광고 텍스트의 중의성 연구

Abstract

The present study purposed to examine the types of ambiguity used in advertisement texts and how the ambiguity contributes to the achievement of the goal of advertisement texts, which is to induce curiosity in consumers. Ambiguity means that a sentence is understood as two or more meanings and this causes confusion in communication. Types of ambiguity used strategically in advertisement texts are ‘lexical ambiguity,’ ‘metaphorical ambiguity,’ ‘idiomatic ambiguity,’ ‘pragmatic ambiguity,’ etc. Lexical ambiguity draws laugh through puns using homonyms and equivocal words. Consumers’ interest is concentrated on the process of resolving the ambiguity. Metaphorical ambiguity is utilized frequently in advertisement texts because of its advantage in suggestiveness. Particularly in advertisement texts stimulating consumers’ sexual curiosity, metaphorical ambiguity is commonly used to express sexual organs or sexual acts indirectly or to make sexual suggestions. Idiomatic ambiguity is used in the advertisement strategy that first induces curiosity in consumers by reminding them of an idiomatic meaning and then expresses the characteristic of the product in the literal meaning. Pragmatic ambiguity comes from difference in interpretation according to situation or context, and contributes to the creation of advertisement texts a level higher than lexical ambiguity. In general, ambiguity is regarded as an obstacle in communication and communication theories emphasize the exclusion of ambiguity. In advertisement texts, however, ambiguity contributes to advertisers’ intentional strategy for stimulating consumers’ interest and impressing products on their mind.