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STYLISTIC FEATURES OF NEWSPAPER HEADLINES Korotkova O.A. Email: Korotkova6106@scientifictext.ru
Korotkova Olga Aleksandrovna - Bachelor in Linguistics, DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE № 3, FACULTY: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS SCHOOL AND GLOBAL ECONOMY, PLEKHANOV RUSSIAN UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS, MOSCOW
Abstract: this article is devoted to the main stylistic features of the newspaper titles common for the English mass media. The headline is not just a name for the text - it is an integral part of the journalistic work, linked to the material not only in content, but also in stylistics and functionality. It has nominative, communicative, and advertising functions. The headline for an informative message is dominated by the informative function. The title to a journalistic text always has an evaluative role. The title expresses the author's position. The analysis of the headlines is mostly based on the examples from the daily British newspaper «The Times» and the largest American newspaper «The Washington Post». The research demonstrates a multiplicity of stylistic techniques used in the foreign press to stimulate the readers" awareness of the topics discussed.
Keywords: personification, epithet, metaphor, antithesis, allusion, phraseological units, comparison.
СТИЛИСТИЧЕСКИЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ ГАЗЕТНЫХ ЗАГОЛОВКОВ Короткова О.А.
Короткова Ольга Александровна - бакалавр лингвистики, кафедра иностранных языков № 3, факультет: международная школа бизнеса и мировой экономики, Российский экономический университет им. Г.В. Плеханова, г. Москва
Аннотация: статья посвящена основным стилистическим особенностям газетных заголовков, характерным для английских СМИ. Заголовок — это не просто название текста. Он является неотъемлемой частью журналистской работы, связанной с материалом газетной статьи не только по содержанию, но и по стилистике и функциональности. Он обладает номинативной, коммуникативной и рекламной функциями. В заголовке информационного сообщения доминирует информационная функция. Название журналистского текста всегда имеет оценочную роль. Заголовок выражает позицию автора. Анализ заголовков основывается, главным образом, на примерах из ежедневной британской газеты "The Times" и крупнейшей американской газеты "The Washington Post". Исследование демонстрирует многообразие стилистических приемов, используемых в зарубежной прессе для привлечения внимания читателей к обсуждаемым темам.
Ключевые слова: персонификация, эпитет, метафора, антитеза, аллюзия, фразеологизм, сравнение.
UDC 811.11
Nowadays linguistics focuses considerable attention on the potential of newspaper discourse, including the newspaper features. A decent headline contributes significantly to the competitiveness of a press. Since the headline has the strongest position in the print media, it is the title that the reader notices first.
Newspaper titles use a wide variety of stylistic devices, such as personification, epithet, metaphor, antithesis, allusion, phraseological units, comparison, irony, interjections, and gradation. These means of expression allow authors to create a unique image of the
headline, which has a considerable pragmatic potential. The accumulation of stylistic techniques in a title combined with an expressive syntactical construction and/or punctuation grabs the audience's attention, generates interest, and has a pragmatic effect on the addressee [4, c. 207].
1. Personification
This technique involves ascription of the characteristics of a living object to an inanimate object. Newspaper headlines with elements of personification enable the originator to convey the message in a brief and laconic form and to draw attention to their article [1, c. 298].
- Russia isn 't looking good. But it sure is feeling good [The Times, 3 November 2015].
The use of the name of Russia in this case is due to the author's desire to reflect the
opinion of the Russian people on the state of the country at a time of crisis. In this title, Russia is given the characteristics of a living person, as expressed by its external appearance («look bad» - to seem to be going to have a bad result) and feelings («feel» - to be in a particular state as a result of emotion or physical feeling).
2. Epithet
Epithet is applied to describe actions or to express the author's assessment of the situation/subject being discussed. It is worth mentioning that an epithet always goes in conjunction with the subject it defines:
- The awkward gifts the U.S. and Russia give each other [The Times, 12 May 2015].
The epithet «awkward» (not graceful) is used to indicate an evaluative connotation: the
author conveys an attitude towards the peculiar and strange, in his opinion, gifts exchanged between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry.
- How not to deal with a humbled Putin [The Times, 26 November 2015].
The use of the epithet «humbled» (to feel less important or proud because of something that has been achieved or suffered by someone else) allows the author of the article to focus the readers' attention on the difficulties faced by the Russian President. The indefinite article implicitly conveys a sense of confusion and doubt if the information is certainly about the President of Russia: Vladimir Putin is always associated with success and determination [7, c. 186].
3. Metaphor
Metaphor has explicit evaluative features: this expressive tool carries the communicative and pragmatic attitude of the sender, as it allows them to verbalize their thoughts in a vivid and memorable form.
- The Islamic State is evil returned [The Washington Post, 25 August 2014].
The epithet «returned» increases the tension of the lexeme evil (a power that makes people do very bad and cruel things) in the title, as it makes it clear that there is a constant battle between good and evil forces in our world. The author states that ISIS is the evil that has returned!
4. Antithesis
Used in the headlines of online newspapers, this stylistic device is intended to create a contrast between the subjects or situations being described to focus the audience's attention on the headline.
- Thousands dead, few prosecuted [The Times, 11 April 2015].
By contrasting quantitative figures, the sad statistics of people who died due to the actions of the police are presented. The succinct antithesis of the headline has an emotional impact on the addressee and evokes mixed feelings of both sympathy and dissatisfaction.
- How Much the Best-Performing and Worst-Performing CEOs Got Paid [The Times, 25 June 2015].
The antithesis of «best-performing» and «worst-performing» is used to play up situations of rewards for work performance. The opposition between success and failure in the analyzed headline generates interest in the recipient and a desire to learn about the criteria for evaluating the performance of CEOs.
5. Allusion
The presence of allusion as part of the title creates a visual and tangible image for the reader. As the author intends to be properly understood by the recipient, the allusion should be linked to some well-known and generally accepted facts or events. In turn, the reader must also have the background knowledge to make subject-logical connections.
- Russia: A return to arms [The Times, 1 October 2013].
This headline is an allusion to the novel A Farewell to Arms by American writer Ernest Hemingway. The occasional transformation allowed the author to present the main idea of the article in a non-trivial way: Russia is increasing expenditures on strengthening its military power.
6. Phraseological units
Phraseological units are used in newspaper headlines as conspicuous elements to attract the audience's interest, as they are extremely common combinations and are characterized by a high degree of stability and persistence [2, c. 21].
- Ready for war? Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin set to lock horns over Syria at G20 summit [The Times, 4 September 2013].
The phraseological unit to «lock horns with someone» (to get into an argument with someone) conveys the tense atmosphere of the summit, the complexity of solving problems and the possible confrontation between the Russian and US leaders.
- Russians tighten their belts for a great cause [The Times, 19 February 2016].
In this headline, the author presents the main idea of the article using the phraseology «to tighten one's belt» (to manage to spend less money; to use less of something), providing a vivid description of the resistance of Russians in times of economic strain [8, c.22].
7. Comparison
Comparison is a figure of speech consisting of one object (the subject of comparison) explicitly relating to another based on their similarities (the basis of comparison) to describe the former more accurately and figuratively. Unlike metaphor, comparison is expressed clearly by comparative modifiers 'as/like'.
- Scottish independence: opponents are like rabbits in SNP's headlights [The Times, 8 February 2014].
The comparison in the title illustrates the hesitation of the Scottish National Party's opponents, who are not taking decisive action to preserve the unity of the United Kingdom.
While analyzing the selected headlines, an example where the comparison is expressed implicitly was found:
- Kiev 2015, Madrid 1936 [The Times, 16 July 2015].
The author compares the situation in Ukraine with the situation in the Spanish Republic on the eve of the civil war when the democratic government faced the pressure of local aggressive forces. Similarly, then and now, despite the escalating crisis in Ukraine, the West (the US) is in no hurry to help and chooses to be an observer.
8. Irony
Irony can convey a wide range of feelings and emotions of the addressee (both positive and negative) without being too categorical and straightforward. In the headlines of the print media, irony is often expressed by contrasting the characteristics of the subjects. The expressive image and emotional content of headlines with irony have a positive impact on the recipient.
- Putin bombs and the west blinks [The Times, 17 February 2016].
The confrontation between Russia and Europe allows the author to highlight dominance of Russia on the world arena and ironically point to European inaction.
- Obama: messiah or mess? [The Times, 14 October 2011].
The contrast between the speech units «messiah» (a leader who is believed to have the power to solve the world's problems) and «mess» (a person who is not good at life) reflects the negative assessment of actions of Barack Obama during his presidency. The headline-
question appeals to the audience as to whether American voters made the wrong choice for president in 2008.
9. Interjections
Interjections as communicative elements are used by the addressee to express their emotional and mental state. Thus, an interjection is the element of verbalization of the addressee's emotional and expressive state, their feelings and evaluations and creates a situation of real communication between the addressee and the recipient. This type of expression is rarely introduced in the headlines of English-language online newspapers, as interjections serve as a form of implementation of the conversational style [5, с. 381].
- Hey, Putin, have you seen how much China is investing in Ukraine? [The Washington Post, 24 July 2015].
The interjection "hey" in this example represents an aspiration for Vladimir Putin to draw the Russian President's attention to the strengthening of economic ties between Ukraine and China.
- So are Russia and Iran best buddies now? Um, maybe not. [The Times, 12 November 2015].
This heading is particularly striking because of the question-and-answer form of the title. The interjection «um» at the beginning of the second part of the title is used as a pausing tool to express thoughtfulness before answering the question posed [3, с. 120].
10. Gradation
Gradation is a figure of speech that creates an expressive effect in a homogeneous semantic sequence of components (usually not less than three) because of a successive increase or, on the contrary, decrease in the semantic significance of these components. In the headlines of newspapers, the use of gradation is primarily connected with the intensified emotional impact on the audience [6, с. 197].
- Recession, retrenchment, revolution? Impact of low crude prices on oil powers [The Guardian, 30 December 2015].
Rising gradation and alliteration (repetition of the phoneme 'r') are used in this headline to draw attention to the magnitude of the problems in some economically significant global countries. The sequential increase in the perceived impact of low oil prices has a reinforced emotional impact on the recipient.
To conclude, when translating English-language headlines consisting of different stylistic devices, the translator faces the challenge of preserving the pragmatic potential of the original. This problem is determined by the linguistic and stylistic peculiarities of the original language and the target language. The stylistic techniques listed in the article provide the headline with a unique and particularly expressive character, which helps to attract the reader's attention.
References / Список литературы
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