Text and context analysis of puns in Persian advertising discourse from 2009 to 2011

Pun is the product of a context which intentionally creates an uncertainty; to make impossible the choice between meanings and to leave the reader or hearer endlessly fluctuating in semantic space. The two meanings of a pun must be present at the same time and in conflict with one other although one is usually introduced before the other. The choice is left to the reader or hearer to decide which meaning is prioritized and emphasized. The resolution consists of a disambiguation process, in which both the first expected meaning and the second hidden meaning must be involved. An example for a pun is an advertisement of London Transportation, which reads: Less bread. No jam. At first glance, this hardly makes sense, as both words seem to refer to food items. The meaning of this utterance can only be understood when the secondary level of meaning is unfolded. Considering that bread is not only something to eat but also a slang for money and that jam does not only refer to a sweet food but also to cars stuck in traffic, the double meaning becomes clear: Pay less, and enjoy trouble-free transportation. This article analyses a corpus of 560 Persian magazine advertisements to define the most prevalent context of the puns usage in Persian magazine advertisements. Persian puns containing advertisements are analyzed based on the taxonomy proposed by McQuarrie and Mick (1996). The result of this study suggests that Persian advertisers mainly use puns in food product advertisements. Furthermore, the use of puns increased in Persian magazine advertisements since 2009. This increase manifests this fact that recent advertisements are more attention attractor than advertisements before 2009. Nevertheless, there was a decrease in the use of puns in Persian magazine advertisements in 2011. The reason for this decrease in puns containing advertisements in 2011 Persian magazines could be the preference of food producing companies to advertise on TV. The study of puns in advertising discourse helps us to understand how discourse styles the way people act or think, not only in the case of situated instances but also in much broader terms. Such study leads to a fuller understanding of how persuasive discourse is able to persuade customers. The results of studying puns in advertising discourse have pedagogical implications for teaching vocabulary, reading, writing, journalistic English, translation and increasing learners’ cultural awareness.