A Study Of The Adaptability Of The Chinese-english Code-switching In Advertising Discourse

Code-switching refers to the speaker in the dialogue or conversation who switches a language or dialect into another language or dialect. Code-switching as one of the conversation strategies can be used to show status, the superiority of language, restructuring participants of conversation, indicating a neutral position, improving interpersonal relationships and the conversation atmosphere. In recent years, code-switching as a focus topic in the field of linguistic research was studied from different angles.The present thesis studies the applications of Chinese-English code-switching in advertising discourses. As we know, in modern society, advertising has penetrating every aspect of social life, as the main tool of promotional goods, services and the concept, it plays an important role in people's life. Therefore, how to understand and use advertising becomes a real problem.Chinese-English code-switching is an advertising strategy, which can stimulate the reader's attention effectively and help advertisers to achieve their goals better. This thesis analyses the application of Chinese-English code-switching and reasons in adverting, which can help people to better carry out advertisings, and it can truly become an effective strategy.Based on the descriptions and analyses of advertisements in Chinese magazines, newspapers, radios, TVs, network media and so on, the present thesis adopts Verschueren's Adaptation Theory, which was put forward in his book The Understanding of Pragmatics published in 1999 to study the Chinese and English code-switching appearing in the advertising discourses. Meanwhile, it also analyzes the types of Chinese-English code-switching under the framework of Myers-Scotton's Matrix Language Frame model.Based on the researches and analyses, the conclusions can be found as follows:(I) In terms of the linguistic structure, the Chinese-English code-switching in Chinese advertising discourses can be divided into three types:insertional code-switching, alternational code-switching and diglossia code-switching. What's more, the insertional code-switching can be subdivided into phonological insertion, lexical and phrasal insertion, clausal insertion and the discourse insertion. Meanwhile, there is code-switching, which consists of the matrix language (ML) and the embedded language (EL) in the advertising discourses. As for the Chinese discourses, Chinese is the ML, while English is the EL. (2) In terms of the linguistic choice, the main reason the advertiser adopts the Chinese-English code-switching is to adapt to the linguistic reality, social conventions and the psychological motivations. As for the Chinese-English code-switching as adaptation to the linguistic reality, it mainly refers to the advertisers' adaptation to the linguistic existence and linguistic feature. Because the code-switching language is different between application categories and language meanings. As for the Chinese-English code-switching as adaptation to the social conventions, it mainly means the advertisers adapt to our social culture. Because advertisers live in social environments and culture, their advertisings may be restricted and influenced. At the same time, the advertisers'consciousness to the social conventions is much higher, because they see that the economic troubles caused by violations of social conventions are very serious. As for the Chinese-English code-switching as adaptation to the psychological motivations, it is another important strategy that the advertisers use. Through the application of this adaptation, the Chinese-English code-switching have performed the following functions:foreign flavor gaining, AIDA realization, emphasis, discriminating, explanation, authenticity keeping, convenience, decoration and so forth.The research shows that Verschueren's Adaptation Theory can provide a good theoretical framework for a scientific explanation of Chinese and English code-switching in advertising discourses.