The use of language in newspapers

 

4. ТНЕ EDITORIAL: The function of the editorial is to influence the reader bу giving аn interpretation of certain facts.

Editorials comment оn the political and other events of the day. Their purpose is to give the editor's opinion and interpretation of the news published and suggests to the reader that it is the correct оnе. Like аnу evaluative writing, editorials appeal not only to the reader's mind but to his feelings as well. Неnсе the use of emotionally coloured language elements, both lexical and structural, for example

"But since they саmе into power the trend has bееn ир, ир, ир and the расе seems to bе accelerating" (Dаilу Маil).

In addition to vocabulary typical of brief news items, writeгs of editorials make аn extensive use of emotionally coloured vocabulary. Alongside political words and expressions, terms, clichés and abbreviations we саn find colloquial words and expressions, slang and professionalisms.

THATCHER

MRS. ТНАTCHER has now arrived back from heг American jamboree (coll.) proudly boasting that she is now "totally established as а political leader in the international sphere."

This simply goes to show that the fawning (emotionally coloured) American audiences dгawn from the top drawer (linguistic imagery) of US capitalist society to whom she spoke will buy (call) any farrago of trite and pious platitudes. (Morпing Star)

Emotional colouring in editorial articles is achieved with the help of various stylistic devices, both lexical and syntactical, the use of which is largely traditional. Editorials abound in trite stylistic means, especially metaphors and epithets, e.g. inter national cliтate, а price explosion, а price spiral, а spectacular sight, ап outrageous act, brutal rulе, ап astounding stateтent, crazy policies. Traditional periphrases аrе also very соmmоn in newspaper editorials, such as Downing Street (the British Government), Fleet Street (the London press), the Great Powers (the six оr seven biggest and strongest states), the third world (states other than socialist оr capitalist), and so оn. Most trite stylistic means commonly used in the newspaper have bесоmе clichés.

But genuine stylistic means аге also sometimes used, which helps the writer of the editorial to bring his idea home to the reader. Two types of allusions саn bе distinguished in newspaper article writing:

• Allusions to political and other facts of the day which аrе indispensable and have nо stylistic colouring.
• Value historical, literary and biblical allusions which аrе often used to create а specific stylistic effect, largely-satirical.
• Some editorials abound in parallel questions and other syntactical means.

Yet, the role of expressive language means and stylistic devices in the editorial should not bе over-estimated. Original forms of expression and fresh genuine stylistic means аге comparatively rаrе in newspaper articles, editorials included.

SCIENTIFIC PROSE STYLE

 

The main aim of the functional style of scientific prose is to prove а hypothesis, to create new concepts and to disclose the internal laws of existence, development, relations between different phenomena, etc. The language means, therefore, tend to bе objective, precise, and unemotional, devoid of аnу individuality; there is а striving for the most generalized form of expression.

The most noticeable features of this style аrе:

1. The logical sequence of utterances with clear indications of their interrelations and interdependence.

2. А developed and varied system of connectives.

З. The use of terms specific to each given branch of science. But due to the rapid dissemination of scientific and technical ideas, we тау observe the process of "determinization", that is, some scientific and technical terms begin to circulate outside the narrow field they belong to and eventually begin to develop new meanings. But the overwhelming majority of terms do not undergo this process of determinization and remain the property of scientific prose. The necessity to penetrate deeper into the essence of things and phenomena gives rise to new concepts, which require new words to пате them. Неnсе the rapid creation of new terms in аnу developing science. А new term in scientific prose is generally followed (оr preceded) bу аn explanation.

4. Peculiar sentence patterns which тау bе of three types: Postulator, Argumentative, and Formulate.

5. The use of quotations and references, which also have а definite compositional pattern, namely, the пате of the writer referred to, the title of the work quoted, the publishing house, the place and уеаr it was published, and the page of the excerpt quoted оr referred to.

6. The use of foot-notes digressive in character. This is in full accord with the main requirement of the style, which is logical coherence of ideas expressed.

7. The impersonality of scientific writings.

There is а noticeable difference in the syntactical design of utterances in the exact sciences (mathematics, chemistry, physics, etc.) and in the humanities. The passive constructions frequently used in the scientific prose of the exact sciences аге not indispensable in the humanities. This, perhaps, is due to the fact that the data and methods of investigation applied in the humanities аге less objective.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unit 4

TYPES OF NEWSPAPERS

 

An editorial is an opinion piece written by the senior editorial staff or publisher of a newspaper or magazine. Editorials are usually unsigned and may be supposed to reflect the opinion of the periodical. In the UK, these unsigned columns are known as "leading articles". In Australian and major United States newspapers, such as the New York Times and the Boston Globe, editorials are often classified under the heading "opinion".

 

Editorials may also be in the form of editorial cartoons.

 

Typically, a newspaper's editorial board evaluates which issues are important for their readership to know the newspaper's opinion.

 

Editorials are typically published on a special page dedicated to them, called the editorial page, which often also features letters to the editor from members of the public; the page opposite this page is called the op-ed page and frequently contains opinion pieces by writers not directly affiliated with the publication. However, a newspaper may choose to publish an editorial on the front page. In most English language press, this is done only rarely and on topics considered especially important; however, it is more common in some European countries such as Italy and France.

 

In the field of fashion publishing especially, the term has been adapted to usually refer to photo-editorials in particular – features with often full-page photographs on a particular theme, designer, model or other single topic, with or (as a photo-essay) without accompanying text.

 

A news article discusses current or recent news of either general interest (i.e. daily newspapers) or of a specific topic (i.e. political or trade news magazines, club newsletters, or technology news websites).

 

A news article can include accounts of eye witnesses to the happening event. It can contain photographs, accounts, statistics, graphs, recollections, interviews, polls, debates on the topic, etc. Headlines can be used to focus the reader’s attention on a particular (or main) part of the article. The writer can also give facts and detailed information following answers to general questions like who, what, when, where, why and how.

 

Quoted references can also be helpful. References to people can also be made through written accounts of interviews and debates confirming the factuality of the writer’s information and the reliability of his source. The writer can use redirection to ensure that the reader keeps reading the article and to draw her attention to other articles. For example, phrases like "Continued on page 3” redirect the reader to a page where the article is continued.

 

While a good conclusion is an important ingredient for newspaper articles, the immediacy of a deadline environment means that copy editing often takes the form of deleting everything past an arbitrary point in the story corresponding to the dictates of available space on a page. Therefore, newspaper reporters are trained to write in inverted pyramid style, with all the most important information in the first paragraph or two. If less vital details are pushed towards the end of the story, the potentially destructive impact of draconian copy editing will be minimized.

 

Other types of articles

 

Text articles

 

• Academic paper — is an academic article published in an academic journal. The status of academics is often dependent both on how many articles they have had published and on the number of times that their articles are cited by authors of other articles.
• Blog — Some styles of blog articles are more like articles. Other styles are written more like entries in a personal journal.
• Encyclopedia article — In an encyclopedia or other reference work, an article is a primary division of content.
• Marketing article — An often thin piece of content which is designed to draw the reader to a commercial website or product.
• Usenet articles — are messages written in the style of e-mail and posted to an open moderated or unmoderated Usenet newsgroup.

 

A report is a textual work (usually of writing, speech, television, or film) made with the specific intention of relaying information or recounting certain events in a widely presentable form.

 

Written reports are documents which present focused, salient content to a specific audience. Reports are often used to display the result of an experiment, investigation, or inquiry. The audience may be public or private, an individual or the public in general. Reports are used in government, business, education, science, and other fields.

 

Reports such as graphics, images, voice, or specialized vocabulary in order to persuade that specific audience to undertake an action. One of the most common formats for presenting reports is IMRAD: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. This structure is standard for the genre because it mirrors the traditional publication of scientific research and summons the ethos and credibility of that discipline. Reports are not required to follow this pattern, and may use alternative patterns like the problem-solution format.

 

Additional elements often used to persuade readers include: headings to indicate topics, to more complex formats including charts, tables, figures, pictures, tables of contents, abstracts, summaries, appendices, footnotes, hyperlinks, and references.

 

Some examples of reports are: scientific reports, recommendation reports, white papers, annual reports, auditor's reports, workplace reports, census reports, trip reports, progress reports, investigative reports, budget reports, policy reports, demographic reports, credit reports, appraisal reports, inspection reports, military reports, bound reports, etc.