Abstract:With the development of the society, advertising is playing an increasingly important role in our life. More and more advertisers use rhetoric to make advertising more vivid and attractive. Pun is one of the common methods. Pun uses words or phrases which are ambiguous or homophonic to make the statement has a double meanings in a specific language context. Pun can create a rich imagination space for readers and stimulate the consumers’ interest. This paper divides the pun in English language into four categories: homographic pun; homophonic pun; grammatical pun; idioms and proverbs pun, and they are illustrated by examples. Meanwhile, the paper summarizes the main effects of advertising in English pun. Pun is able to generate a sense of humor; it also has economic effect and aesthetic value. Besides, pun can catch the readers’ eyes and deepen their impression about the advertised product or service. Then this article puts forward three common methods of translation: literal translation, free translation and annotated translation.

Key words: English advertisements; pun; application; effect

CONTENTS

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Advertisement-2

2.1 Definition of Advertisement-2

2.2 Components of Advertisement-3

2.3 Functions of Advertisement-4

3. Pun in English Advertisement-5

3.1 Definition of Pun-5

3.2 Classification of Puns in English Advertisement-5

3. 2. 1 Homographic Pun-6

3. 2. 2 Homophonic Pun-7

3. 2. 3 Grammatical Pun-9

3. 2. 4 Idioms and Proverbs Pun-9

3.3 Functions of Pun in English Advertisement-11

3. 3. 1 Humorous Effect-11

3. 3. 2 Economical Effect-12

3. 3. 3 Aesthetic Effect-12

3. 3. 4 Attention-grabbing Effect-13

3. 3. 5 Memory-strengthening Effect-13

4. Translation of Pun in English Advertisement-13

5. Conclusion-15

Bibliography-16

Acknowledgements-18