METAPHORICAL MEANING ATTACHED TO LIQUOR ADVERTISEMENTS

Abstract

Advertising may be viewed as the construction of the
semiotic worlds for persuading purchasers to consume what is
advertised. Printed advertisement often involves manipulation of
linguistic forms to achieve the persuasion. In addition. metaphor is
an effective way to achieve the persuasion role since it is closely
related to the way of people 's thinking and concept of something in
their mind. which is fUndamentally metaphorical in nature. The data
are collected from two liquor advertisements and respondents'
questionnaires. The two advertisements discussed in this article were
collected from Maxim magazine. September 2002 edition and the
respondents' questionnaires were distributed to 20 respondents to
find out their interpretations on metaphorical advertisements due
to written language message of advertisements. In addition. the two
examples of printed advertisements. instances of metaphorical
advertisements. are reviewed. identified. and explained by using the
theories of Saussure's Dydical Sign Model to find the process of
metaphors attached to the advertisements. The results of the study
show that people's interpretations on metaphors are basically related
to their experience offered by metaphors. It means that people will
interpret the meaning of the advertisements based on such
circumstances in which they have ever been involved in.