SUPPLEMENARY COMMUNICATIVE UNITS IN NEWSPAPER ARTICLES OF DIFFERENT GENRES

Abstract

The article studies the role of supplementary communicative units functioning as discourse markers in analytical articles and opinion columns of modern Russian and English newspapers. The dependence of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of different supplementary communicative units on the type of the article and on the language is discussed. The article proves that the use of supplementary units in opinion columns in Russian and in English has more common features than in analytical articles. The highest frequency of occurrence of these units is registered in Russian analytical articles, the lowest – in English articles. In Russian newspapers analytical articles and columns demonstrate more similar characteristics than in English materials. Supplementary communicative units with organizing functions occur more frequently in Russian articles, in English articles and columns they are equally rare. Regulative supplementary units are used equally often in all analyzed newspaper texts. There is a conclusion that regulative supplementary units tend to be more universal in their use in the two languages, while organizing units show greater dependence on the language. The presented analysis of the supplementary communicative units’ use can become one of the ways to take an inventory of persuasive language means in media discourse. These units produce a productive influence on the readers, help them interpret the text adequately; enhance their attention and mental activity.

Keywords

• mass media
• media discourse
• supplementary communicative units
• discourse markers
• analytical article
• opinion column
• persuasion