Journalistic style / journalese

Function -- to inform and instruct, provide information, facts.
No commentary or persuasion, no emotive colouring or personal
bias. Objectivity.
Clear, unambiguous, condensed expression.
Shared authorship, lack of stylistic idiosyncrasy.

? Newspaper Reporting (cf. Crystal & Davy) -- a genuine
journalistic style. Short hard news, announcements, classified
advertisements, headlines.
Characteristic features (?¨Galperin):
   ˙   specific vocabulary
Mostly unmarked and standard lexis, but also specialised
political and economic terms, professional expressions; in
headlines, quotations and interviews: colloquial and slang
expressions.

Standardised expressions -- clichés. Functioning as terms, they
produce required associations, prevent misunderstanding, speed
up writing and make it easier because they are used as
prefabricated pieces of language.
Overused clichés: e.g. bitter end, calm before the storm, long
arm of the law, ...
Redundancy of expression: e.g. in view of the fact that (=
since), at present time (= now), a large proportion of (=
many), for a period of, short space of time, dates back from,
it is interesting to note that, ...
Substitution by synonyms to avoid redundancy: indicate,
observe, state, explain, report, continue, add, declare, point
out that, express the view/opinion -- all used instead of say.

Tendency to use internationalisms, long words: more abstract,
vaguer. E.g. assumption, conclusion, assertion, expectation,
requirement, implementation, argument, principle, controversy,
etc.

Acronyms (EU, NATO, USAF, UNHCR, PPP, GDP, PLO, AFL, WTO, ...).
Neologisms (Irangate, reaganomics, missile, highjacker, ...)
 Semantic condensation:
 reported a better-than-expected 9.7 % increase, jobless
claims, poverty-stricken areas, Japan´s current-account
surplus, anti-globalization protesters, ...
Complex premodification and postmodification (a hoped-for
deal).
Premodifying Saxon genitive (The University of New York´s
Patrick Dulfer, Germany´s Chancellor).
Polysemy in English.

   ˙   specific syntactic constructions
Preference of non-finite (participial) constructions to
dependent clauses, paratactic sentences to hypotactic. Frequent
epenthetic clauses.
Simple sentences more common than complex and even compound
ones (at least in reporting journalism).

   ˙   headlines
Headlines:
Need to be short, concise and to some extent grammatically and
lexically predictable.
Some words or names are put into initial form.
Present simple form of verbs for past events, infinitive for
the future. Auxiliary verbs dropped.
Abbreviations, hyphenation, colons, figures, word-play, ...

Role of graphology:
  -   various print (letter) sizes are used, the large ones to
     focus the reader´s attention on the main items of interest;
     headlines, sub-headlines, first word in capitals, ...
  -   shorter paragraphs (frequent indentation), short and
     narrow column lines.
  The purpose of grading type-size, short paragraphs and
  narrow columns: to enhance readability.
  -   punctuation: omission of commas where possible.
  

Features of journalese:
headline, the first (´lead´) paragraph (to summarise and begin
to tell the story), byline (sometimes includes the original
source), categorisation of participants (name preceded by a
general adjunct noun or adjective), explicit time and place
locators, facts and figures, direct or indirect quotations,
impersonal style, frequent passives, ...
Quotations -- to demonstrate objectivity, to make the text more
expressive and interesting by getting closer to the medium of
speech.



 ? Style of Publicism -- subjectivity, opinion, evaluation,
comment.
Feature articles, leaders, editorials, reviews.
Complex and compound sentences.










Language of advertising

The brand name is presented in -
-   the body copy (= the main text)
-   the signature line (= the bottom-line summary)
-   the illustration of the product.
Similar varieties (the functions of offering, selling,
announcing):
political speeches, sermons, announcements, warnings, legal
notices etc.
Commercial advertising employs other varieties.
Lexicon:
-   vivid words (new, fresh, bright)
-   concrete (soft)
-   positive (safe, cheap, extra)
-   unreserved (best, leading, perfect, excellent).
Grammar:
-   conversational style
-   ellipsis
-   often vagueness (She´s a fan.)

Figurative expressions, deviant graphology, strong sound
effects (e.g. rhythm, alliteration, rhymes in slogans), word-
play, idioms, jargon.

Genres of advertising:
Commercial advertising (TV, radio), classified ads (newspaper),
...
Different devices and locations (billboards, leaflets,
handbills, catalogues, posters, placards, sandwich boards,
signs, tickets, wrapping papers, ...) .


Newspaper Headlines

Associated Press, April/May 2004:

Ex-nurse pleads guilty in 13 patient deaths
Last Oldsmobile Rolls Off Assembly Line
9/11 Commission Questions Bush, Cheney
Soldier Sisters Decline Iraq Return
U.S. Forces Renew Strikes in Falluja
CBS airs alleged U.S. abuse of Iraqis
Release of Military Coffin Photos Causes Stir
Iraq prisoner images anger Arabs, Bush
Bush defends declaring end to Iraq combat
Williams Could Still Face Retrial, Prison
Former Mafia Kingpin Badalamenti Dies
Prince CD Sparks Debate
Buffett Say Berkshire Feels Inflation
Escaped Iraqi Captive Hamill in Germany
Fast-spreading ´Sasser´ worm strikes PCs
Militiamen Attack U.S. Troops in Najaf
Red Cross sought action on prisoner abuse
Aides: Bush Upset With Rumsfeld on Prison
Rumsfeld Pressed Over Jail Abuse
Car bombing kills six in Central Baghdad
Productivity grows, jobless claims drop
Yankees Balk at ´Spider-Man´ Ads on Bases
Californian Man Recovers After Nail Gun Mishap

Lidové noviny, 6 May 2004:

Nepokoje v Thajsku škodí turistice
Propouštění na dráze si vyžádá víc peněz
Stát: Smír s Nomurou není možný
Ministr: Případ Jukos teprve začal
Firmám hrozí milionové pokuty
Škromach chystá "bič" na firmy
Bush: Mučení vězňů je odporné
Riceová: Litujeme toho, co se stalo
K boji proti překupníkům s lístky se přidal magistrát
Ostravští Romové míří do Británie