Pragmatic aspects of mass-media

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Pragmatic aspects of mass-media

Budagova A.M.

The article studies the questions of the pragmatic of a text as well as information Generally texts differ from each other with their different features. Therefor the texts that are used in mass media could be joint each other in different groups. The mass media are diversified media technology that are intended to reach a large audience by mass communication. The technologies through which this communication takes place varies. Broadcast media such as radio, recorded music, film and television transmit their information electronically. Print media use a physical object such as a newspaper, book, pamphlet or comics, to distribute their information. Outdoor media is a form of mass media that comprises billboards, signs or placards placed inside and outside of commercial buildings, sports stadiums, shops and buses. Other outdoor media include flying billboards (signs in tow of airplanes), blimps, and skywriting. Many other mass media outlets have a presence on the web, by such things as having TV ads that link to a website, or distributing a QR Code in print or outdoor media to direct a mobile user to a website. Studies show that mass media texts that hold information about the special events and facts create not only communicative effect also service the readers to enlarge their information base. While entering the term “pragmatics” into the system of scientific concepts it was accepted as explanatory teaching of commentator's relation to those signs. Connection of meaning with denotant reality, speech context, explicit and implicit communicative desire relation of communication participants to each other, condition of communication and a number of other issues are directly connected with with pragmatics. Euphemisms are scarcely used in mass media. Thus, they are used in press. The most often used graphical euphemism is three dots. In the article is shown how the author instead of the word uses dots and lets it at the discretion of reader understand the meaning. In the research sound analogy takes place as well. Sound analogy is mainly used during the euphemistic substitution. Some sample about morphological euphemism have been used in the article. The mass media texts that consist of euphemism are divided into three groups. It becomes clear from the given examples and analysis that the usage of euphemisms in the capacity of pragmatic aspects are broadly used in mass media. The stated issue is only of the forms of pragmatic aspects. The analysis shows that pragmatic aspects of mass media are of a wide range and among them communicative effect arising as a result of using linguistic means holds a specific place. english euphemism ellipse

Key words: pragmatics potential, pragmatic aspect, audiovisual language, graphical euphemism, morphological euphemism, communicative effects, communicative intention.

У статті розглядаються питання прагматики тексту, а також інформації. Уточнюються поняття прагматичного аспекту і прагматичного потенціалу. Робляться спроби у розкритті особливостей використання евфемізмів у створенні прагматичного потенціалу в англомовних засобах масової інформації. Аналіз показує, що тексти, які містять інформацію про певні випадки та факти, не справляють на читача комунікативного ефекту, а навпаки, слугують для розширення інформаційної бази читача. Саме з цієї точки зору засоби масової інформації можна згрупувати окремо за різноманітними критеріями. Це переважно газетно-журнальні статті, радіо, телебачення та кіно.

Також розглядаються т. зв. мовні еліпси, які утворюються за допомогою кількох синтаксичних конструкцій, однією з яких є евфемізм. У статті зазначається, що графічний евфемізм не змінює справжнього значення денотата. У цьому розумінні сила дії графічного евфемізму невелика. Графічний евфемізм лише перешкоджає використанню повного значення слова. Автор замість якогось висловлювання може поставити три крапки і залишити подальше значення на розсуд адресата.

Ключові слова: прагматичний потенціал, прагматичний аспект, аудіовізуальна мова, графічний евфемізм, морфологічний евфемізм, комунікативний ефект, комунікативний намір.

В статье рассматриваются вопросы прагматики текста, а также информации. Уточняются понятия прагматического аспекта и прагматического потенциала. Делаются попытки в раскрытии особенностей использования эвфемизмов в создании прагматического потенциала в англоязычных средствах массовой информации. Анализ показывает, что тексты, содержащие информацию об определенных случаях и фактах, не оказывают на читателя коммуникативного эффекта, а наоборот, служат для расширения информационной базы читателя. Именно с этой точки зрения средства массовой информации можно сгруппировать отдельно по различным категориям. Это, в основном, газетно-журнальные материалы, радио, телевидение и кино.

Также рассматриваются, так называемые языковые эллипсы, которые образуются с помощью нескольких синтаксических конструкций, одним из которых являются эвфемизмы. В статье отмечается, что графический эвфемизм не меняет настоящего значения денотата. В этом смысле, сила действия графического эвфемизма не велико. Графический эвфемизм только препятствует использованию полного значения слова. Автор вместо какого-либо высказывания может поставить троеточие и оставить дальнейшее значение на усмотрение адресата.

Ключевые слова: прагматический потенциал, прагматический аспект, аудивизуальный язык, графический эвфемизм, морфологический эвфемизм, коммуникативный эффект, коммуникативное намерение.

Each text has a peculiar communicativeness. The information carried by the text is passed from recipient to receptor. Receptor gets the beneficial information from the general information and thus, he enters into a certain private relation with the text. These relations are called pragmatic relations. Pragmatic relations may be of various characteristics. Text bears information about specified events and facts. When these events and facts are not personally belonging to receptor or have no special importance for him, they are regarded as only intellectual information. In other words, receptor gets acquainted with new information having no connection with him. For instance, The Helsinki Committee (Helsinki Committee on Human Rights) said this meant that “ethnic cleansing in Bosnia and Herzegovina is entering its final stage”.

This information taken from website has only of information gist for Azerbaijani reader and having no other impact on the reader it does not arouse communicative effect and serves to expansion of information basis of the reader. If such information was about the ethnic cleansing in Armenia and was read by a refugee who had abandoned the territory of Armenia, and then this text would have communicative effect, information received by receptor would have an influence on his feelings, give a rise to certain emotional reaction and instigate him to some activity. This feature of the text to create such communicative effect is explained as pragmatic influence to receptor.

Pragmatic aspects of the text depend on the selection of source and expression of the same information through language means. Recipient, according to his communicative desire, chooses language means for transfer of information in such a way so they were of both logical and connotative significance. These means are connected with content because of organizational features. Thus, the text receives a certain pragmatic potential and have possibility to create definite communicative effect for receptor. Pragmatic aspects of the text are defined by content and form of the text and as a rule, act not depending on the creator of the text. Along with it, in the revealing of pragmatic aspects the role of their origination is very crucial. Relation of communicative effect's originator to this effect plays the decisive role. The pragmatism of the text depends from information and form of its transfer. Pragmatic attitude does not depend only from pragmatic potential of the text. The second role in this relation plays the receptor. The relation depends on receptor itself and his personal qualities (psychology, knowledge, emotional state, general situational behaviour and so on). That's why the analysis of pragmatic aspects of the text is conditionally carried according to “centralized” receptor.

Texts differ from each other for various characteristics. From this point of view, texts used in mass media can be clustered. At the same time, mass media itself is different. Here are included newspapers and magazines, radio and TV, also cinema. Nowadays, the Internet is the focus of attention as a kind of mass media. Mass media has verbal and non-verbal means for information transfer. And each mean has specific non-verbal means of expression. For example, photo, graphics, and others are not considered as non-verbal means for radio. On the contrary, on radio is used music. But during information transfer in newspapers and magazines music is not used as non-verbal means of expression. The language of mass media consists of specified graphical, sound (audio) and image (photo, video, picture, moving frames and so on) signs and of their synthesis. While visual signs (graphics, photo, font, colour and others) are characteristic for newspapers, various sounds (music, speech, sound effects) for radio, but both visual and audiovisual language for are characteristic cinema and TV.

While entering the term “pragmatics” into the system of scientific concepts it was accepted as explanatory teaching of commentator's relation to those signs. Yu. Paducheva, who had explained his attitude towards different issues of natural languages' study from pragmatic point of view, noted that solution of issues arising with the study of such problems is on crossing of sciences [3]. Connection of meaning with denotant reality, speech context, explicit and implicit communicative desire, relation of communication participants to each other, condition of communication and a number of other issues are directly connected with pragmatics.

There are many genres used in mass media. For instance, in newspapers used such genres as interview, news, article, reportage, feature-story. Each of these genres distinguishes for its characteristics. At the same time, materials in various genres have their internal means. Internal means are connected with features of information transfer upon the genre of the author. The researches show that headlines, contexts made cuffs; italics are linked with pragmatic aspects of mass media. Pragmatics in verbal means of expression used during transfer of information through text is usually taken into account. All these features are very important for study of pragmatic aspects of mass media.

Mentioning pragmatic aspects of mass media (MM) various issues can be covered. One of such issues is the usage of euphemisms in MM. Using of such kind of means is directly connected with pragmatic aspects. Author instead of using words of crude score in newspapers, he substitutes them with more soft variants. This feature is also characteristic for English mass media. Euphemisms are always noted in newspaper language not depending on what field the materials belong to. Some researches consider separation of euphemisms used in political articles from denotant they express as their loss of euphemism function. For example, I.R. Galperin does not consider using of “uprising”, “tension”, “starvation”, “undernourishment” in newspapers as euphemisms [4]. According to T.G. Vinokur, the purpose of using euphemisms is to soften the expression and deceitful and incorrect information to distort the reality. Diversity of objectives becomes the reason of diversity of pragmatic aspects [5]. In our opinion, weakening of connection with denotant does not influence the euphemism. It occurs because the used word means the removing from the text of undesired word for receptor. The new word obtains the neutral connotation. Finally, the substitution lessens the influence to receptor and gives opportunity to avoid conflicts. Various forms of euphemisms are used in newspapers. Generally, in linguistics euphemisms is determined on the lexical level. However, during the analysis of pragmatic aspects in MM euphemisms concerning other levels are revealed. Depending on what level the euphemistic coding belongs, can be revealed graphical, phonetic, morphological, lexico-semantic and syntactic euphemisms. Now let's observe this issue on the basis of concrete examples.

Euphemisms are scarcely used in mass media. Thus, they are used in press. The most often used graphical euphemism is three dots. Author instead of the word uses dots and lets it at the discretion of reader understand the meaning. In addition, entering into the text of the first letter of a word or a slab graphic euphemism is created. For instance, “Awards shows have caused indecency problems for networks in the past. Rock star Bono uttered the word “f***” on NBC's broadcast of the 2003 Golden Globe awards. Cher used the word during the 2002 Billboard Music Awards on FOX, and Nicole Richie said both “f***” and “s***” on FOX's broadcast of the awards show the following year”.

It should be noted that graphical euphemism neither changes the real meaning of denotant nor substitutes it with another word. From this point of view, graphical euphemism's degree of influence is low. Sound analogy is used during the emergence of euphemistic substitutes. For example, the English word “taboo” for word taboo f*ck is recorded in 9 phonetic variants (ferk, firk, fig-fig, flame, flick, flop, flub, freak, funk) in lexical and euphemistic dictionaries.

Morphological euphemisms are more used in MM in contrast to graphical euphemisms. “At the end of 2005, 24,1% of Peru's children of 5 years or younger suffer from malnutrition according to the latest demographic survey by Salud Familiar. The high rate of undernourished children is evidence that most of the population has little knowledge of nutritional culture”, said Victoria Chimpen, dean of the Peru's School for Nutritionists. In this morphological euphemism author has used meiotic euphemism instead of words “hunger”, “hungry”.

Such words as conflict, action, operation, campaign providing military operations and having pragmatic potential are often used in English press. For e.g., “I gave the orders to our military commanders to prepare the army for a broad and ongoing military operation to strike the terrorist leaders and all those involved” said Mr. Olmert (The Times. June 27, 2006).

In the given example instead of “fighting” was used “operation”. Such substitution softens the main gist of the event and gives opportunity to bring it to its obvious form. The noted feature weakens the pragmatic aspect of the text. Likewise, is used “render harmless” instead of “exterminate, kill”. This word slightly impacts the addressee.

Euphemisms are created via syntactic method. In this case, word combinations or other syntactic constructions are used. For instance, “One senior official said the document [“National Security Strategy”]... will for the first time add “preemption” and “defensive intervention” as formal options for striking at hostile nations or groups that appear determined to use weapons of mass destruction against the United states” (Washington Post. June 10, 2002).

The other form of forming euphemisms through the syntactic method is ellipsis. Omission of objects and subjects is observed in ellipsistic constructions. Cases of subjects” omissions are more often used in mass media. For e.g., “. eight Palestinians were killed during a beach picnic - although the Israel Defense Forces insist that their shells were not responsible” (The Times. June 27, 2006).

There is no information about who the Palestinians were killed by. Subject was omitted. Conditionally, MM texts containing euphemisms can be divided into three groups:

official information of neutral character about normal conditions, continuing of events in their course. In this information euphemism hides the denotant causing negative reaction of the audience.

2) texts of problem character. In such texts euphemism faces direct nomination. However, author prefers euphemism. For instance, Iraq and everything connected to it brings about the larger Atlantic divide over how to continue our struggle to overcome terrorism - note my words when I refuse to call it a “war” (The Globalist. November 05, 2004).

3) texts criticizing activity of the government. In such kind of texts euphemisms are brought to the focus of attention and the purpose of their use is declared. For example, Collateral damage is nothing more than a euphemism for state-sponsored mass murder. It is the term given to people killed in military actions who were “not intentionally targeted”.

It becomes clear from the given examples and analysis that the usage of euphemisms in the capacity of pragmatic aspects are broadly used in mass media. The stated issue is only of the forms of pragmatic aspects. The analysis shows that pragmatic aspects of mass media are of a wide range and among them communicative effect arising as a result of using linguistic means holds a specific place.

REFERENCES

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2. Maharramli, G. (2004) “Mass media and language”, Baku, Chashioglu. - 208 p.

3. Paducheva, E.V. (1996) “Semantic researches (semantics of time and sort in the Russian language. Semantics of narrative)”, Semanticheskiie issledovaniia (Semantika vremeni v russkom yazyke. Semantika narrativa). - in 2 p. - P. 2. Moscow. - 246 p.

4. Galperin, I.R. (1980) “Text as the object of linguistic research”, Tekst kak obiekt lingvisticheskogo issledovaniia, Moscow: Nauka. - 237 p.

5. Vinokur, T.G. (1980) “Rules of the statistical usage of linguistic units”, Zakonomernosti statisticheskogo ispolzovaniiayazykovykhyedinits, Moscow : Nauka. - 237 p.

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