An Analysis of Interpersonal Meaning of Mood in Public Service Advertising Disco

【Abstract】From the perspective of Systemic Functional Gramm

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Chapter 1 Theoretical Framework

1.1 Mood

Mood is a common way to fulfill the interpersonal function， expressing the speaker’s opinion and attitude toward a particular proposition. Mood is composed by subject and finite on the basis of the Systemic Functional Theory （Halliday， 1994）. Different structures can represent different speech functions.

1.2 Speech Role and Mood

Interpersonal meaning is about the meaning of the exchange of speech roles， which is the basis of interaction. The speech roles of the Table 1.1 define four basic speech functions as statement， question， command and offer and their relation can be clearly seen in the table below.

Table 1.1 Speech Function and Typical Mood Structure

（Wang， 2007：16）

Speech Function Typical Mood in clause

Statement Declarative Mood

Question Interrogative Mood

Command Imperative Mood

Offer Modulated Imperative Mood

Chapter 2 Interpersonal Meaning of Mood System

2.1 Realization of Mood through Different Mood Patterns in PSA

The following table presents the frequencies of three mood choices based on six examples collected. Declarative mood accounts for the largest percentage， followed by imperative mood and interrogative mood. Among the total 58 clauses， 39 are declaratives， occupying 67.3%， while 15 are imperatives that account for 25.8% and 4 are interrogatives that make up 6.9%.

Table 2.1 Distribution of Mood Choices and Frequencies

2.2 Declaratives

As the data suggest， declarative mood is most frequently employed in public service advertising. In terms of speech role， the main aim of declaratives is to give the audience information. Let’s take a look at Example 1 first，

Example 1

MVO： When you first showed up， they laughed and laughed.

You just cried on.

When you ran， they were right behind you.

When she tried to hold on to you，

Son： I can do it on my own！

Mum： What about your future plans？

Son： Never mind. You won't understand.

Mum： He hasn't called since he moved out.

MVO： They have always loved you.

What about you？

Son： Mum， please wake up.

MVO： Show your love and care.

This advertisement talks about love and filial piety（孝）. The advertiser intends to increase the youth’s awareness of filial piety and reminds young people to show their love and care for their parents. The first four declarative clauses are used to transmit the information about how parents took good care of their children when they were young. As an information-giver， the advertiser succeeds in delivering the message as he guides the audience to look back and recall their empathy.

Example 2

Subtitles On the road， being a champion doesn’t come first， safety does.

Cyclists must obey the traffic laws - just like motorists. And they should respect each other.

Cyclists should wear a helmet and other protective gear.

At night， cyclists must show a white light at the front and a red light at the rear.

Drivers should keep a safe distance from cyclists.

As all vehicles have blind spots， drivers should be cautious.

Drivers and cyclists have equal rights to use the road.

No matter who you are， when cycling， safety comes first.

Example 2 was published by Road Safety Council in Hong Kong， emphasizing the safety is top priority when individuals are cycling. All the clauses are declaratives. The role of the advertiser is an information giver. By using declarative， the advertiser tells the audience about the significance of safety. Aside from the function of giving information， declaratives can give commands in an implicit way. Let’s look at the last clause “safety comes first”， which implies that the advertiser demands the audience to follow his advice. Such demanding is less compelling than imperative mood and is more likely to be accepted by the audience. Here， the demand is achieved by the declarative mood rather than impetrative mood.

2.3 Imperatives

The imperative is the mood for exchanging goods and service （Halliday， 1994）. The meaning of command is usually expressed by imperatives， according to Eggins （1994：184）. Simply put， the imperative mood in PSA consists of two basic categories： negative imperative （demanding people not to do something） and positive imperative （demanding people to do something）.

Example 3

If you drink， don’t drive.

Example 4

Remember to stay clean and develop a healthy lifestyle. Support the Government’s preventive measures to ensure vigilance against new emerging communicable diseases. Remember to practise good personal and environmental hygiene. Be vigilant and prepared.

Take Example 4 to illustrate， the function of the four imperatives seems to indicate what the audience needs to do in an effort to maintain personal hygiene. The imperative also transfer persuasion to the audience and urge them to do so.

Unlike commercial advertisements （Zhao， 2011）， the author finds that the imperative clause account for a high percentage in PSA. Positive imperatives are usually found at the end of advertisements with the goal of intensifying the theme and uplift its audience； while negative imperatives express the advertiser’s strong persuasion of not doing something. To sum up， imperatives in PSA are a more direct and effective way of persuasion as well as realization of the goal of the advertisement.

2.4 Interrogatives

As the collected data show， interrogative mood is less frequently used in PSAs. Every question expects an answer or a response. When raising different kinds of questions， the advertiser attempts to render the audience self-examined and offer an answer to the question. In this way， the audience interacts with the advertiser unconsciously. In other words， the use of interrogative mood can involve the audience into the advertisement， encouraging the dialogue between the advertiser and the audience， so the audience can pay special attention to the new information and remember its content more easily.