Mental Space Theory On Presupposition Projections In Advertisements

In this economic society in which information is prevailing, advertisements are found here and there, and play a very important role in our daily life. More and more importance is attached to the research of advertising language. This paper reveals presupposition projection problems in advertising, especially in English advertising based on Fauconnier's mental space theory. It aims to explore the explanation of mental space theory for cancellation or inheritability of presupposition in advertising, that is, the projection problem of presupposition. Different from how traditional presupposition theory is used in seeking for a reasonable explanation for projection problems, this paper will investigate in detail projection problems in advertising from the perspective of Fauconnier's mental space theory in combination with large quantities of advertisement examples.This thesis will start from a presentation of mental space theory and presupposition. Fauconnier defines mental space theory as very partial assemblies constructed as we think and talk, for purposes of local understanding and action. They contain elements which are structured by frames and cognitive models. With the expansion of a discourse, we create a mental space network. This theory is widely applied, not only in language research, but also in mathematics, music, kinesics, etc..Presupposition originated from philosophy researches, and afterwards was applied into reference and entity study in linguistics. Presupposition is a widespread phenomenon in advertising, and research on presupposition in advertising recent years is widely performed by scholars. Therefore, this thesis proposes a hypothesis, that is, to explain presupposition projection problems in advertising by means of a combination of mental space theory and presupposition theory. In advertising language, especially in complex sentences, when presupposition of a part floats to a parent sentence, this presupposition might be inherited or cancelled. But why does this inheritability or cancellation (projection) phenomenon occur? Fauconnier's mental space theory sets forth projection rules and strategies, and provides rational and satisfactory explanation for the projection phenomenon.This thesis adopts both qualitative and quantitative research methods, using the qualitative method as the major one through all the process. The investigation analyzes advertising text materials collected, conducts extrapolation, and through extrapolation proves the hypothesis proposed.