How to P(l)ay with Words? The Use of Puns in Online Bank Advertisements in English and Serbian in Light of Relevance Theory

Authors

  • Vesna Lazović University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4312/elope.15.2.25-44

Keywords:

puns, bank advertisements, relevance theory, English, Serbian

Abstract

Based on a corpus comprising online bank advertisements shown in the UK and Serbia, this paper aims at describing the most frequent ways of creating puns and classifying them based on their predominant structure. The function of puns in advertising is explained from the perspective of Sperber and Wilson’s relevance theory (1995) and the behavioural AIDA model. This paper also tries to reveal whether the formal and semantic aspects of lexical units are exploited in British and Serbian bank offers, and whether there are any language- and culture-specific features in terms of punning.

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Published

30. 11. 2018

How to Cite

Lazović, V. (2018). How to P(l)ay with Words? The Use of Puns in Online Bank Advertisements in English and Serbian in Light of Relevance Theory. ELOPE: English Language Overseas Perspectives and Enquiries, 15(2), 25-44. https://doi.org/10.4312/elope.15.2.25-44