pragmatic-presupposition-in-advertisement

PragmaticPresuppositioninadvertisementPragmaticpresupposition,basedontheresearchofsemanticpresupposition,isoneofthemostwidelystudiedtopicsinpragmatics.Becauseofitsownspecialpropertiesandcharacteristics,pragmaticpresuppositionplaysanactiveroleinenhancingtheeffectsofpersuasionofadvertisement.Tounderstandhowithelpstoachievethepersuasivefunctionofadvertisinglanguage,weshouldfocusonthedefinitionandcharacteristicsofpragmaticpresupposition.Asaveryimportanttopicinpragmatics,pragmaticpresuppositionhoweverissuchacomplexphenomenonthatlinguistshavenotgiventheconsistentdefinitionanddifferentlinguistshavedefineditdifferently.AccordingtoAmericanprofessorYule,pragmaticpresuppositionis“somethingthespeakerassumestobethecasepriortomakinganutterance”,hestressed“speakers,notsentences,havepresuppositions”,Basically,pragmaticpresuppositionstudiestherelationshipbetweenhumanbeingsandthepropositiontheymake.Heziran(1997)explainedpragmaticpresuppositionaspreconditionrelationwhichissensitivetothecontextandisconnectedwiththespeaker’s(sometimeslisteneralsoincluded)beliefandknowledgestate.Asforthecharacteristicsofpragmaticpresupposition,werefertotwobasicattributeswhicharefelicityandmutualknowledge.Chenxinren(1998)thoughtpragmaticpresuppositionownsthreeuniqueproperties:one-sidedness,subjectivenessandsneakiness.one-sidednessmakesadvertisinglanguagecaptureitsobjectivesinduecourse.Subjectivenessstrengthensthepersuasionofadvertisinglanguage.Sneakinesshelpsittoutterintendedmeaning.Allthesecharacteristicsmakepragmaticpresuppositionfrequentlyappliedinadvertisement.ThisisverycommonByanalyzingandsummarizingthiscommonphenomenoninadvertisement,wedrawaconclusionthatpragmaticpresuppositionsinadvertisementscanbeclassifiedintothefollowingtypes:existentialpresupposition,factivepresupposition,lexicalpresupposition,statepresuppositionandbeliefpresupposition.Theninwhatwaydothesetypesofpragmaticpresuppositionfunctionsinadvertisements?Existentialpresuppositionisoneofthebasickindofpragmaticpresuppositionwhichisassumedtobepresentinsuchdefinitedescriptionsaspossessiveconstructionsanddefinitenounphrase.Thefollowingadvertisementcanhelpustounderstandit.You’llwantDomeBeGone,myrevolutionarycureforbaldness(aadvertisementofmedicinewhichcuresbaldness）.Thepresuppositionofthisadvertisementis‘Thereisacureforbaldness.Thecureisrevolutionary.Ihavethiscure.’whenconsumers，especiallywhoarebald，readtheadvertisement,theywillnaturallybeimpressedbyit.Whensometimetheyaretroubledbybaldness,DomeBeGonewouldbechosenbythem.Asoneofthetypicalexamplesofpresuppositionphenomenon,factivepresuppositionusuallyconveyspresupposedinformationwhichcanbetreatedasafactbyaverblike“know”aswellasphrasesinvolving”be’with’aware”.Example:Yousee,theAmericanDentalAssociationrecommendsyoutoreplaceyourtoothbrusheverythreemonth.TheadvertisementcomesfromthebrandofColgatetoothbrushandweallknowthatteethhealthyisveryimportant,soitcanbetreatedasafact,andisdescribedasafactivepresupposition.Asforfactivepresuppositionthespeakerpresupposesthattheembeddedclauseexpressesatrueproposition,andmakesmoreassertionaboutthatproposition.Byusingfactivepresupposition,itcanstrengthentheauthorityofthetoothbrushadvertisement,andmakeaconsequenceandpersuasiontothecustomer.Generallyspeaking,inlexicalpresupposition,somelexicalitemswithitsassertedmeaningsareconventionallyinterpretedwiththepresuppositionthattheirsnon-assertedmeaningsareunderstood.Forinstance,Stopdreaming.Startbooking.Thisisahotelroom’sreservationadvertisement.Itinvolvestwoverbs“stop”and“start”.Thepresuppositionisthattouristsaredreamingbecausetheytravelwithoutbookinghotelroomahead.Thisadvertisementindirectlyconveyssuchinformation:duringseasonpeak，itisnecessarytobookahotelwhichiscomfortableandreasonablebeforegoingtraveling.Sowhentravellersseethis,theywouldliketobookthehotel.Statepresuppositionisadeptinpresupposingsomestatesofemotionsorfeelingsofthepeopleinvolved.Itisinclinedtodeliversuchkindofinformationtotheconsumersthattheadvertisedproductsandservicescancallforthepleasantfeelinganddispeltheunpleasantonesbypresupposingthepastunpleasantstatescausedbynotusingtheadvertisedproductsorservices.Hereisaadvertisedwhichcanoftenbeheardintelevision.“步步高点读机，哪里不会点哪里，妈妈再也不用担心我的学习”.Thelittlegirlsaidhermotherisnolongerworriedaboutherstudy.Itpresupposestheseinformation:oneishermotherworriedaboutherstudybeforeusingtheproduct.Anotheristheproductimprovesgreatlythegirl’smark.Theproductcallsforthepleasantfeelingofchild’simprovedmarkanddispelsunpleasantfeelingofworry.Beliefpresuppositionisafrequently-employedstrategyinadvertisinglanguage.Itismainlyusedtoinfluencetheattitudes,activatetheactionofconsumerbychangingtheirbeliefsandimposingnewbeliefsonthem,AadvertisementofKFC:LifetestesbetterwithKFC.ItispresupposedthatKFCprovidesusedeliciousfoodsandspicesupourlife.Theadvertisementtriestoimposethefollowingbelieftothemindsoftheconsumers:ifyoutastesKFC’sfoods,lifewillbemoretasteful.Aftershowingthesetypesofpragmaticpresuppositionintheadvertisements,wecaneasilyfindthatpragmaticpresuppositiondoesgoodtoadvertisement