Food for thought : analysing idiomatic english from advertising

Abstract

Since languages are continuously evolving and growing due to technological advances and sociocultural improvements, the vocabulary of any language becomes rich, too. Thus, English language is flexible and has many idiomatic expressions. People then should not only be able to master them to sound more natural, but also to know when, where and how to appropriately use idioms in a particular context. The same process occurs in advertising, that have been using idioms in the past times and also today. Hence, it is important to know how advertisers should address their audience without creating misunderstandings or cross-cultural confusions with the use of idioms and their implied figurative or double meanings that go beyond the literal ones. The reason why advertisers make use of idioms is simple: to make an emphasis on the advertised product, to grab this way people's attention so they eventually purchase that product, and to make brand names widely known. This way of beautifying language becomes popular and effective in advertising. But the whole creative process is not as elemental as it may sound because it comprises a mastering and awareness of several aspects on language (including those from translation for EFL learners working in the area of advertising) and sociocultural behaviours which advertisers need to cope with for a successful use of idioms in advertising, both in written adverts and in commercials.