanalysis,somostofscholarsinsistthatitismoresuitablefordiscourseanalysisthananyothertheories.ThatisSFGistheapproachproposedinthestudyofdiscourseanalysis.ThediscourseanalysisguidingbySFGiscalledas“Functionaldiscourseanalysis”.

Someanalyststhinkdiscourseanalysisistheinterpretiveactivity,becauseitspurposeistohelpthereadersunderstandthemeaningofthetextandthewriter.Butfunctionaldiscourseanalysisistheexplanatoryactivity;itspurposeistoexplainwhythetextexpressesthemeaning.HallidayandHasanholdthatthepurposeofthetextanalysisisexplanationnotinterpretation.Foratext,thepurposeof“interpretation”istounderstandwhatthemeaningofthetextis,butthepurposeof“explanation”istomakeclearthathowthetextexpressesitsmeaning.Accordingtotheauthor’sunderstanding,theexplanatoryactivityincludesinterpretiveactivity,becausebeforeexplaininghowatextexpressesitsmeaning,peoplewillknowwhatthemeaningofatextis.

Thepurposeoffunctionaldiscourseanalysisistoevaluatethetext.Beforeevaluatingatext,discourseanalysismuststudythetextfrom“Whatisthemeaningofthetext?”“Howdoesthetextexpressthemeaning?”“Whydoesthetextexpressthemeaning?”

Inall,thepurposeofdiscourseanalysisisexplanatoryactivitytoevaluatethetext.

3.2Scopesofdiscourseanalysis

Hallidayholdsthatdiscourseanalysisconsistsofcontextofculture,contextofsituation,language.

(I)Contextofculture:languageisthesocialphenomenonandthereflectionofthesocialactivity.Everytextisproducedandthenaffectedinaparticularcontextofculture.“Contextofculture”referstothetextexpressingallthemeaningsinthespecialsocietyandculture(includingpurposeofcommunication,wayofcommunication,formofcommunication,contentofcommunication,etc).Contextofcultureisreflectedby“genre”.Genreconsistsofschematicstructureandrealizationalpattern.

(II)Contextofsituation:itisimmediateenvironmentoflanguageactivity,whichistime,place,talkingcontent,therelationamongpeoplerelatedtotransfercommunicationalmeanings.HallidayandHasan(1985)dividecontextofsituationintothreeparts:field,tenorandmode.

(a)Fieldreferstowhatisbeingtalkabout,whatisitthattheparticipantsareengagedin,inwhichthelanguagefiguresassomeessentialcomponents.

(b)Tenorreferstothepeopleinvolvedinthecommunicationandtherelationshipbetweenthem.Whatkindsofrolerelationshipsobtainamongtheparticipants,includingpermanentandtemporaryrelationshipsofonekindoranother,boththetypesofspeechrolethattheyaretakingoninthedialogueandthewholeclusterofsociallysignificantrelationshipsinwhichtheyreferto.

(c)Modereferstohowthelanguageisfunctioningintheinteraction,e.g.whetheritiswrittenorspoken.

(III)Languageincludessemantics,lexico-grammar,andphonology/graphology.AccordingtotheviewofHalliday,languagechieflyexpressesthreefunctions/meanings:Ideationalfunction,InterpersonalfunctionandTextualfunction.Thethreefunctionsarerelatedtocontextandlexico-grammar.Fielddeterminestheexperientialmeaningsthatexpressed.Tenordeterminestheinterpersonalmeanings.Modedeterminesthetextualmeanings.Andthesethreefunctionsareembodiedbylexico-grammar.“However,but,nevertheless”expresstextualmeanings.

Schematicstructure

Contextofculture

Realizationalstructure

Field

TextContextofsituationTenor

Mode

Semantics

LanguageLexico-grammar

Phonology/graphology

3.3Levelsofdiscourseanalysis

In“AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar”,Hallidayholds“Inanypieceofdiscourseanalysis,therearealwaystwopossiblelevelsofachievementtoaimat.Oneisacontributiontotheunderstandingofthetext:thelinguisticanalysisenablesonetoshowhowandwhy,thetextmeanswhatitdoes.Intheprocess,therearelikelytoberevealedmultiplemeanings,alternatives,ambiguities,metaphorsandsoon.”[7]Thatis,thelowleveristheactivityofdescribingandexplainingthetext.“Itisonethatshouldalwaysbeattainableprovidedfeaturesofthelanguage---provideditisbasedonagrammar,inotherwords.”Anotherlevelistheevaluationofthetext:“thelinguisticanalysismayenableonetosaywhythetextis,orisnot,aneffectivetextforitsownpurposed---inwhatrespectsitsucceedsandinwhatrespectsitfails,orislesssuccessful.”[8]Thatis,thehighlevelistheactivityofinterpretingandevaluatingthetext.Inordertoattainthegoal,itrequiresanalyzingthetext,andanalyzingthecontext(contextofsituation,contextofculture)andtherelationshipbetweencontextandtext.Sotheanalystsneedtodecodethefurthermeaningofthetextandevaluatetheuseofwordsandgrammarsincontextofsituationandthecontextofculture.

Accordingtohuangguowen,SFGismoresuitableforanalyzingthetext.ItisbecauseSFGisthetextgrammar.Itisbecausegrammaristodescribehowtheuseoflanguage,thatis,thewaytosayandunderstandthemeaningofthetextclearly.ItisbecauseSFGdescribethesystemicnetworkofthethreemetafunctionclearly.ItdoesbecauseapplyingtheframeworkofSFGtoanalyzethetextcanavoidevaluatingatwill.

ThefollowingisthedescriptionofSFG,andwhyitcanguidediscourseanalysis.

4.Systemicfunctionalgrammar

InHalliday’sbook“AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar”,hesays”thetheoryonwhichthisdescriptionisbased,systemictheoryfollowsintheEuropeanfunctionaltradition.ItislargelybasedonFirth’ssystem-structuretheory,butderivesmoreabstractprinciplesfromHjelmslevandowesmanyideastoPragueSchool.Theorganizingconceptisthatofthe“system”,whichisusedessentiallyinFirth’ssenseofafunctionalParadigmbutdevelopedintotheformalconstructofa‘systemnetwork’.”[9]

SFGhastwocomponents:systemicgrammarandfunctionalgrammar.InHuzhuanglin’sbook“Linguistics.AcourseBook”,heholdsthat“Systemicgrammaraimstoexplaintheinternalrelationsinlanguageasasystemnetwork,ormeaningpotential.Andthisnetworkconsistsofsubsystemfromwhichlanguageusersmakechoices.Functionalgrammaraimstorevealthatlanguageisameanofsocialinteraction,basedonthepositionthatlanguagesystemandtheformsthatmakeitupareinescapablydeterminedbytheusesorfunctionswhichtheyserve.”[10]

4.1Systemicgrammar

“Systemicgrammarisanapproachtogrammaticalanalysiswhichisbasedonaseriesofsystems.Eachsystemisasetofoptionsofwhichonemustbechosenateachrelevantpointintheproductionofanutterance.Forexample,inEnglish,thespeakerorwritermakeschoicesamongthesystemsofnumber.”[11]Thecentralcomponentofasystemicgrammarisachartofthefullsetofchoicesavailableinconstructingasentence,withaspecificationoftherelationshipsbetweenchoices.Halliday’ssystemicgrammarhasthefollowingaspects:First,ithas“system”asitscentralcategory.Second,itlaysstressonrelatingthesociology.Third,itattachesimportancetodescribethecharacteristicsofparticularlanguagesandparticularvarietiesoflanguages.Fourth,languageisamodeofactionandnotaninstrumentofreflection.Fifth,itusesclinestoexplainsomelanguageproblems.

AccordingtoHuzhuanglin’sinstruction“Insystemicgrammar,thenotionofsystemismadeofacentralexplanatoryprinciple,thewholeoflanguagebeingconceivedasa‘systemofsystems’,systemicgrammarisconcernedwithestablishinganetworkofsystemsofrelationships,whichaccountsforallthesemanticallyrelevantchoicesinthelanguageasawhole.”[12]

Asystemisalistofchoices;thechoicesinasystemaremutuallyexclusive.Everysystemisfinite.Themeaningofeverychoiceinasystemdependsonthemeaningofotherchoiceinthesystem.

Inall,systemicgrammarmakespeopleknow“system”and“structure”.Itrequirespeopletoanalyzethetextlogicallyandregardthetextasaunit.

Inthedescriptionofthesystem,ifthefeatureofthesystemappearsinothersystem,thatcanbesimultaneityorechelon.Ifthetwosystemsappearinorder,thefeaturesofthemareordinal.Thesystemicgrammarisselectingageneralareaofmeaning,andgraduallybreakingitintosmallerandsmallersub-areas.Choiceismeaning.SystemgammardescribesthreeMetafunctions.Eachofthemetafunctionsisacomplexsystemconsistedofothersystems,andchoicesaresimultaneouslydoneinthethreemetafunctions.Thisisthecloserelationshipbetweensystemicgrammarandfunctionalgrammar.

4.2Functionalgammar

“Inafunctionalgrammar,ontheotherhand,thedirectionisreversed.AlanguageisinterpretedasaSystemofmeaningscanberealized.”[13]“FunctionalGrammaraimstorevealthatlanguageisameanofsocialinteraction,basedonthepositionthatlanguagesystemandtheformsthatmakeitupareinescapablydeterminedbytheusesorfunctionswhichtheyserve.”[14]ThefunctionsoflanguagearethemostimportantthingsinFunctionalGrammar.

Asthetoolofpeople’scommunication,languageundertakesallkindoffunctions.Hallidaydividesthefunctionoflanguageintothreekinds:ideationalmetafunction,interpersonalmetafunction,andtextualmetafunction.

4.2.1IdeationalMetafunction

“…Afundamentalpropertyoflanguageisthatitenableshumanbeingstobuildamentalpictureofreality,tomakesenseoftheirexperienceofwhatgoesonaroundthemandinsidethem.”[15]Itistoconveynewinformation,tocommunicateacontentthatisunknowntothelistener.

Theideationalmetafunctionistoorganizethespeakerorwriter’sexperienceoftherealorimaginaryworldandincludesexperientialfunctionandlogicalfunction.Whatexperientialfunctionisthatlanguageexpressespeople’sexperiencesinexternalworld(things,eventsqualities,etc)andinternalworld(thoughts,beliefs,feelings,etc).Whatlogicalfunctionreferstothatlanguageexpressesthelogicalrelationshipbetweentwoormorethantwomeaningunits.

(I).ExperientialFunction

Experientialfunctionischieflyembodiedbytransitivityandvoice.“…Parallelwithitsevolutioninthefunctionofmood,expressingtheactive,interpersonalaspectofmeaning,theclauseevolvedsimultaneouslyinanothergrammaticalfunctionexpressingthereflective,experientialaspectofmeaning.Thislateristhesystemoftransitivity.Transitivityspecifiesthedifferenttypesofprocessthatarerecognizedinthelanguage,andthestructuresbywhichtheyareexpressed.”[16]Transitivityisasemanticsystem.Itspurposeistodividesomethingaroundpeopleintoseveralprocessesinvolvingparticipantandcircumstantialelement.Hallidayholdsthattransitivityincludessixprocesses:(a)Materialprocess.(b)Mentalprocess.(c)Relationalprocess.(d)Behavioralprocess.(e)Verbalprocess.(f)Existentialprocess.

(a)MaterialProcess:processofdoing

Materialprocessisaprocessofdoing.Theprocessusuallyconsistsofverb,actor(logicalsubject)andgoal(nounorpronoun)

Hekilledallthepeople

ActorProcessgoal

(b)MentalProcess:processofthinking

Mentalprocessisaprocessofthinkinginvolvingperception(see,look),reaction(like,fear)andcognition(knowing,believing,andunderstanding)andsoon.Metalprocesshastwoparticipants:sensor,andphenomenon.Sensorreferstothepersonwhoperceivesandphenomenonisthesomethingthatisperceivedbythesensor.Phenomenonincludesconcretepersonorobjects,abstractthings,happenedeventsandsoon.

IHearHimplayingthepianonexttothedoor.

SensorProcessPhenomenon

(c)RelationalProcess:processofbeing

Relationalprocessisaprocessofbeing.Ithastwotypes’attributiveprocessandidentifyingprocess.Relationalprocessconsistsofintensive,circumstantialandpossessive.Intheattributiveprocess,theparticipantsareattributeandcarrier.

TheclockHasThreepointers.

CarrierProcessAttribute

Intheidentifyingprocess,theparticipantsareidentifiedandidentifier.

ThiscarIsMine.

IdentifiedProcessIdentifier

(d)BehavioralProcess:processofbehaving

Behavioralprocessisaprocessofbehaving,suchasbreathe,dream,smile,laugh,cry,andcough.Thebasiccomponentsoftheprocessare“behaver”and“process”.Thispointissimilartothementalprocess,butdifferentfromthematerialprocess.

SheCriedLoudly.

BehaverProcessCircumstantial

(e)VerbalProcess:processofsaying

Verbalprocessisaprocessofsaying.“Saying”hastobeinterpretedinaratherbroadsense;itcoversanykindofsymbolicexchangeofmeaning.Theverbalwordsare“tell,say,talk,describe,boast,praise”.Theverbalizationitselfiscalledtheverbiage.

TheteacherTelledThestudent“Don’tdisturbothers.”

SayerProcessReceiverVerbiage

(f)ExistentialProcess:processofexisting

Existentialprocessisaprocessofexisting.Ineveryexistentialprocess,itmusthavean“Existent”.“There”hasnorepresentationalfunction.

ThereIsAnappleOnthetree.

ProcessExistentCircumstance

Generallyspeaking,mostoftheprocessesrepresentingdescriptivemeaningaretherelational,existentialprocessandthementalprocesses.However,mostoftheprocessesrepresentingnarrativemeaningarematerialprocesses.

“Voiceisthewaysinwhichalanguageexpressestherelationshipbetweenaverbandthenounphraseswhichareassociatedwithit.Twosentencescandifferinvoiceandyethavethesamebasicmeaning.However,theremaybeachangeinemphasisandonetypeofsentencemaybemoreappropriate.”[17]Itisrepresentedcommonlybyactivevoiceandpassivevoice.Inordertomakethestructureofthetextreasonableandthecontextconsistent,speakersneedtodoanappropriatechoicetothevoice.

II.LogicalFunction

Logicalfunctionmainlyreferstothelanguagefunction,whichrepresentstheco-ordinateorsubordinatelogicalrelationsoflanguage.Hallidayresearchesthefunctionfrominterdependencyandlogical-semanticrelation.Usingthetwofunctionssimultaneouslytoresearchthelanguage,thelanguagecanbeanalyzedcompletely.

4.2.2InterpersonalMetafunction

Interpersonalmetafunctionservestomakefulluseoflanguagetoexpresstherelationshipbetweenthesocietyandtheperson.Withtheuseoflanguage,peoplecommunicatewithothers,establishandkeepinterpersonalrelationships,affectpeople’sbehaviorsandexpresstheviewabouttheworld.Interpersonalmetafunctionisrealizedbymoodandmodality.

(I.)Mood

AccordingtoHuzhuanglin,“Moodshowswhatrolethespeakerselectsinthespeechsituationandwhatroleheassignstotheaddressee.”[18]Moodincludesthe”subject”andthe“Finite”element.Thefunctionofthe“Finite”elementistoprovidethereferencewiththeproposition.The“subject”istheelementofeffectiveandsuccessfulpropositions.

(II).Modality

Modalityspecifiesifthespeakerisexpressinghisjudgmentormakingaprediction.Hallidayclassifiedmodalityintotwomajortypes:modalization(probability,usuality)andmodulation(obligation/inclination).

Forexample:(1)Marywillcomebacktomorrow.

(2)Heusuallygoestothepark.

4.2.3TextualMetafunction

“Textualmetafunctonisconcernedwiththecreationoftext---theresourcesforpresentinginformationastextincontext.”[19]“Thetextualfunctionfulfilstherequirementthatthelanguagecanberelatedinrealuse,havingcertainstructuresinarealcontextthatdistinguishesasingleitemfromagrammaroradictionaryinalivingpassage.”[20]Itincludesthematicstructure,informationstructureandcohesion.

(I).Thematicstructure

“Thematicstructurerelatestothestructuringoftheclauseitself---theorderinwhichelementsappearintheclause.”[21]Thethemeistheelementwhichservesasthepointofdepartureofthemessage;itisthatwithwhichtheclauseisconcerned.Andtherestoftheclauseiscalledrheme.

FollowingGeoffThompsonassumesthatthemehasfourmainfunctions:(a)Signalingthemaintenanceorprocessionof“whatthetextisabout”atthatpoint.(b)Specifyingorchangingtheframeworkfortheinterpretationofthefollowingclause.(c)Signalingtheboundariesofsectioninthetext.(d)Signalingwhatthespeakerthinksisaviable/useful/importantstarting-point.[22]

Accordingtothesyntacticstructureoftheinitialconstituentsofasentence,Hallidaydividesthemeintothreemainkinds:simpletheme,multiplethemeandclausaltheme.Inaclause,themeisconflatedwithsubjectiscalledunmarkedtheme.Athemethatissomethingotherthanthesubjectiscalledmarkedtheme.

(II)Informationstructure

Informationstructureistoorganizelanguageorganizationasinformationunit.Itisformedthestructureofinformationunitfromtheinteractionofgiveninformationandnewinformation.

Aclauseasaninformationstructureconsistsofagivenelementaccompaniedbyanewelement.The“unmarked”sequencingofinformationstructureisgiven-new.Informationstructureischieflyembodiedby“intonation”.

(III)Cohesion

InHalliday’swords“Theconceptofcohesionisasemanticone;itreferstorelationsofmeaningthatexistwiththetext,andthatdefineitasatext.”[23]ThereisfivewaysbywhichcohesioniscreatedinEnglish:reference,ellipsis,substitution,conjunctionandlexicalorganization.

(a)Reference:Aparticipantorcircumstantialelementintroducedatoneplaceinthetextcanbetakingasareferencepointforanother.

(b)Ellipsis:Someelementscanbeomittedinthetext.Itcanavoidrepeatingandhighlightthenewinformation.Itisagrammaticalwaytomakethetextwellknit.

(c)Substitution:Itmeansreplacing.Sothesupersededwordsaretheformanditssemanticmeaningwillbefoundinthereplacedelements.

(d)Conjunction:Itistouseconductedelementstoembodyallkindsoflogicalrelationsinthetext.Theconductedelementsgenerallyaresometransitionalwords,showinglogicrelationssuchastime,causeandeffect,condition.

(e)Lexicalorganization:Itincludesrepetition,synonymy/antonym,hyponymy/metonymyandcollocation.

5.AnalysisoftheEnglishadvertisement

Discourseanalysisispaidmoreandmoreattentiontothelinguists.TheaimofSFGistoconstructagrammarforpurposesoftextanalysis.FunctionalgrammarcananalyzenotonlyspokenEnglishbutalsowrittenEnglish.HopingitisprovedthatdiscourseanalysiscanonlybeguidedbythetheoryintermsofanalyzingsomeEnglishadvertisements,andthefunctionalgrammarisofusefulnessandserviceability.

Thefollowingistheinsuranceadvertisement.

InsuredbyAllianz

(1)Wouldn’titbenicetogrowoldwithafewmorelaughlines?(2)it’seasyifyouhaveproperprotectionandalongtermsavingsplanwiththerightcompany.(3)Establishedover100yearsago,TheAllianzGroupistrustedbyover60millioncustomersworldwide.(4)Forpersonalinsurancesolutionscoveringthedifferentstagesinyourlife,backedbythefinanicialsecurityofagloballeader,turntoAllianzinAsia.(5)Becausewhereverlifetakesyou,weprovidepeaceofmindalongtheway.

Allianz.ThePoweronYourSide.(Newsweek,Oct2002)

5.1Analyzingthetransitivityoftheadvertising

SentenceProcesstypeProcessParticipantCircumstance

1relationalWouldn’tbeitTogrowoldwithafewmorelaughlines

2relationalisitIfyouhaveproperprotectionandalongtermsavingsplanwiththerightcompany

relationalhaveYou,properprotectionandalongtermsavingsplanWiththerightcompany

3materialIstrustedTheAllianzGroup60millioncustomersEstablishedover100yearsago

materialestablished(theAllianzGroups)Over100yearsago(non-finite)

4materialTurntoAllianzinAsiaForpersonalinsurancesolutionscoveringthedifferentstagesinyourlife,backedbythefinancialsecurityofagloballeadermaterialcoveringPersonalinsurance,differentstagesinyourlife(non-finite)

materialbacked(Personalinsurance)financialsecurityofagloballeader(non-finite)

5materialprovideWe,peaceofmindAlongtheway,becausewhereverlifetakesyou

materialtakesLife,youInthisadvertisement,therearealtogethertenprocesses,amongwhichtherearethreerelationalprocessesandsevenmaterialprocesses.Accordingtowhattheauthorhassaidjustnow,thethreerelationalprocessesmusthaveserveddescription.Thatisthesethreeprocessesfirstconfirm,“itwouldbenicetogrowoldwithafewmorelaughlines.”thentheycontinuetodescribehowyoucando.Thethreeprocessesareincludedinsentence(1)and(2)oftheadvertisement.Thefollowingsentencesincludesevenmaterialprocesses.Thus,thesesentencesmustservetonarrate.Generallyspeaking,mostoftheprocessesrepresentingdescriptivemeaningaretherelational,existentialprocessandthementalprocesses.However,mostoftheprocessesrepresentingnarrativemeaningarematerialprocesses.Analyzingtheprocessesonebyone,thispurposeofthecopywriterisclearlyrepresented.Insentence(4),thecopywriterasksreaderstoturntotheAllianzinAsiaiftheywantpersonalinsurancesolutionscoveringthedifferentstagesinlife.Also,thecopywriterstatesthefactthatagloballeaderoffinancialsecuritybackstheAllianz.

FromallthesestatementsaboutthepowerandcreditoftheAllianzGroup,readersjustcannotescapethetemptation.Inaddition,thematerialprocessestakeupnearly3/5oftheprocesses.ThusthecopywriterputshisemphasisonstatingthequalitiesoftheAllianzGroup.

Theprocesspatternofthisadvertisementisrelationalprocesses(sentence(1),(2))---materialprocesses(sentence(3),(4),(5)).

5.2Analyzingthemoodoftheadvertising

SentenceSubjectFiniteMood

1ItWouldn’tbeInterrogative

2ItisDeclarative

YouhaveDeclarative

3TheAllianzGroupisDeclarative

4(you)turnImperative

5WeprovideDeclarative

LifetakesDeclarative

Alltogetherthisadvertisementismadeupoffivesentences.Fromthetablethemoodsofdifferentclausesareclearlyrepresented.Thereisoneinterrogativesentencethatissentence(1)andoneimperativesentencethatissentence(4)Mostofthemoodtypesaredeclarativemood.Copywritersdotheadvertisementtogivethecustomermoreandmoreinformationabouttheproduct.Whatisthedifferenceofinterrogativeandimperativemoods?Althoughsentence(1)isaninterrogativesentence,itisinfactnotaquestiontoaskforanswerbuttoexpressagoodwillsincetheanswerisself-evident.Thatis“Itwouldbenicetogrowoldwithafewmorelaughline.”Thecopywriterusestwostatementstoindicatehowtheycanfulfillthiswill.Sentence(4)isanimperativesentenceexpressessomerequirements,whichservestoaskthereaderstobuytheservice.Theultimateaimofthecopywriterisarousingthereader’sattentionandtakesaction.Sentence(5)isinfactnotacompletesentenceintraditionalgrammar.Itisactuallyasubordinateclausewhyreadersshouldchoosetheinsuranceprovidedbythecompany.Thecopywriterusesthisclauseindependentlyjusttoputitinanemphaticplace.Finallyreadersmaybepersuadedtobuy.Thecompany’goalistoselltheirproductorserviceandbenefitforfurtherproductions.

Themoodpatternofthisadvertisingisrepresented:interrogative,declarative,imperative.

5.3Analyzingtheregisteroftheadvertising

Thisadvertisementisaconsumeradvertisementtoallthepeoplewhowanttotakeinsuranceinthenewspaper.

Relatethedetailtothefunctionalgrammarasfollows:

FieldConsumeradvertisement

TenorAllthepeoplewhowanttotakeinsurance

ModeMagazineadvertisement

Thefieldreferstowhatishappening,thatis,simplysay,“place”.InEnglishadvertisement,accordingtothedifferenttopicsorfieldofit,therearedifferentfieldsofdiscourse.Therearelotsoftargetareasintheadvertisement,suchasconsumeradvertisingtoconsumers,industrialadvertisingtothecompany,serviceadvertising.Andmostofthefilm,radio,newspapersandmagazineadvertisingareconsumeradvertising.Sothefieldofthisadvertisingisconsumeradvertisement.

Thedefinitionof“tenor”isstatedbyGeoffreyRichardThompson,theEnglishlinguist,“thepeopleinvolvedinthecommunicationandtherelationshipbetweenthem.”[12]P8Thepurposeofadvertisingistransmittingtheinformationtothereaders.Thatisthecopywritersneedtoknowconsumers’thoughtsandwhattheywanttoknow.Thecopywriterstrytopersuadethemtoaccepttheproducts.ThetenorinEnglishadvertisingreferstodifferenttargetconsumers,suchaschildrenandadults.Sothetenorofthisadvertisingistoallthepeoplewhowanttotakeinsurance.

Themodereferstowhatpartthelanguageisplaying,thesymbolicorganizationofthetextanditsfunctionandsoon.Theclassificationbymediacanbeembodiedbytheinfluenceofthemodeintheadvertisement.Accordingtothedifferentmedia,theadvertisementcanbeclassifiedintonewspaperadvertisement,magazineadvertisement,televisionadvertisement,radioadvertisement,andoutdooradvertisement.ThetextofnewspaperandmagazineadvertisementiswrittenEnglish,becausetheformofreceivinginformationisreading.Andthebiggestfeatureoftelevisionandradioadvertisementiscombiningwithsight,soundandmotion.Sothefeatureoftheadvertisementisusingsimpleandcleardialoguesormonologues,andrelatingtothelovelypictureclosely.Outdoorsadvertisementincludesbillboardorpainteddisplay,posterandspectacularneonsignandsoon,sotheygenerallyusetheslogantomaketheproductunforgotten.Sothemodeofthisadvertisingismagazineornewspaperadvertisement.

6.Conclusion

Copywritingintheadvertisementisonetypeofdiscourseandbelongstothesystemofgenre.Contextrequirestheadvertisementshouldbeattractive,pleasantandpersuasive.Sotheusingofpositive,pleasingwordsisoneimportantfeatureofadvertisements.Theultimatepurposeofadvertisingistoasktheconsumerstobuytheproductsadvertised.Advertisingtendstoadoptbeautifulandspecialprintingstyletocatchtheaudience’seye.

Inthisthesis,bytheauthor’sintroduction,discourseanalysiscanbeunderstandclearlyandconsistoffield,tenor,mode.SFG.consistsofsystemicgrammarandfunctionalgrammar.Systemicgrammarchieflyrefersto“system”and“structure”.Functionalgrammarclaimsthatlanguageisasystemofmeaning.Itincludesthreemetafunctions---experiential,interpersonal,textualmetafunctions.Itofferscertaintangibleconceptsforthemetafunctions:theconceptsoftransitivity,mood,modality,thematicstructureandcohesivedevices.

ThetheoriesoftheSFGespeciallyfunctionalgrammarareadoptedtoanalyzeadvertising.Transitivityclassifieslinguisticintosixprocesses.Inthethesis,theauthorstatesthemonebyone.Moodoffersopportunitiestolearnspeakers’attitudesandtone.Thisisimportantinanalyzingadvertisingdiscoursesinceadvertisingisjustthecommunicationbetweenadvertisersandcustomers.Field,tenor,modeofferwhatkindoftheadvertisement,whoisthetargetpeople.Differentpeoplehavedifferentinterests.Thatis,ifcopywriterknowssomethingabouttheconsumer,hecandobettercopywritingtoarousepeople’sinterestandtakeaction.So,itisprovedthatSFGisanimportantwaytoanalyzetheadvertising.Wehopeitcanbeusedinotherwaysandmakesomethingclear.

Bibliography

［1］侯晓华.系统功能语法指导下的英语广告语篇分析[D].中国知网().华中师范大学.2002P4

［2］TomasC.O’Guinn,ChrisTAllen,RichardJ.Semenik.Advertising[M].Cincinnati:South-WesternCollegePublishing.2000P6

［3］同[2]P358

［4］JackC.Richards,JohnPlattandHeidiPlatt.LongmanDictionaryofLanguageTeaching&AppliedLinguistds[M]..ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress.2000P139

［5］同[4]P429

［6］Halliday,M.K.A.AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar(SecondEdition)[M].ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress.2000P41

［7］同[6]P45

［8］同[6]P41

［9］同[6]P52

［10］胡壮麟.语言学教程（修订版）[M].北京：北京大学出版社.2001P409

［11］同[4]P465

［12］同[10]P410

［13］Halliday,M.A.K.AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar[M].London:EdwardArnold.1985Pxiv

［14］同[10]P409

［15］同[13]P10

［16］同[13]P101

［17］同[4]P504

［18］同[10]P418

［19］刘晶.系统功能语法指导下的新闻语篇分析[D].中国知网().黑龙江大学.2005P17

［20］同[10]P420

［21］赵亚军.英语语篇中的主位组织——系统功能语篇分析法[D].中国知网().西北工业大学.2004P2

［22］Thompson,Greoff.IntroducingFunctionalGrammar[M].London:EdwardArnold.1996P141-142

［23］Halliday,M.A.K.andHasan,Ruqaiya.CohesioninEnglish[M].London:Longman.1976P4

stothesystemofgenre.Contextrequirestheadvertisementshouldbeattractive,pleasantandpersuasive.Sotheusingofpositive,pleasingwordsisoneimportantfeatureofadvertisements.Theultimatepurposeofadvertisingistoasktheconsumerstobuytheproductsadvertised.Advertisingtendstoadoptbeautifulandspecialprintingstyletocatchtheaudience’seye.

Inthisthesis,bytheauthor’sintroduction,discourseanalysiscanbeunderstandclearlyandconsistoffield,tenor,mode.SFG.consistsofsystemicgrammarandfunctionalgrammar.Systemicgrammarchieflyrefersto“system”and“structure”.Functionalgrammarclaimsthatlanguageisasystemofmeaning.Itincludesthreemetafunctions---experiential,interpersonal,textualmetafunctions.Itofferscertaintangibleconceptsforthemetafunctions:theconceptsoftransitivity,mood,modality,thematicstructureandcohesivedevices.

ThetheoriesoftheSFGespeciallyfunctionalgrammarareadoptedtoanalyzeadvertising.Transitivityclassifieslinguisticintosixprocesses.Inthethesis,theauthorstatesthemonebyone.Moodoffersopportunitiestolearnspeakers’attitudesandtone.Thisisimportantinanalyzingadvertisingdiscoursesinceadvertisingisjustthecommunicationbetweenadvertisersandcustomers.Field,tenor,modeofferwhatkindoftheadvertisement,whoisthetargetpeople.Differentpeoplehavedifferentinterests.Thatis,ifcopywriterknowssomethingabouttheconsumer,hecandobettercopywritingtoarousepeople’sinterestandtakeaction.So,itisprovedthatSFGisanimportantwaytoanalyzetheadvertising.Wehopeitcanbeusedinotherwaysandmakesomethingclear.

Bibliography

［1］侯晓华.系统功能语法指导下的英语广告语篇分析[D].中国知网().华中师范大学.2002P4

［2］TomasC.O’Guinn,ChrisTAllen,RichardJ.Semenik.Advertising[M].Cincinnati:South-WesternCollegePublishing.2000P6

［3］同[2]P358

［4］JackC.Richards,JohnPlattandHeidiPlatt.LongmanDictionaryofLanguageTeaching&AppliedLinguistds[M]..ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress.2000P139

［5］同[4]P429

［6］Halliday,M.K.A.AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar(SecondEdition)[M].ForeignLanguageTeachingandResearchPress.2000P41

［7］同[6]P45

［8］同[6]P41

［9］同[6]P52

［10］胡壮麟.语言学教程（修订版）[M].北京：北京大学出版社.2001P409

［11］同[4]P465

［12］同[10]P410

［13］Halliday,M.A.K.AnIntroductiontoFunctionalGrammar[M].London:EdwardArnold.1985Pxiv

［14］同[10]P409

［15］同[13]P10

［16］同[13]P101

［17］同[4]P504

［18］同[10]P418

［19］刘晶.系统功能语法指导下的新闻语篇分析[D].中国知网().黑龙江大学.2005P17

［20］同[10]P420

［21］赵亚军.英语语篇中的主位组织——系统功能语篇分析法[D].中国知网().西北工业大学.2004P2

［22］Thompson,Greoff.IntroducingFunctionalGrammar[M].London:EdwardArnold.1996P141-142

［23］Halliday,M.A.K.andHasan,Ruqaiya.CohesioninEnglish[M].London:Longman.1976P4