Presupposition and Its Persuasive Function in Advertising Language

Abstract

Presupposition is something the speaker assumes to be the case prior to making an utterance, or a message precondition for the processing of any communication. It possesses some unique properties such as being one-sided, subjective, deceptive and misleading, and has a great deal of importance in persuasive language. This paper attempts to explore the persuasive function of presupposition in advertising language. It may help advertising practitioners obtain a better understanding of how presuppositions work and thus consciously employ such a linguistic strategy.