REPRESENTATIONS OF REALITY IN THE DEMARCATION ZONE BETWEEN REASON AND SENSATION IN ENGLISH AND BULGARIAN LANGUAGE ADVERTISING DISCOURSE

Abstract

The paper deals with different representations of reality in the demarcation zone between reason and sensation in English and Bulgarian language advertising discourse. On the one hand, there exists an explicit requirement for advertising agents to describe the object of attention in a way which is nearest to the truth and the real world. On the other hand, text producers have to use enticing and sensational verbal and nonverbal means of expressing information so that they can sell not only the product but the life styles they are trying to impose on their target audiences. So, the strategies and techniques vary with various advertisements promoting goods and services even by the same company. The intermingling of knowledge and distortion of reality or irreality with the hope that ignorance or lack of knowledge on part of text receivers would help ‘trick’ them one way or another is shown in examples of English and Bulgarian language ads. The texts are structured in such a way that they can provoke consumers’ dreams, illusions, fantasies and imagination for better feelings and emotions as well as pleasure and satisfaction bordering with perfect bliss.

Keywords

• reality
• reason
• sensation
• demarcation zone
• advertising discourse