From: mjw+@cs.cmu.edu (Michael Witbrock)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc
Subject: Neat amiga advertisements (English usage)
Date: 14 Oct 92 02:08:39 GMT
	<1992Oct13.205253.20121@rmece49.upr.clu.edu>
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

Ok, first, I promise not to put any of that MIME stuff into this
message, since 
1) It makes it really hard to read if you aren't using a MIME compatible mailer
and 2) It seems that my mailer isn't inserting a ContentsType: (or
whatever) field on internet posts, so even I can't see the colours. 

Anyway,  enough of that, I'll take a stab at answering a question from
one of our readers, a Sr Ricardo Hernandez of Hope Arkansas (totally
unsubstantiated geographic claim) who asks:

Excerpts from netnews.comp.sys.amiga.misc: 13-Oct-92 Re:
CONGRATULATIONS! CBM! Ricardo Hernandez |@rmec (1225)


> |> Have you seen the MultiMedia Adds?  I just saw one in a PC rag (forget which
> |> one)  They are GOOD!  right in the middle of the page it says "The
> MPC Version
> |> of Multimedia May Cost More Than Ours.  But It's Harder To Use And Requires
> |> More Equiptment."  Heh heh, kick gates around yeah.  I Love it! 
>  
>    GREAT!  I got a question from 'English point of view' as it is not my
> first language:  "The MPC Version of Multimadia May Cost More Than Ours.
> But It's..." - I don't understand why the "..May Cost More Than Ours.." is
> supposed to be a good phrase to use.  Why not, "And also, it will cost you
> much less" or something.  

>    Must be my English.  If anyone can explain, thanks.
  
The reason why people whose first language is English enjoy the ad is
that it sets up an expectation in the first clause which is violated in
the second. The "The MPC Version of Multimedia may cost more that ours,"
is a concessive clause. The purpose of this gramatical construction is
to admit  something about its subject which will be made up for by
information in the second clause. The expectation then, is that the full
sentence will say something like "The MPC Version of Multimedia may cost
more that ours, but it's easier to use and requires less equipment".
Instead, the second clause continues to list bad things about the MPC
system. This has two effects: it violates the reader's expectations
about what will come next, which accounts for the humourous effect, and
it makes the claim that "The MPC Version of Multimedia ... is  Harder To
Use And Requires More Equipment." even more cutting, since it is an
attack on MPC when a complement is expected. This accounts for the
delight the ad induces in amiga users. 

Finally, the ad uses a rhetorical effect called litotes (or more
generally meiosis) (usually "an understatement in which an affirmative
is expressed by the negative  of the contrary"[websters], but in this
case [after Fowler] "understatements meant to impress by moderation"
[e.g. if the Amiga 4000 is a toy, it's rather a fast one]). Usually, in
advertising, when a concessive clause (the "...may...," part) is used,
it's a sign of the use of litotes - that we are intended to be impressed
by the reasonableness of the advertiser (this device is far more
prevalent in English advertising than American, for reasons on which I
shalln't speculate). What we have in the amiga ad is a manipulation of
the common advertising use litotes: we expect an attempt to impress us
with reasonableness, instead we read an attack on MPC. This makes the
attack in the ad much meaner (and therefore more pleasing to the eyes of
amigaphiles), and also funnier (since it is a violation of an
advertising cliche, as well as a grammatical form).

I'm afraid I don't have a decent Spanish grammar to hand, so I won't try
to render the ad into that language, but perhaps someone would like to
give it a try. I will however, risk the ridicle of the world, and try it
in french....ahem....

bien que le Version OPM de Multimedia cout plus cher que le notre, il
est plus complique, et a besion d'equipments suplimentaires.

Horrid, wasn't it, perhaps a real French person will try, using the
(what I believe to be a correct ) analysis of the English ad as a guide,
if necessary. I wonder how many languages the ad would work in, because
it's certainly a very good ad in English.