SYNTACTIC FEATURES OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE MASS‑MEDIA TEXTS

СИНТАКСИЧЕСКИЕ ОСОБЕННОСТИ АНГЛОЯЗЫЧНЫХ МАССМЕДИЙНЫХ ТЕКСТОВ

Арсланов Альвир Раисович

курсант, кафедра перевода и переводоведения, Новосибирский военный ордена Жукова институт имени генерала армии И.К. Яковлева ВНГ РФ,

РФ, г. Новосибирск

Далецкая Татьяна Анатольевна

научный руководитель, доц. кафедры перевода и переводоведения, Новосибирский военный ордена Жукова институт имени генерала армии И.К. Яковлева ВНГ РФ,

РФ, г. Новосибирск

ABSTRACT

This article is devoted to describing the features of mass media texts. The role and significance of media discourse in the UK is examined. In particular, syntactical expressive means are analyzed to explain how covert influence and manipulating the consciousness of the audience is carried out.

АННОТАЦИЯ

Данная статья посвящена описанию особенностей масс-медийных текстов. Рассматривается роль и значение дискурса СМИ в Великобритании. В частности, анализируются синтаксические средства выразительности, позволяющие объяснить, как осуществляется скрытое влияние и манипуляция сознанием аудитории.

Keywords: media, media discourse, mass media text, the British media, speech utterances, syntactic characteristics.

Ключевые слова: СМИ, дискурс СМИ, масс медиа текст, британские СМИ, речевые высказывания, синтаксические характеристики.

The modern media landscape or the digital landscape is characterized by an unprecedented growth of information dissemination and the globalization of content. In the context of the globalization of the information environment and the rapid development of digital technologies, mass media play a key role in shaping public opinion and intercultural communication. English, as the language of international communication, is the main source of news and analysis worldwide.

The relevance of the study is the growing interest of linguists in media discourse in its online form. In our contemporary world the media are the main source of up‑to‑date and often fake information about events taking place in the world, which determines their decisive role in shaping public consciousness.

The study was based on media texts from British media sources, taken from the Labour Party’s website (UK): https://labour.org.uk/updates/press-releases.

After analyzing media texts of the Labour politicians, syntactic features of speech utterances were identified, including the choice of communicative types of sentences: declarative, imperative, interrogative, compound and complex sentences, as well as elliptical constructions found in the speech of British politicians.

In the study the following conclusion was drawn when analyzing the types of sentences:

- declarative sentences make up the majority of speeches;

- simple sentences reflect the speaker’s desire to demonstrate their sincerity;

- in complex sentences, subordinate clauses prevail;

- if the main clause and is followed by a subordinate one, the important information comes first and only then additional information comes. If the subordinate clause comes first and the main clause follows, the speaker is trying to hold back the information until the right moment;

- reason and condition clauses are used more often;

- the large number of interrogative sentences in the discourse is characterized by its spontaneous and colloquial nature.

Real conditional sentences focus on a feasible political goal aiming to increase voters’ trust in the party. The subjunctive mood expresses an attitude towards the possibility, desirability, or necessity of certain events. Conditional clauses are used in discourse together with parallelism. The authors use this device to enhance the persuasive effect of their speech, ensure its effectiveness, and show that the Labour Party is on the side of ordinary people and is ready to fight for them against the Conservatives, for example: «If these Tories want a fight about who can tackle the cost-of-living crisis, we say – bring it on. If these Tories want a fight about who can ensure energy independence for our country, we say – bring it on. If these Tories want a fight about who can stand up for working people, we say – bring it on» [1].

Reason clauses stress all the facts of reality that lead to some consequence or can be the basis for its existence. Labour politicians use arguments and real facts, when describing why the lives of British have changed and why they cannot afford certain services. They try to show that the cause of these actions is the wrong policy of the Conservatives.

Rhetorical questions are the most common stylistic device used in political communication. They highlight and focus audience attention on a particular statement; this is a dialogue with oneself, the purpose of which is to evoke the desired emotions in the audience and shape certain beliefs: «Today I can announce three further fronts in Labour’s war on waste. First, we will crack down on Tory ministers’ private jet habit. What is Rishi Sunak so scared of up there in his private jet? Meeting a voter? We will enforce the ministerial code on the use of private planes and save millions of pounds for taxpayers in the process» [2].

The study identified two types of rhetorical questions:

1. Questions that imply a brief answer and continue the argumentation.

2. Special rhetorical questions that imply a large number of possible answers. These questions are used in discourse to express criticism or to challenge an opponent and to manipulate the audience to elicit a specific reaction from the listener: «Why should only the wealthy have solar panels when they provide cheap, clean energy and cut bills» [1].

There are also sentences which primary function is to express an impulse, or, in other words, these sentences are called monofunctional. This group includes imperative sentences with imperative constructions, which are the most common means of expressing an impulse. Imperatives often draw attention to further comments or explanations; in the example below the verb “look (listen)”, typical of colloquial speech, draws attention to the subsequent thought about the possibilities of change: «But look, as we’ve seen throughout our history, where there is change, there is also possibility» [3].

In mass-media discourse of the Labour Party there are also appeals to the audience where the addressee is the British people. The politicians urge the British not to doubt and to vote for the Labour Party, to join the party, to trust the Labour Party, if they are ready for change. The Conservatives are shown as inactive, unwilling to change. The most common form of imperative is, the so‑called, form of joint action, let’s (let us): «Let’s send these Tories to where they belong.  Let’s recycle them from government to opposition» [1].

Elliptical constructions are common persuasive devices. The omission of certain elements of an utterance is aimed at prompting listeners to complete or finish the statement, thereby making the audience a kind of co‑author, agreeing with and accepting the politician’s point of view. These constructions are considered a tool for creating rhythm and pace in an utterance, dynamism, expressiveness, and, of course, expressivity: “Mission. Government. New priorities. Totally focused on the interests of working people” [3].

To conclude, the attitudes and intentions of politicians, as well as the type of influence exerted on the audience, made it possible to identify the following subtypes of rhetorical questions:

- questions requiring a “yes” or “no” answer, which allow to gain the audience’s consent and continue the argumentation;

- alternative questions that create the illusion of choice for the audience;

- special rhetorical questions, which give the politician space for manipulation and proof in the direction they have chosen.

The study identified three communicative types of sentences: imperative, declarative, and interrogative. It also demonstrated that the purpose of the statement aligned with the effect it produced, which, in turn, depended on the context and the audience.

Thus, a syntactic analysis of the British mass media texts demonstrated that there are special grammatical means through which the impact on the addressee is carried out. Grammatical means are used to implement covert influence, to manipulate the consciousness of the audience, covertly to instill the goals, opinions, and attitudes that the politician needs in his struggle for power in the addressee’s psyche.

References:

1. Miliband Ed. 2023 Speech at Labour Party Conference. 9 October 2023 [Электронный ресурс]. – Режим доступа. – https://labour.org.uk/updates/press-releases/ed-milibands-speech-at-labour-conference/ (дата обращения: 20.08.26)
2. Reeves Rachel. 2023 Speech at Labour Conference. 9 October 2023. [Электронный ресурс]. – Режим доступа. – https://labour.org.uk/updates/press-releases/rachel-reeves-speech-at-labour-conference//(дата обращения: 20.08.26)
3. Starmer Keir. 2024 Speech at Labour Conference. 10 October 2023 [Электронный ресурс]. – Режим доступа. – https://labour.org.uk/updates/press-releases/keir-starmers-speech-at-labour-conference/(дата обращения: 20.08.26)