Contemporary Pop Songs Rhetoric Studies

This thesis attempts to discuss the essential elements, the generative mechanism, the rhetorical strategies and artistic methods of contemporary mandarin pop songs (esp. the songs since reform and opening up) which have caused wild influences in mainland China, under the Rhetoric Theory as the main guiding ideology and under the Rhetoric Interpretation as the core research method. Then, the article will provide theoretical support and practical enlightenment to pop songs composition and appreciation.Throughout history, although the pop songs'contents have changed all the time, humanity is its constant theme. Song's rhetorical methods are gradually specified and rich as song's content changes. Thus, the essential theme of this thesis is what song's rhetoric should do to adapt themselves to times and what it should do to become more delicate and more diverse according to the changes of social formation and attitudes.This thesis is divided into five chapters, which are introduction, analysis of pop songs'content, analysis of pop songs'rhetoric, pop songs'subject matter and rhetoric changes and conclusion.Chapter 1 is the introduction, which mainly discusses the definition criterion of Pop Songs. Then that the application of rhetoric theories in this thesis is rational and necessary is illustrated. After that, the research method is briefly introduced.Chapter 2:Analysis of Pop Songs'Content. In this chapter, there are two parts, which divide pop song's development into two stages, i. e., before the rise of contemporary pop songs and contemporary pop songs. By means of exploring the homology of pop songs and poetry, the view that humanity is always pop song's core topic in these two stages.Chapter 3:Analysis of Pop Songs'Rhetoric. This chapter discusses pop songs'lyrics and rhetoric in details. First, as pop songs' unique aesthetic pursuit, the resonance's representation in lyrics writing is illustrated. Second, pop songs'language peculiarities, i. e. playful entertainment, emotional rendering and poetical features. And then, introduce the rhetoric rules of pop songs'lyrics in terms of phonological level, words level and syntax level. As to phonological rhetoric, the author mainly explores the methods that lyrics employed in rhyme, alliteration stack rhyme, Permian, lining word, rhythm, tongue-twister and the tongue twister etc. Meanwhile, the readability, elegance and singing characteristic caused by them are also discussed. For words rhetoric, this article starts with synonyms and antonyms, stylistic and new and strange words in order to explain how pop songs'appeal and performance are strengthened by means of choosing and arranging words. As to the syntax, songs often uses the flexible application of parts of speech, unusual collocation of words and the parallel and thumbnail of syntactic constituents to bring out pop songs'characteristic of brightness, beauty and meaningfulness. Therefore, songs'strong vitality and creativity are presented.Chapter 4:Pop Songs'Subject Matter and Rhetoric Changes. In this chapter, Chinese contemporary pop songs are categorized by five periods, i.e. recover period (1978-1985), the first peak period (1986-1988), adjustment period(1989-1992), the second peak period (1993-199 6), new development period (1997 up to present). Then, according to pop songs development during these periods, this thesis proves that rhetorical methods are more and more specified and rich as the society develops as well as the songs'content enriched.Chapter 5 is the conclusion. In this part, the author will sum up this thesis'content, research result and its significance.