Transcript Session Twelve 七、 Repetition Repetition is defined as

Session Twelve
七、 Repetition
Repetition is defined as saying
the same thing again, though
perhaps with a significant
difference. Repetition, including
repetition of key words and key
phrases and that of similar
structures, is an important
rhetorical device employed to.
stress the tone, to bring out the message,
and to link up what goes before with what
comes after. In English advertising, repetition
especially that of key words or sentences, is
used to emphasize some important aspects
of the advertised product or service or certain
information, so as to attract and stimulate
Consumers. Aptly used, repetition is very impressive and rhetorical. e.g.
(1)
Look.
Lustrous eye-shadows with new Silk gl
Look again.
Colors that last so long. Blend so smooth.
Stay so true. (That’s no lie!)
Look again. 35 jewel-like tones to try. 7175
combinations for just 2 eyes.
Look again. A life of perfect coordination.
CUSTOM EYES from Relvon.
Look again. And you’ll never look again.
(2) NEVER
NEVER
NEVER
NEVER
NEVER
NEVER
NEVER
NEVER COMPROMISE QUALITY
EVER
(3) Pick up on mighty Pentium Processor p
Pick up on outstanding value for money
Pick up on better desktop choice.
Pick up on increase mobility.
Pick up on assured peace of mind.
(4) ARE YOU
Looking for that special place to relax?
Looking for that special place with saf
areas and tennis court?
Looking for that special place as a bas
for golf, touring or walking?
LOOKING NO FURTHER
The Scandinavian lodges are ideal for
your self-catering holiday…
In Example (1), “look again” is repeated fiv
times, which projects the remarkable qualitie
of the product and leaves a deep impression
on readers’ minds.Example (2) is an ad for
Bijan perfume, here “never” is repeated nine
times, which impresses readers deeply. Nega
tive form, because of the strong negative effect this form carries, is the least used syntac
tic feature in advertising. Whenever it is used
in advertising, a negative sentence expresses
a strong positive meaning by negating a certa
undesirable aspect. Here the verb “compromise” means “bring shame to or put into a
dishonorable position”. Example (2) undoubtedly expresses a highly positive idea: Quality
always goes first with us. The negative sente
quality of the product, and that the greatest
effort is made to achieve the best quality, thus
creating a wonderful image of the brand. In
current society, people tend to be more socia
ble and attend some kinds of parties. They
often like to use perfume to make them more
attractive. The advertised perfume with top
quality will be their first choice.
In example (3), the phrasal verb Pick up on
appears five times, respectively in the headlin
and in the sub-headlines. Undoubtedly, the
idea expressed by Pick up on is what the
advertiser wants toemphasize. Also, the repetition of the phrasal verb renders the headl
and the sub-headline parallel and forceful, wh
will arouse readers’ interest and possess stro
persuasive effect. In Example (4), Looking for
that special place turns up four times in succe
in four consecutive questions, rendering the q
tions parallel and rhythmical and very impressive. In fact, the repetition of Looking for that
special place makes the ad text smooth enou
to read, enhances its rhythm, and adds to its
persuasiveness, which draws the readers’ at-
Psychologists hold the view that for a messa
to cross the stage of perception and enter int
memory, people need to be exposed to it at
least for three times or even more. This expla
why some advertisers use repetition in their
advertisements to express the message and
to reinforce memory. Furthermore, the repetition serves as an reinforcement to the initial
impression the audience get when coming
across an advertisement. As a result, the
audience will possibly remember the promoted product for quite a long period.
八、 Parallelism （排比结构）
“Formal schemes, or parallelisms, are ofte
‘rhetorical’ in a familiar sense of the word, i
that they heighten the emotional tone of the
message, giving insistent emphasis to point
of strategic importance” (Leech, 1966:190)
Parallelism also could be thought as a kind
of repetition due to accompaniment of repe
tion, but phrases or sentences with the sam
or similar structure, relative meaning and co
sistent mood are coordinately used in the se
tence. It can show strong feelings easily, stre
the information and strengthen the vigor of
language. Meanwhile, its orderly pattern drills
trenchant rhythm can add to the rhyme of
advertising language. Parallelism is a powerfu
rhetorical device frequently employed in English ads. Let’s analyze some examples.
(1) On this planet, more people get their news
from Time than any other single source--over 30 million people, worldwide. We’ll te
you the odds before they are out. We’ll pu
lish what other publications dare not. We’l
give you inside information you won’t find
We’ll give you inside information you won’t
find elsewhere.
(2) It is made differently. It is made using ski
and techniques that others have lost or fo
gotten. It is made with attention to detail
very few people would notice. It is made,
we have to admit, with a total disregard
for time.
(3) CHRISTIAN DIOR
Christian Dior
MASCARA PARFAIT
PERFECTION IN THE WINK OF AN EYE
PERFECTION IN ITS BRUSH.
PERFECTION IN A LOOK.
(4) Embrace change, and you will win
Tiptronic transmission provides ultimate
driving pleasure
Stay in the lead, and you will win
Unsurpassed power from a 2.8l V6 30v
engine
Go the distance, and you will win
Fully zinc galvanized bodywork with a
12 year anti-rust guarantee
ABS/EDS system makes light work of the
most harsh road conditions
Always have room in heart, and you
will win
Enlarged, spacious inner cabin provides
maximum driving comfort.
Stand firm, and you will win
Overall car body strength is increased by
superior laser welding technology.
Drive Passat, and you will win
Achievers of tomorrow
In the above-quoted advertisements, Exam
(1) is the body copy of a press advertisement
It consists of four sentences, three of which
begin with we’ll and form a typical parallel
structure, which sounds rhythmical and powe
ful. Appropriate application of parallelism
underlines the characteristic of the magazine
and builds up a good image of the advertiser.
Example (2) is the body copy of a clock adve
The parallelism is supported by repetition of
It is made. Appropriate application of parallelism reinforces the traditional characteristic in
is the body copy of a mascara parfait advert.
In this advert, perfection in appears four time
The parallelism involved in this example, tog
ther with the repetition，builds up a wonderful image of the effect of using this cosmetic
in the readers’ minds. Example (4) is an ad
for promotion of the sale of a type of cars wit
the brand name Passat. In this advertiseme
the conjunction and and the main clause you
will win are repeated seven times. The paral
lelism involved in this example, together with
the repetition，builds up a wonderful image
of the car in the readers’ mind, which will dee
ly impress the prospective consumers and sti
mulate their desire to get it.
Parallelism is widely found in English adve
isements, where parallel sentences usually
build up to a climax. By applying parallelism,
the copy-writer intends to heighten the emotional tone of the advertising theme, to projec
the main idea, or to create a good and reliabl
image of the product or the service being advertised.
九、Parody（模仿，仿效）
Mottoes, proverbs or idioms are fixed famous sentences in daily life, which reflect
simple but real morals. Because they have
already been accepted as truths for a long
time, the use of them makes advertisements
easier to be accepted. Parody is the deliberate imitation of them with some words chang
to express a new idea. Parody is concise,
implicative and profound in meaning. With a
remarkable rhetorical effect, parody enables
readers to take account of implied meanings
Advertisements are designed to sell things
or ideas. The essence of an advertising copy
aims at relating designative and associative
meanings in the closest possible way, since
‘ selling ’ usually depends far more on associa
tive meanings than on designative ones. Most
people buy with their emotions, not with their
minds (Nida, 1993: 40-41 ). Associative meanings are closely linked to rhetorical devices.
That is why parody as a rhetorical device is
often employed in English advertisements.
Now let’s see some examples.
(1) All roads lead to Holiday Inn.
(Holiday Inn)
(2) Not all cars are created equal.
Performance or economy? That’s the
question every car buyer asks, and which
every manufacturer must find a better
answer to. Or is it?
( Mitsubishi Car)
(3) By the people. For the people. To the
people.
(4) A Mars a day keeps you work, rest and
play .
Example (1) is an advertisement for Holida
Inn. Seeing this headline, you will be reminde
of the famous saying: All roads lead to Rome
This saying is often related to success, which
will create a pleasant impression on the prospective consumers. People might think living
in Holiday Inn will bring them good luck. Exam
ple (2) is an advert for promotion of the sale o
cars by the Japanese company in U.S.A. The
headline will remind American people of the
most famous saying “ All men are created
equal.” in the Declaration . of Independence
by Thomas Jefferson, who is considered as
one of the most talented presidents in American history. The headline, which imitates this
famous saying, attracts great attention, its ne
gative form projecting the remarkable qualitie
of the product. The advertiser cleverly makes
good use of the famous saying by changing
“All men are created equal.” into “ Not all cars
are created equal.” The parody, on the one
hand, gives prominence to the superiority of
the product, and on the other hand, leaves a
deep impression on the Americans by means
seeing the body copy, Americans with some
knowledge of English literature all know that
it is a variant of the famous opening sentence
in Hamlet by Shakespeare, so it creates a
strong literary atmosphere. Example (3) is
an advertisement for promotion of the sale of
AST computer. It is a parody of a famous sen
tence in “Address at Gettysburg” by Preside
Lincoln, whose reputation among US preside
remains unsurpassed. Lincoln is one of the
most influential men in the history of mankind
He overcame insurmountable obstacles and
challenges to become the sixteenthpresident
of the United States of America. His famous
saying “ …and that government of the people
by the people, for the people, shall not perish
from the earth.” in Gettysburg is considered t
be one of the most inspiring speeches ever
written. It is hard not to be moved by these
words. The copy-writer changes “ …government of the people, by the people, for the pe
ple …” into “ By the people. For the people.
To the people.” How apt and vivid the imitatio
is! People with some knowledge of American
history might be attracted by the advert. Wha
more, the mental link established between th
product and a famous person will prevail for
some time, hence, the retention of the messa
in readers’ minds. As a result, some prospective purchasers would take real action. Exam
ple (4) may make almost all native speakers
and learners of English immediately remember the two proverbs “ An apple a day keeps
the doctor away.” and “ All work and no play
makes Jack a dull boy.” Naturally, it seems
that people will be healthy (“ keeps the docto
away”) and clever(“not become a dull boy) if
they eat this kind of chocolate every day . This
ad also reminded me of the famous remarks:
“Advertising is the main weapon that manufac
turers use in their attempt to ‘produce’ an ade
quate consuming market for their products. To
this end advertising works to create false need
in people (false because they are the needs o
manufacturers rather than consumers)”(Jhally
S. 1990: 3). In modern society, people wish to
be healthy and successful at the same time.
The advertiser makes much effort just to stimulate people’s
consumption desire. The two proverbs are
familiar to most people, who will accept and
memorize this advertisement easily.
In addition to the above-mentioned frequen
ly used rhetorical devices, other devices such
as hyperbole and rhyme are likewise often us
in English advertising. In fact, rhetorical devic
are frequently and properly employed in Engl
advertising, creating charming images of com
modities, services and advertisers, projecting
special features or unique characteristics of
advertised products and services, and promo
It is to be noted that rhetorical devices are
frequently employed in English advertising to
emphasize the special features or unique cha
racteristics of the product or service being ad
vertised, to project good images of the brand
and the manufacturer, to persuade potential
customers to take action, etc. When persuasion is the main objective, the method in whic
the statement is expressed may be more important than its content. In advertising, strict
regulations require that any information impar
has to be legally binding and therefore absolutely correct, so the advertiser may choose t
employ a rhetorical device in order to shift
the emphasis from concrete ‘facts’ to a
less concrete and more emotional level.
As a result, a car may be advertised as
being ‘reassuring’ rather than making the
claim that it is ‘reliable’.