A study on the Speech-act of the Ad. Headline

Shin Hae Ran(Department of Korean Lang. & Lit. The Graduate School of Seoul Women's University)

Even though a speaker speaks fluently, listeners often can not understand speaker's words for a listener can't grasp the point of speaker and the intended message his intention. So it is more important to seize speaker's intention and situations than to know just his speaking itself.

An advertisement is a form of communication, which is possible to categorize. In other words, it is a text which can exchange information between publicity agents and consumers. Thesis studies two things ; first is to figure out characters of Ad. headlines through Speech-act theory, second is to show a study possibility of Speech-act theory with Ad. headlines.

To accomplish the first aim, 400 headlines and their characters were analyzed and separated into eight categories. Secondly, and analysis was made of Ad-headlines on the basis of locutionary-act, illocutionary-act, and perlocutionary-act, and explained their relationships.

A definition of an Ad. should include the meanings, persuasion and information. That is, in an Ad's case, a listener(= a consumer) and a speaker (an Ad. agent) can communicate to each other because the former understands the latter's intention, allowing for an exchange of common information about an item.

If a speaker grasps clearly the intention of listener, a speaker can understand listener's words. In the same way, if situation is clear when someone speaks, it is possible to communicate between a speaker and a listener. Analyzed the language used in Ad. supposing that consumers know the intention of Ad. agents.

Ad. is a language creation, but most Ads are used only to sell their goods although it should be studied as a language.

This thesis shows how many functions will be accomplished through Ads between Ad. agent and consumers. I hope this thesis would be helpful to the people who study the Speech-act.