Processing ads: grammar, sentence types & indirectness

Question 1

grammatical parallelism=

Answer 1

repetition of similar grammatical structures (where it deviates can be used to create contrasts or equivalences)

Question 2

types of deviation in ads>

Answer 2

change in dialect, register, spelling & other ling features

Question 3

deviation & sentence patterns>

Answer 3

typical: SV (+object) (+comp)
deviant: any deviation from this (“you leave. Arrive before”)

Question 4

sentence types in ads> (4)

Answer 4

• commands
• questions
• exclamations
• statements

Question 5

features of commands in ads> (5)

Answer 5

-indirect
- make small impositions
- are backgrounded
- ask people something that is of benefit to them
- emotional in nature
- links to hard selling

Question 6

features of qns in ads> (4)

Answer 6

• engage the reader/hearer
• always demand an answer
• can be used to introduce presuppositions
• often rhetorical

Question 7

features of exclamations in ads> (2)

Answer 7

• imitate everyday speech & other informal genres (email, phone, msgs, social media posts etc)
• danger of sounding overly emotional (if used excessively)

Question 8

features of statements in ads> (5)

Answer 8

• can be used to give product info
• regulations constrain actual claims about the product
• advertisers must be able to prove factual claims
• word choice can tone down statements
• room for vague claims

Question 9

ellipsis=

Answer 9

leaving out an element in a sentence or utterance (up to hearer/reader to supply the missing info–>this increases processing load)

Question 10

Indirectness>

Answer 10

relies on impliction
“im the superfood you CAN pronounce”> suggests there are others you cant etc

Question 11

implicatures=

Answer 11

indirect and/or changed meaning; links to indirectness & rules of politeness (saving face)

Question 12

indirectness & implicatures> (4)

Answer 12

• what we say doesn’t always correspond to what we mean
• the surface form doesn’t always match the intended meaning (declarative>qn)
  -sometimes intended meaning could be opposite (irony, sarcasm)
• such indirect meaning known as ‘implicatures’

Question 13

Indirectness: we assume people are being indirect when they…> (4)

Answer 13

-say what we & they know to be false (QUALITY)
-provide less (or more) info than necessary (QUANTITY)
-say something that doesnt seem to be immediately relevant (RELEVANCE)
-express themselves in a vague or disorderly manner (MANNER)

Question 14

Grice’s maxims (1975)> (4)

Answer 14

-Quality
-Quantity
-Relevance
-Manner

Question 15

Grice’s maxims (1975)- in accordance to advertising>

Answer 15

-Quality= be truthful
-Quantity= give as much, but no more info than needed
-Relevance=give appropriate & relevant info
-Manner=be clear, unambiguous, orderly

Question 16

breaking maxim of quality in ads> through?>

Answer 16

metaphor can break maxim of quality (“life changes shape”>doesnt actually/not truthful)

Question 17

breaking maxim of quantity in ads> through?>

Answer 17

• elision of key details:
  >this increases processing load ““there are 6 big reasons>doesnt give reasons”>think about what they are)

Question 18

breaking maxim of relevance in ads> through?> (2)

Answer 18

• can be through not direct image/word correlation
• increases processing load (what does X have to do with Y?)

Question 19

breaking maxim of manner in ads> through?> (3)

Answer 19

> e.g. graphological changes (i.e. S>format of text on page shifted 90 deg)
increases processing load
for different purposes:
(-i.e. specsavers–>suggest inability to read correctly)

Question 20

why use indirectness in ads>(3)

Answer 20

-people don’t like being told what to do (negative face), so for politeness
-indirect statements take more effort to process than direct–>more likely to maintain attention–>maximise recall
-indirect ads might not look like selling anything
- allows ad producers to vary the styles of their ads

Question 21

processing ads: conc (2)

Answer 21

> ads use variation in their sentence structure for many reasons–>: to get attention; to lead to indirect interpretations; to take on an informal, conversational voice
all copy-writing takes place against the background of regulations constraining literal claims