Headline as a persuasive tool in publicistic discourse

A case study on headlines from the English-language periodicals during the presidential election campaign in France-2007

Nadia Ptashchenko

• Publisher: GRIN Verlag
• Year: 2009
• eBook ISBN: 9783640397624
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: European Literary Collections
• Index: Literature

Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 8 ECTS (out of 10), University of Groningen, course: M.A. "Euroculture: Europe in the Wider World", language: English, abstract: In this paper the headline of English-speaking newspapers and magazines has been studied as an independent and effective persuasive element of a text. In this paper I want to discuss, how susceptible are we to linguistic style? How profoundly can the impact of a message be enhanced by the manner in which it is written, assuming that one and the same thought can be expressed with different stylistic tools?The choice of words reflects not only differences in evaluations (positive or negative) or in emotions - it is also able to thrust reader's attitude to the core of a message and to direct and control one's perception and comprehension. The paper claims that language can be a very powerful and persuasive tool which draws the readers' attention, being operated by skilful editors in a newspaper or magazine headline. In this regard, the purpose of the paper is to address and answer the research question: "How persuasion is realized linguistically across the English-speaking newspaper and magazine headlines?" The study of headline as a powerful and persuasive linguistic tool can be applicable to multiple spheres of public life and to various media of information (e.g.: political campaigns, slogans, advertising, publication of new directives issued by the European Commission, etc.). It is interesting to observe, what kind of stylistic devices and persuasive techniques news editors apply in headlines during the election campaigns in France (in 2007), in order to create public opinion or to provoke a certain reaction from the readers.Periodicals are cultural artefacts which are created and which function within a certain cultural context. That is, they operate within the value system of that culture. Schäffner noted that "any political action is prepared, accompanied, controlled and influenced by language". According to M. Foucault, who first introduced aspect of power in construction of meaning, things have no meaning in themselves, they gain meaning which varies from context to context. All cultural practices depend on meaning and are constructed within discourse. Consequently, language is not simply a medium carrying meaning, but a medium constructing meaning. This paper argues that a headline in newspapers and magazines holds a persuasive potential and is able to direct construction of a certain context for interpreting and affecting reader's emotions. It gives grounds for claiming that same facts can be interpreted differently in different contexts.