Chapter 1 literature review and Theoretical Background
PSA has attracted the attention of scholars in different fields. Some of them research onit from linguistic and rhetorical perspectives, while others study it from sociologicalperspective. Besides, a limited number of them also research into PSA from the perspective ofvalue. The major task of this chapter is to review the previous studies on pro-environmentalPSA language at home and aboard. The theoretical background of this thesis is alsointroduced here.
1.1 Previous Studies of Pro-environmental PSA at Home and Aboard
Modern PSAs were firstly created in 1942 in wartime America, and advertising Council(Ad Council) is the first organization to make PSA with the aim of serving the public. Afterthe PSA appeared, they have made significant contributions to the society: They raised publicawareness about an issue, promoted social responsibility and social benefits, reinforcedpositive beliefs, and informed the public of an upcoming event.PSAs have a history of twenty years or so in China. The first Chinese PSA in the modernsense titled as“节约用水”(Water Conservation) was aired by Guiyang TV station in 1986.Since then there have been an amazing rise in its number in various media. Being a “new toolto advocate social values” (Chen Jiahua 16), PSA has received great attention from theChinese government, mass media and the public. Along with the flourishing of PSA industry,many researchers at home and abroad have done the study on PSA from different perspectives,most researches on PSA from linguistic and sociological perspective. Little research is aboutPSA (especially the pro-environmental ones) from the perspective of value, which isconsidered as the mirror of the society in that it affects and is affected by the cultural values ofthe society (Cohen 149).The Studies of Pro-environmental PSA AbroadIn English-speaking countries, the researches on advertising have mainly focused oncommercial advertising. There is little research about PSA (especially the pro-environmentalfrom linguistic perspective, sociological perspective and rhetorical perspective. Other aspectssuch as psychology of the audience and aesthetics are also covered in the studies.Gao Ping (55-63) illustrated the definition and characteristics, the history and function,the creativity and technique in production of PSA. She stated that PSA employs uniquetechniques different from slogans in political propaganda and vending in commercialadvertisements.Pan Zehong (12-31) examined the characteristics, social and cultural functions, andartistic creation of PSAs based on theories from sociology, ethnics, and esthetics etc. Hestated that language in PSA should be brief, avoiding pompous wording. In order to attract theaudience’s attention, spoken language and sayings should also be used.Huang Guowen(56) analyzed the verbal content of English and Chinese PSAs in termsof three kinds of appeals, namely, emotional, ethical and rational appeal.Song Yushu (70-86) said that with language, sounds and pictures, the PSA expressesideas in both direct ways, telling the audience the concept of concern, and in indirect ways,embedding the concepts in the combination of pictures, sounds and other techniques such asrhetoric, contrast and story-telling. Song (80) also mentioned the function of rhetoric devicesused in the language of PSA.Ni Ning (26) illustrated the differences of the developments b，英语论文范文，英语论文范文 |
