British Mass Media Research Articles

THE USING OF NON COMMON EXPRESSIONS IN ENGLISH MASS MEDIA

This thesis explores the utilization of non-common expressions in English mass media, investigating the implications of this linguistic phenomenon on public discourse and perception. Drawing upon a range of contemporary media sources, from printed newspapers to digital platforms, the study analyzes how unconventional expressions, including idiomatic phrases, industry jargon, and neologisms, shape narratives and potentially influence readers’ understanding of events and issues. The research engages with theories of communication and linguistics to examine the functions and effects of these expressions, looking at their frequency, contexts, and the dynamics between traditional linguistic norms and the evolving language within the public sphere. Clear evidence is provided that the use of non-common expressions not only captures attention and conveys complex ideas succinctly but also serves to frame issues in specific ways, carrying subtle connotations and cultural references. This study thereby sheds light on the role of language innovation in journalism and its broader social implications, offering insights into the strategic use of language in mass media.

THE CONCEPTUAL METAPHOR «PERSON AND SOCIETY» IN MASS MEDIA TEXTS ON THE MATERIAL OF THE UKRAINIAN AND ENGLISH LANGUAGES

The article provides a comparative analysis of the conceptual metaphor "Person and Society" in mass media texts on the material of the Ukrainian and English languages. A metaphor is a tool for thinking and knowing the world, it reflects fundamental cultural values. The cognitive-semantic content of the conceptual metaphor "Person and Society" makes it possible to divide it into four frames that are common to both studied languages: "War and Crime", "Medicine", "Sports and Games", and "Culture and Art". The conceptual metaphors of the "War and Crime" frame refer to war and its varieties, military actions, weapons, criminals and their victims, and places of imprisonment. The frame "Medicine" includes metaphors depicting various diseases, their treatment, names of drugs, as well as nominations of patients and staff and names of medical institutions. The frame "Sports and Games" combines metaphorical expressions indicating sports and its terminology, athletes and their qualifications, the results of sports competitions, as well as the names of games and their rules. The frame "Culture and Art" is the basis of metaphors, focused on the elements of creative artistic activity, education and science, which depict theater, visual arts, literature, as well as music and cinema. It should be noted that the frame "Economics and Finance" is frequently used in the English mass media texts and is almost never found in the Ukrainian mass media. The framework "Economics and Finance" includes the concepts of financial and economic activity, which are based on the appropriate terminology during verbalization.

The Pragmatic Aspect of Modality in the English Mass-Media Discourse

The article is devoted to the pragmatic aspect of modality representation in the English mass-media discourse. The categorial status of modality, typology of modal meanings and their interaction have been examined from the viewpoint of historical perspective. The research is aimed at revealing the pragmatic characteristics of subjective-interpersonal (author-recipient) modality, which reflects the author's intentions to describe the world (epistemic modality), change the world (deontic modality), evaluate the world (axiological modality). The four factors of internet communication - the addresser, the addressee, the text, the objective reality - are studied within the framework of communicative-pragmatic approach to modality. The discourse-analysis and pragma-stylistic analysis have been applied to depict language means representing modality in the English mass-media Internet discourse, in the article on political issues. It has been revealed that the author of the article may act differently in accordance with the roles he assumes - of an informer, of an expert-analyst, of a consultant-adviser; his task is to attract the readers and involve them in discussion in the comments section. The expression of authorship is principal here and the author's modality is always explicit. The comments following the text of an article are distinguished by a variety of the authors' communicative strategies and modal meanings.

THE PARALLELISM OF ENGLISH AND URDU PRESS IN PAKISTAN: CHALLENGES AND OUTCOMES

This paper examines Urdu and English press in Pakistan to identify the differences between the two. Linguistically, both Urdu and English mass media function as the leading media of Pakistan; however, the differences of news and views in presentation, style, and focus refer to an information chasm that we call ‘information segregation.’ In our study, that spans over the period of one-year, i.e., January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, we essentially engage in a critical discourse analysis of front-page news stories and op-ed articles (mostly editorials) of four national broadsheet newspapers, especially for two important incidents in 2023, i.e., (i) the May 9 riots, and (ii) the Jaranwala incident. Our analysis demonstrates that there is a difference of focus and presentation style especially in issues related to disputing the status quo and having a bold/critical stance on religiously controversial and sensitive issues such as blasphemy law. In this difference, English media appears to have an audacious approach as compared to Urdu media. With Walter Lipmann, we argue that news and views in media are subject to journalistic and editorial choices. Although studying the reasons of these choices is beyond the scope of this study, we contend that a linguistically different mass media in Pakistan creates (and perpetuates) different worldview for its audience, which is unaligned with inclusive and egalitarian norms of a democratic society.

Наративи про перших леді США як інструмент формування еталону жіночності

Narratives play a fundamental role in forming the system of values of any society; therefore, highlighting the mechanisms of their creation and functioning is in the focus of attention of representatives of various scientific areas, including cognitive science, cognitive linguistics and poetics, as well as gender studies, with cognitive linguistics providing information about ways of organizing our experience in memory and using the structures of this experience to perform social actions and achieve certain social goals. The article aims at clarifying constitutive features of narratives about the first ladies of the United States created by the US mass media. The objectives of the article are to develop methodology for analyzing narratives based on the integration of the achievements of narratology and cognitive linguistics, as well as establishing verbal and non-verbal means of forming ideas about the ideal-prototype characteristics of first ladies. The object-matter of analysis is the narratives about the US first ladies created by the American media, the subject-matter being multimodal means of forming the standards of femininity in American society. The scientific novelty of the research reveals itself in the combination of narrative and cognitive methods of analysis. The results of the analysis of the multimodal discursive contexts representing the narratives about the first ladies of the United States in the English mass media reflect the connection between the narratives and radial categorization: the actors of social events that become the subjects of the narratives are evaluated by average Americans as positive or negative according to their conformity or non-conformity with their expectations in relation to the ideal/prototypical features of radial categories to which these actors belong. Evaluating is carried out verbally with the support of images performing illustrative and reinforcing functions. This evaluation reflects expectations of Americans society regarding ideal/prototypical characteristics of social actors such as first ladies. Among these expectations there are manifestations of racism and sexism.

VERBAL AND NON-VERBAL MEANS CONVEYING SOCIO-CULTURAL VALUES OF UKRAINIANS IN ENGLISH MEDIA TEXTS

As a result of English mass media texts analysis, the paper puts forward a nomenclature of verbal and non-verbal means used to convey socio-cultural values inherent in modern Ukrainian society. Based on the review of various approaches to defining the notion of sociocultural values, the authors offer a matrix generalising the content of this concept as it is considered within such fields of humanitarian knowledge as philosophy, ethics, psychology, sociology, and linguistics. The survey carried out among the residents of Ukraine, Great Britain, and the USA allowed identifying those socio-cultural values of Ukrainians, being most frequently presented in English media, namely: freedom, patriotism, yearning for peace, dignity, humanity, tolerance, responsibility for one’s own actions and deeds. The analysis of 118 fragments, selected out of 40 English mass media texts of various genres (interviews, news, articles, posts on social media, magazine covers, caricatures, graphic images, video materials), whose contexts actualise socio-cultural values of Ukrainians, enabled the authors to come up with the set of verbal and non-verbal means. The most frequent verbal means conveying the values, include specialised vocabulary, the use of nouns with negative connotations, comparisons, metaphors, and evaluative adjectives. Among the most recurrent non-verbal means there are visual components (graphic images representing the eye contact, facial expressions, mimicry, etc.), as well as the use of national colours, symbols, clothes, etc., which serve as a mode of broadcasting such Ukrainian values as patriotism, the power of will and spirit, yearning for peace and freedom, love for the family and Motherland, as well as freedom and unity of Ukrainians.

The Dynamics of ‘The British Identity’ as a Concept in Contemporary British Mass Media: A Discursive Analysis

This article explores the multifaceted nature of “The British Identity” within the context of political discourse, focusing on its representation in The Guardian newspaper. The aim of this study is to investigate the content specificity of the concept and its transformation under the influence of socio-cultural and extralinguistic factors. Through a qualitative analysis of selected articles from The Guardian, the paper examines the linguistic units used to represent the British identity and the evaluative nature of their expression. The study adopts a conceptual framework that considers the British identity as a political and cultural concept, susceptible to diverse interpretations and judgments within the ideological context. By employing a content analysis approach, the research reveals the tensions arising from the attempt to cater to both conservative and progressive factions of the UK society. The findings indicate that the representation of the British identity in The Guardian is influenced by socio-cultural factors, reflecting the evolving dynamics of British society. The analysis highlights the presence of evaluative expressions, reflecting the conceptual domain’s evaluative nature and its connection to political and cultural debates, particularly those concerning multiculturalism. While the study predominantly relies on articles from The Guardian, it acknowledges the need for broader source diversity to capture a more comprehensive understanding of the British identity. Moreover, the paper suggests that further research in this field holds promise for exploring the evolution and adaptation of conceptual domains in an ever-changing world. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by shedding light on the complex and evolving nature of the British identity within political discourse. The research serves as a foundation for future investigations into the concept of identity and its representation in professional media outlets, and its implications for social cohesion in diverse societies.

The power of synergy in discourse: Exploring persuasive language in English mass media

Contemporary English-language media discourse exerts a powerful influence over public opinion and attitudes, necessitating an exploration into the nuanced mechanisms of persuasive communication. This study examines the concept of synergistic pragmatic effects, focusing on how the combination of diverse language structures influences the efficacy of persuasive verbal interaction. Using a corpus of British and American newspaper articles and opinion essays, this research adopts a robust functional-linguistic approach. It applies both qualitative and quantitative analyses to dissect language techniques such as metaphor, irony, humor, emotionally charged lexemes, hyperbole, interdiscursive references, and rhetorical questions. The findings highlight the transformative power of expertly utilized synergies in achieving communicative goals and refining message interpretation. The interaction of varied language structures provokes particular cognitive and emotional reactions in audiences, shaping their perception of the presented information. This insight is crucial for discourse producers aiming to resonate with their target audience. Additionally, a heightened awareness of these synergies can make recipients less vulnerable to subtle speech manipulation. The practical implications of this research are most salient in the domain of teaching English as a foreign language for cross-cultural professional communication. By melding elements of functional-linguistic analysis, critical thinking, media literacy, and language proficiency, learners can better identify and counteract speech manipulation in media texts. This study augments the current literature on language's role in media communication, underscoring the need for continued research into the interplay between language, discourse, and persuasion in media.

Характеристики аналитической статьи как вида публикаций англоязычного масс-медиа дискурса

The article which is based on the research of English newspaper texts gives an insight into the characteristics of the analytical article. Due to insufficient studies of the English analytical articles this research direction is still an academic challenge. In the paper the analytical article is defined as a text based on an analytical approach which aims at presenting a comprehensive outlook on significant socio-political issues with a focus on cause-effect relation between different informational blocks. The analytical article is aimed at transmitting an objective coverage of a situation for the readers to form their own opinion and work out behavioral tactics. The research made it possible to single out the following basic characteristics of the analytical article: presence of argumentative framework, accurate fact representation, critical approach as an instrument of public dialogue, absence of emotional narrative, fixed structure, where the conclusion plays a significant role. The paper also defines themes and functions of the analytical article.

Narratives and radial categories structuring them (based on the western mass-media narrative about Melania Trump)

The article focuses on establishing the constitutive features of the narrative about First Lady Melania Trump, created by the English mass media. Narratives thematizing personalities of the first ladies of the United States are ideologically oriented political narratives shaping public opinion and having socio-pragmatic potential. The research methodology combines the achievements of narratology with the tools of cognitive modeling, which allows us to reveal the mechanisms of creating narratives. The narrative about Melania Trump is formed on the basis of the convergence or non-convergence of her inherent features with the ideal-prototype of the radial category FIRST LADY. These features are instantiated by numerous discursive contexts, which, being placed in the linguistic, social, cultural and historical context of the narrative, create associative links between the activated conceptual structures, organizing them according to the principle of the radial category FIRST LADY. The analysis of language / speech units that literally and metaphorically represent the narrative about Melania Trump makes it possible to conclude that Melania Trump is presented as a person displaying deviations from almost all standard attributes of the TRADITIONAL FIRST LADY subcategory (unsatisfactory performance of the roles of WIFE, MOTHER, HOUSEKEEPER, WHITE HOUSE HOSTESS; non-elitist origin, dubious education; inability to sympathize with the general public, inappropriateness/tactlessness, lack of sophistication/elegance, tarnished reputation), but cannot be considered as a representative of the ALTERNATIVE FIRST LADY subcategory due to lack of interest in active political activities. Thus, the narrative of the English media about Melania Trump presents her as an ANTI-FIRST LADY, who does not correspond to any role attributes motivated by the ideal-prototype of the radial category FIRST LADY, and conceptual structures activated by the attributes ascribed to her, form a new deviation from the central model.

Throwing Soup at Van Gogh: The Framing of Art in Climate Change Activism by British Mass Media

Abstract Throwing food at famous paintings (e.g., a can of soup thrown at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers) represents a rather novel form of climate change protest. The study, which is further presented in the article, seeks to unpack the way British mass media cover the food-throwing incidents that take place in the context of climate change activism. To that end, a corpus of texts was collected on the official websites of the leading British mass media outlets that describe the instances of throwing food at the world-known canvases by climate change activists. The corpus was analysed qualitatively in line with the theoretical premises of i) intermedial ecocriticism proposed by Bruhn (2020a, 2020b) and ii) framing methodology developed by Entman (2007). The results of the corpus analysis indicated that British mass media frame the famous paintings involved in the climate change protest incidents by foregrounding the monetary value of the paintings and the extent of damage done to them concurrently with de-emphasising the climate change component. The findings are further discussed and illustrated in the article.

Linguo-cultural representation of the image characteristics of the British royal family members (based on the British mass media discourse)

The article presents the linguocultural image of the royal family and its representation in media texts. The linguistic and cultural image is defined as a set of stereotyped features that are positively assessed by the target audience and have deep national and cultural connotations. The analysis of the modern English media discourse, carried out within the framework of the article, made it possible to identify the main linguocultural attitudes forming the basis of the British royal family image. We describe the following integral characteristics of the image representation of the persons belonging to the royal family: nepotism and love of children, skepticism towards everything new and foreign, orientation towards the queen as a symbolic and valuable core of the royal family, their pride in the great historical past while simultaneously feeling the burden of imperialism. The article notes that members of the royal family are making attempts to modernize their own image characteristics in order to adapt them to the linguocultural realities of the modern epoch.

Idioms denoting derogatory attitudes toward a person in the English mass media

Idioms denoting derogatory attitudes toward a person in the English mass media

A Contrastive Study of Euphemism and Dysphemism in Arabic and English Mass Media Concerning COVID-19 Pandemic

A Contrastive Study of Euphemism and Dysphemism in Arabic and English Mass Media Concerning COVID-19 Pandemic

АНГЛОЯЗЫЧНЫЙ МАССМЕДИЙНЫЙ ТЕКСТ О ЗДОРОВОМ ПИТАНИИ И ЕГО ОСНОВНЫЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ (НА МАТЕРИАЛЕ КУЛИНАРНЫХ РЕЦЕПТОВ)

The article is devoted to the analysis of the English mass media text on healthy nutrition and ways to implement its key parameters. Based on the texts of culinary recipes, widely presented in British and American magazines, as well as electronic media, the specificity of their language design is shown. The research material is culinary recipes published in the BBC good food, Cooking light, Olive magazines and posted on the websites of these publishers. The author considers a culinary recipe as a full-fledged text, one of the forms of realization of the mass media discourse of healthy lifestyles in general and the mass media nutritional discourse, in particular, and highlights its key text-forming features, which include: information content, coherence, semantic integrity, completeness, articulation. Taking into account the results of the sample analysis we point out that the English culinary recipes are characterized by: the use of emotional and evaluative vocabulary, the prevalence of nouns, adjectives, verbs, as well as the use of simple sentences, including interrogative and incentive constructions. The parameters of the culinary recipe identified in the course of the study are determined and subordinated to its pragmatics – to attract the attention of the audience and promote self-preparation of a particular dish.

Semantic Derivation of Toponyms in the English Media Discourse (Based on the Articles of the Reuters News Agency in 2017–2018)

Within the framework of cognitive linguistics, questions of nomination are of particular importance. The article dwells upon functioning of toponyms in the English mass media discourse. The central question is the semantic derivation of the toponyms in English-language news of the Reuters news agency. This paper focuses on the main cognitive mechanisms of the formation of a new meaning, such as cognitive metaphor and metonymy, defocusing and profiling schemes. The article investigates the nature of the formation of new meanings and examines approaches proposed by Kubryakova E.S., Iriskhanova O.K., Boldyrev N.N., Babina L.V., Maslova Zh.N., Popova E.A., Ch. Fillmore, R. Lanecker, J. Lakoff. The data of the study consists of 57 examples of precedent toponyms Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Kiev, Washington, roaches Hungary, Beijing, Britain, Georgia, Kremlin, Turkey, Venezuela that have rich semantics and great potential for the formation of new meanings. These toponyms are also used most frequently in the context of the current political agenda. The toponyms functioning in the English-language news of the Reuters news agency were analyzed for the cognitive mechanism that underlies the formation of the meaning. The findings show that the most productive mechanism of semantic derivation in media discourse is the mechanism of conceptual metonymy.

ОРГАНІЗАЦІЯ ДИСТАНЦІЙНОГО АНГЛОМОВНОГО НАВЧАННЯ МАЙБУТНІХ ЮРИСТІВ В УМОВАХ ВОЄННОГО СТАНУ

The authors of the article substantiate the peculiarities of organizing the distance teaching English to future lawyers with the use of a multimedia textbook during the war period. The aim of the article is to develop the conceptual foundations in the organization of future lawyers’ distance learning of English with the use of a multimedia textbook during the war period. The tasks of the study are to cover theoretical background and to develop the foundations in the organization of future lawyers’ distance learning of English with the use of a multimedia textbook during the war period. According to the aim and tasks of the study, it is proposed to carry out future lawyers’ distance learning of English with the use of a multimedia textbook during the war period on the basis of personal-activity, competent and reflexive approaches. Research methods include theoretical methods (analysis of domestic and foreign resources on the theme of this research, analysis of modern programmes for teaching English for Specific Purposes and the Council Recommendation on a comprehensive approach to teaching and learning languages; the experience in forming English communicative competence to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning English; analysis of online platforms for forming English communicative competence); empirical ones (testing of cadets and students to determine their level of formation of English communicative competence and the requirements of the programme for teaching foreign languages in a higher education institution; identifying the difficulties to improve the process of organizing the distance teaching English to future lawyers with the use of a multimedia textbook during the war period). The educational material of distance teaching English to future lawyers includes English speech and language samples, grammar rules, vocabulary of the topics for a certain stage of studying English at the Academy. The results of the study consist of the development of conceptual foundations in the organization of future lawyers’ distance learning of English with the use of a multimedia textbook during the war period. The authors found that current events in Ukraine require essential modernization of the process of training future lawyers, first and foremost, to develop in them analytical changes, strategic thinking, the ability to synthesize information received through English mass media, use professional knowledge during communicating in English with foreign colleagues, quickly adapt to changes, etc. It was established that thanks to the integration of verbal and audiovisual information in the multimedia guide, the educational material on the chapter’s topic is much better perceived and easier to remember for students, in addition, it is presented multi-level and varied. The developed technology of distance learning of English consists of the preparatory, organizational and final parts and organizational, educational and control stages. The authors propose to carry out distance learning of English using a multimedia guide on the basis of personally-oriented, competency-based and reflective approaches.

Nationally Orientated Communication as The Basic Function of Professional Activity in English Mass Media

This article aims to disclose the communicative essence of English media discourse and the specificity of the information transmitted, which is determined by both interrelated parties (i.e. media sources and readers) involved in this socially valid communicative process. English media discourse is examined in the British and American variants.The three parts of media communication comprising the author, the addressee, and the information itself are actualized in media discourse articles in a very peculiar form of their interconnection. The media orientation towards the addressee, i.e. the British and American public, leads to the articles being not only linguistically adapted, but also thematically focused on information which is habitual and even desirable for each of the said communities. The author often acts as a moderator who stays, figuratively speaking, behind the scenes, and merely regulates or verbalizes the information communicated by various representatives of the nations regarded as his or her full-fledged co-authors. The article also considers the gender aspect of media communications where male and female issues bear their respective linguistic and thematic features. The emotional colouring of the transmitted information turns out to be another specific point of the English media discourse that appeals to the British and American public through the use of certain linguistic means. The authors conclude that from the national identity-related perspective English media communication may be characterized as an information field that incorporates issues of importance for both nations, renders them with the help of nationally adapted wording, and thus even forms a kind of “energy space.”

К вопросу о жанровой системе англоязычного массмедийного нутриционального дискурса

The article is devoted to the analysis of the genre system of the mass media nutritional discourse with a special emphasis on texts dealing with the problem of healthy nutrition. The relevance of this study is due, on the one hand, to the significant growth and development of information technology and the significant role of modern media that influence all areas of society life, and on the other hand, the popularity of ideas and principles of proper nutrition. The purpose of this article is to consider the specifics of the genre space of the English mass media nutritional discourse, as well as to analyze the linguistic features of texts on healthy nutrition. The research material is texts on healthy nutrition published in English journals and posted on the Internet. Based on the results of the analysis of 1,500 mass media texts, and taking into account the subject of discussion, the pragmatics of messages, as well as the way information is represented, the author speaks about the existence of analytical and imperative genres within the mass media nutritional discourse. Analytical genres, which include reviews (food and dishes, cooking methods, etc.) and reports (results of scientific research, experiments, etc.) make up 43.5% of the sample material, they contain an analysis of a phenomenon, its justification and commentary. In turn, imperative genres represented by instructions, primarily culinary recipes, which account for 56.5% of the sample material, are characterized by a special nature and contain a clear algorithm of certain actions necessary for implementation. According to the results obtained, complex sentences, nominal forms and specialized vocabulary (terms, professionalisms, etc.) are common in analytical genres of mass media nutritional discourse, in turn, imperative genres are characterized by the frequency of use of verbal forms, emotional-evaluative vocabulary and expressive language means.

Имплицитная речевая агрессия в текстах современных британских СМИ

Speech aggression, which is actively used in modern media discourse, is becoming one of the tools for influencing the target audience in "information wars": the world-famous mass media use a form of implicit speech aggression to manipulate public opinion globally. Research methods include frame analysis, qualitative and quantitative content analysis, and discourse analysis with the subsequent revelation of implicit speech aggression. The research material was 150 articles on foreign and domestic policy issues, which were published in 2019–2020 in the periodicals "The Times", "The Guardian" and "The Observer". The article considers the frequency of speech aggression used in the texts of the British mass media as a means of implicit influence on the readership. According to the results of the study, there are trends in the use of implicatures that potentially express verbal aggression. These implicatures are shown to appear mainly in conflictogenic texts, which contain the materials with varying degree of hostility – from insult to verbal extremism. Such frames as "COVID-19 policy", "Post-Brexit relations with EU", "Sanctions against the political regime in Russia" are noted to prevail in the publications. The most frequent means of implicit verbal aggression realization in the leading British mass media are false accusation, sarcasm, metaphor, mockery, reproach, irony, and threat.