广告英语中的情态隐喻及其功能探析

On Metaphor of Modality and its Functions in Advertising English

以系统功能语言学的情态隐喻理论为依据,结合收集到的语料,着重探讨了广告英语中的情态隐喻应用及其功能,提出情态隐喻可以起到凸显主观性与客观性、表达礼貌意义以及语篇衔接的语用功能,是配置情态意义、编排情态责任的常用手段,有利于广告主与受众建立人际关系并对其进行操纵最终实现自身商业目的。

By defining advertising English from the perspective of ESP,this paper explores the application of metaphor of modality and its functions in advertising English,featuring a systemic-functional theoretical rationale introduced by functional linguist Halliday on metaphor of modality coupled with a collected corpus of sample advertisements.It is pointed out that metaphor of modality has the following pragmatic functions in advertising English,namely,foregrounding subjectiveness and objectiveness,enhancing politeness and textual cohesion.Therefore,it is a common means used by the advertiser to allocate modal meaning and responsibility in the process of establishing appropriate interpersonal relationship with the audience so as to manipulate them to achieve its own commercial purposes.