Rhetorical structures in the language of Vietnamese advertisements

Tuan Trong Luu

doi:10.5539/ass.v6n11p175

Abstract

Understanding the structure and function of rhetorical figures in advertising requires a text- and reader-aware approach. In the absence of appropriate text-centered terminology (e.g., scheme, trope), and without access to the necessary conceptual tools (e.g., deviation), the longstanding and widespread use of rhetorical figures in advertising has simply been overlooked in consumer research. This article builds a framework for categorizing rhetorical figures that distinguishes between figurative and non-figurative text, between two types of figures (schemes and tropes), and among three rhetorical operations that underlie individual figures (repetition, reversal, and substitution) in Vietnamese advertisements.

Highlights

Realizing that a key aim of advertising is not purely to inform, but to persuade as well, it is not astounding that advertising is sprinkled with rhetorical devices (Leigh, 1994)
There are two reasons why consumer research needs to address the topic of rhetorical figures
In contrast to previous analyses of rhetorical figures in consumer research that focused on isolated cases, we provide a framework that integrates a wide range of figures appearing in advertisements

Summary

Introduction

Realizing that a key aim of advertising is not purely to inform, but to persuade as well, it is not astounding that advertising is sprinkled with rhetorical devices (Leigh, 1994). The long-running Absolute Vodka advertising campaigns are well known for their use of rhetorical figures. There are two reasons why consumer research needs to address the topic of rhetorical figures ( known as 'figures of speech'). The main aim of this article is to contribute a richer and more systematic conceptual understanding of rhetorical structure in advertising language. In contrast to previous analyses of rhetorical figures in consumer research that focused on isolated cases (e.g., rhetorical questions, Swasy and Munch 1985; puns, McQuarrie and Mick 1992), we provide a framework that integrates a wide range of figures appearing in advertisements

Rhetorical structures in advertisements

What is a rhetorical figure?

Figuration modes

Rhetorical operations

Conclusion