ALLUSIONS TO IDIOMS AND APHORISMS AS INNOVATIVE MEANS OF INTERTEXTUALITY IN CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH-LANGUAGE ADVERTISING: TYPOLOGY, FUNCTIONS, AND MODIFICATIONS

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of allusions to idioms and aphorisms as innovative means of intertextuality in contemporary English-language advertising communication. The relevance of the research is due to the growing role of creative linguistic strategies in advertising discourse and the need for a systematic description of the mechanisms through which precedent linguistic units are transformed in order to enhance pragmatic impact on the addressee. The aim of the article is to identify the types, functions, and modes of modification of allusions to idioms and aphorisms in advertising slogans. The research material consists of slogans of leading English-language brands containing transformed idiomatic and aphoristic expressions. The analysis employs descriptive, stylistic, intertextual, and functional-pragmatic methods. A typology of allusions is proposed based on the criteria of the source of intertext and the type of modification. According to the first criterion, four groups of slogans are distinguished: those using paraphrased borrowings of aphorisms and philosophical formulae; those referring to well-known proverbs, sayings, and set expressions; those based on allusions to precedent texts of mass culture that have acquired an idiomatic character; and those employing idiomatic metaphors as conventional schemas of meaning. According to the criterion of the “type of modification” of allusive borrowings, seven groups of slogans are identified: those involving lexical substitution; morpho-graphic play; structural inversion of components; parallelism and rhythmization; component expansion; reprofiling (reframing); and direct cultural quotation. It is established that allusions to idioms and aphorisms perform a complex of interrelated functions, including evaluative, image-building, emotive, persuasive, and playful ones, ensuring a balance between recognizability and creativity in advertising messages. It is demonstrated that it is the modification of conventional expressions, rather than their literal reproduction, that determines the innovative potential of allusion and its effectiveness in shaping brand identity. The results of the study may be used in further research in the theory of intertextuality, advertising discourse, and translation studies.