A Meme-theoretic Analysis Of Chinese Idiomatic Phrases In Ads

The thesis analyzes how advertisers achieve the purpose of advertising by the memetic use of Chinese idiomatic phrases in advertisements.The present study intends to study Chinese idiomatic phrases from the operation forms of meme and pragmatic strategies used in the ads samples.As for the research methodology,the present study belongs to a qualitative one.Two operation forms of language memes and the generation of pragmatic strategies used in the data comprise the theoretical framework of the study.He Ziran's classification of language meme into two operating forms(2005)is laid out as the theoretical basis.He Ziran's view as to the transmission of language memes falls into two types: genotype and phonetype.In memetic language,genotype refers to meme that delivers the same information may or may not assume the same operating forms.This kind of meme can take many forms in different contexts to express the same information,and it is stored in our memory passing on from one to another like a gene.Phenotype is the fact that memes for the same information may take the same form with direction of language user's needs but the content they deliver remains constant. According to He Ziran,genotype language memes demonstrate themselves in two ways of duplications:one is direct transmission of the same information;the other being varied transmission of the same information.Phenotype of language memes include three duplicating forms,namely,transplanting by homophones,creating by associating the same forms and creating by homogenous transplantation.Altogether 126 pieces of data are collected for the present thesis. And their classifications are based on two operating forms of language memes.As part of the theoretical framework,the generation of the pragmatic strategies includes seven steps.On the basis of the theoretical framework of the study,the present research finds that advertisers intend to achieve their advertising purposes by the memetic use of Chinese idiomatic phrases.Their motivation for such memetic use can be summarized as the following:consistency with the reader's cognitive ability,adaptability of the reader's culture and emotions.It is also found that both the uses of personification and pun are shared by the two meme operations.At the same time the pragmatic strategies of using exaggeration,metaphor,intertextuality,commendatory use of derogatory meaning,parody,reverse order and wording splitting can also be found in these two types of samples.The results of the study,on the one hand,can testify the interpretation power of He Ziran's classification of language memes;on the other hand,it can provide the advertisers with some insightful suggestions for effective ads slogans.Moreover,it can improve our understanding of the use of idiomatic phrase memes in Chinese advertisements.