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Abstract： Memetics is a new theory used for interpreting the cultural evolution. Based on a brief introduction of memetics and meme， the paper mainly analyzes the genotype and phenotype advertising memes in the hope of providing a new perspective for the advertising creation.
Key words： advertising language； memetics； meme
【中图分类号】G640
1. Memetics and Meme
Memetics， based on Darwin’s theory of evolution， is a new theory which interprets the cultural evolution. Meme， the core term， is first put forward by Richard Dawkins in his best-selling book The Selfish Gene in 1976. It is a unit of cultural replication and transmission， and is used to describe the phenomena of cultural evolution.
A successful meme must possess three characteristics： copying fidelity—the more faithful the copy， the more original it will remain after a few rounds of copying； fecundity—the faster the copying travels， the more the replicator spreads； longevity—the longer any instance of the replication pattern exists， the greater the number of copies made out of it.
2. Periodicity of Meme Replication and Advertising Language
Advertising is an integrated style of literature， aesthetics， psychology， sociology and linguistics， etc. Advertising language， as a commercial language， can be widely spread with the application of such techniques as poetry or speech and a variety of rhetorical devices such as repetition， rhyme， pun， hyperbole， parallelism and even variation， which is mostly attributed to the role of memes.
A meme can quickly replicate itself and travel from one host to another within a very short period. According to Heylighen （1998）， meme replication， also called life circles of memes， can be divided into four stages： assimilation， retention， expression and transmission. Assimilation means that a meme is first noticed， understood and assimilated by a host； retention states a meme must linger in the host’s memory， otherwise it cannot be called a meme； expression stresses a meme must be transformed from memory into language， actions or other forms which can be perceived by hosts； transmission points out that a meme’s expression depends on a physical carrier or media such as books or photos. During the stage， a meme is transmitted from a host to one or more potential hosts. Then assimilation follows the last stage thus completing the life circle of a meme.
The periodicity of meme replication applies to the replication and transmission of advertising language. But different slogans of one product could produce different meme effects， which are achieved through self-replication on their own. 3. Types of Advertising Memes
Advertising memes， mainly deriving from idioms， literature， songs， movies and TV programs， can be divided into two types： genotype and phenotype.
3.1 Genotype Advertising Memes
In advertising， if the primitive language， such as idioms， proverbs and poems， is directly employed in the slogans without even a little change， or it keeps the content unchanged but spreads in different forms， the two kinds of transmission modes are called genotype advertising memes.
（1） The Same Meme Transmitted Directly
The language meme mentioned here is directly quoted in the advertising without any change. A typical example is the slogan of Dukang Liquor “慨当以慷，忧思难忘，何以解忧？ 唯有杜康！”. It is directly cited from DuanGeXing （《短歌行》）written by Cao Cao， a well-known figure in Chinese history. Dukang Liquor employs the popular line in its slogan， establishing a successful association of the wine with the historical culture.
（2） The Same Meme Meaning in Different Forms
In the replication process， the advertising meme may vary in its forms， but still remains the same content. For example， the slogans of Gree air conditioner and Haier Group are respectively “好空调，格力造” and “海尔，中国造”. Despite the form variation， the two ads possess the same meme content of proclaiming the qualities of their products as well as boosting a sense of national pride.
3.2 Phenotype Advertising Memes
Phenotype advertising memes means that the original language is flexibly changed according to the pragmatic contexts， thus bringing better advertising effect.
（1） The Same Meme Form， Sound and Content Expressing Varied Meanings
This form of language meme spreads without any change， but it may trigger different meanings in different contexts. For example， a popular proverb in English “seeing is believing” originally means what is seen by people themselves can be taken as truth. A TV set company uses it as the slogan to stress the consumers can see truth from TV instead of other media.
（2） The Similar Form and Sound Expressing Different Meanings
In the transmission process， the language meme， based on its original form， uses the homophony to replace the primary characters or words. The replacement may build a close relationship with the product and inspire people’s imagination. The slogan of Fen Liquor from Shanxi “汾酒必喝， 喝酒必汾”is adapted from “分久必合， 合久必分”， a famous saying in Romance of Three Kingdoms， which shows the vital role Fen Liquor plays in people’s lives. （3） The Same Form with Different Contents Expressing Different Meanings
This commonly used mode of meme transmission employs the same language form， but changes its original characters， words or phrases into those with different sounds， thus leaving more space for creation and imagination. The refrigerator slogan of Japanese Toshiba Company “此时无霜胜有霜” adapting from the famous verse “此时无声胜有声”， vividly displays the merits of their refrigerators.
If used properly， both of genotype and phenotype advertising memes can trigger a special feeling in customers and induce them to buy the products or service.
4. Conclusion
The application of memes provides a new platform for advertising language. The knowledge of memetics， meme and its transmission pattern helps to create innovative slogans. Likewise， under the influence of memetics， new words are constantly replicated and transmitted， promoting the development of the advertising industry.
Reference：
[1]Heylighen， F. What Makes a Meme Successful？ Selection Criteria for Cultural Evolution [A]. Paper presented at 15th International Congress on Cybernetics， 1998.
[2]陈琳霞， 广告语言中的模因[J]. 外语教学， 2006（7）：43-46.
[3]何自然， 语言中的模因[J]. 语言科学， 2005（6）： 56-64.
[4]唐晓慧， 广告中模因语言的应用分析[J]. 通化师范学院学报， 2009（6）：69-70.
Key words： advertising language； memetics； meme
【中图分类号】G640
1. Memetics and Meme
Memetics， based on Darwin’s theory of evolution， is a new theory which interprets the cultural evolution. Meme， the core term， is first put forward by Richard Dawkins in his best-selling book The Selfish Gene in 1976. It is a unit of cultural replication and transmission， and is used to describe the phenomena of cultural evolution.
A successful meme must possess three characteristics： copying fidelity—the more faithful the copy， the more original it will remain after a few rounds of copying； fecundity—the faster the copying travels， the more the replicator spreads； longevity—the longer any instance of the replication pattern exists， the greater the number of copies made out of it.
2. Periodicity of Meme Replication and Advertising Language
Advertising is an integrated style of literature， aesthetics， psychology， sociology and linguistics， etc. Advertising language， as a commercial language， can be widely spread with the application of such techniques as poetry or speech and a variety of rhetorical devices such as repetition， rhyme， pun， hyperbole， parallelism and even variation， which is mostly attributed to the role of memes.
A meme can quickly replicate itself and travel from one host to another within a very short period. According to Heylighen （1998）， meme replication， also called life circles of memes， can be divided into four stages： assimilation， retention， expression and transmission. Assimilation means that a meme is first noticed， understood and assimilated by a host； retention states a meme must linger in the host’s memory， otherwise it cannot be called a meme； expression stresses a meme must be transformed from memory into language， actions or other forms which can be perceived by hosts； transmission points out that a meme’s expression depends on a physical carrier or media such as books or photos. During the stage， a meme is transmitted from a host to one or more potential hosts. Then assimilation follows the last stage thus completing the life circle of a meme.
The periodicity of meme replication applies to the replication and transmission of advertising language. But different slogans of one product could produce different meme effects， which are achieved through self-replication on their own. 3. Types of Advertising Memes
Advertising memes， mainly deriving from idioms， literature， songs， movies and TV programs， can be divided into two types： genotype and phenotype.
3.1 Genotype Advertising Memes
In advertising， if the primitive language， such as idioms， proverbs and poems， is directly employed in the slogans without even a little change， or it keeps the content unchanged but spreads in different forms， the two kinds of transmission modes are called genotype advertising memes.
（1） The Same Meme Transmitted Directly
The language meme mentioned here is directly quoted in the advertising without any change. A typical example is the slogan of Dukang Liquor “慨当以慷，忧思难忘，何以解忧？ 唯有杜康！”. It is directly cited from DuanGeXing （《短歌行》）written by Cao Cao， a well-known figure in Chinese history. Dukang Liquor employs the popular line in its slogan， establishing a successful association of the wine with the historical culture.
（2） The Same Meme Meaning in Different Forms
In the replication process， the advertising meme may vary in its forms， but still remains the same content. For example， the slogans of Gree air conditioner and Haier Group are respectively “好空调，格力造” and “海尔，中国造”. Despite the form variation， the two ads possess the same meme content of proclaiming the qualities of their products as well as boosting a sense of national pride.
3.2 Phenotype Advertising Memes
Phenotype advertising memes means that the original language is flexibly changed according to the pragmatic contexts， thus bringing better advertising effect.
（1） The Same Meme Form， Sound and Content Expressing Varied Meanings
This form of language meme spreads without any change， but it may trigger different meanings in different contexts. For example， a popular proverb in English “seeing is believing” originally means what is seen by people themselves can be taken as truth. A TV set company uses it as the slogan to stress the consumers can see truth from TV instead of other media.
（2） The Similar Form and Sound Expressing Different Meanings
In the transmission process， the language meme， based on its original form， uses the homophony to replace the primary characters or words. The replacement may build a close relationship with the product and inspire people’s imagination. The slogan of Fen Liquor from Shanxi “汾酒必喝， 喝酒必汾”is adapted from “分久必合， 合久必分”， a famous saying in Romance of Three Kingdoms， which shows the vital role Fen Liquor plays in people’s lives. （3） The Same Form with Different Contents Expressing Different Meanings
This commonly used mode of meme transmission employs the same language form， but changes its original characters， words or phrases into those with different sounds， thus leaving more space for creation and imagination. The refrigerator slogan of Japanese Toshiba Company “此时无霜胜有霜” adapting from the famous verse “此时无声胜有声”， vividly displays the merits of their refrigerators.
If used properly， both of genotype and phenotype advertising memes can trigger a special feeling in customers and induce them to buy the products or service.
4. Conclusion
The application of memes provides a new platform for advertising language. The knowledge of memetics， meme and its transmission pattern helps to create innovative slogans. Likewise， under the influence of memetics， new words are constantly replicated and transmitted， promoting the development of the advertising industry.
Reference：
[1]Heylighen， F. What Makes a Meme Successful？ Selection Criteria for Cultural Evolution [A]. Paper presented at 15th International Congress on Cybernetics， 1998.
[2]陈琳霞， 广告语言中的模因[J]. 外语教学， 2006（7）：43-46.
[3]何自然， 语言中的模因[J]. 语言科学， 2005（6）： 56-64.
[4]唐晓慧， 广告中模因语言的应用分析[J]. 通化师范学院学报， 2009（6）：69-70.