Algirdas Makarevicius. Doctoral Dissertation
(Abstract)
The Feature Article as a Genre of English Newspaper (Linguo-Stylistic Research)
Germanic Languages. Number of pages: 208
The dissertation comprises an introduction, three chapters, a conclusion, and a bibliography. It focuses on the study of linguo-stylistic peculiarities of the feature article as an independent genre in English newspaper style. The research aimed to investigate the feature article's relevant structural, compositional, and lingo-pragmatic peculiarities. First, the researcher studied the general characteristics of the feature article as a genre and a particular type of text. The second step involved comparing the compositional and semantic structures. Third, pragmatic factors influencing the selection and use of different language means and stylistic devices in the feature article texts were explored. Finally, a comparison of leading articles and short news items with the feature articles was conducted.
In the introduction, the novelty of the research methods was established, as well as the theoretical and practical significance of the work. The following research methods were described and employed: investigation of theme-rheme relationships at the text level, comparative analysis, stylistic analysis, contrastive analysis, and statistical research methods. Chapter I investigated the elements of the feature article's formal structure. In Chapter II, linguo-pragmatic and compositional peculiarities of the feature article were explored. Chapter III was devoted to the comparative analysis of the following newspaper genres: the feature article, the short news item, and the leading article. For the research, 1,500 feature articles were used from the following British newspapers: The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mirror, The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, and The Sun. For contrastive analysis purposes, 800 short news items and 800 leading articles were studied.
The research results showed that the feature article differs from other newspaper genres in terms of its compositional, semantic, structural, and pragmatic peculiarities. Two types of feature articles were discovered: expressive and logical. In addition, the following nine subtypes of semantic development were identified in the expressive and logical types of feature articles: ordo artificialis, parallelism, spiral development, illustration, amplification, dotted development, detachment, stepped development, and argumentation. Finally, it was demonstrated that the feature article is a distinct genre within the English newspaper style.
The research results can be applied to the further development of theoretical disciplines in text linguistics and to the development of practical solutions to specific problems in functional stylistics and English language teaching methodology.
(Abstract)
The Feature Article as a Genre of English Newspaper (Linguo-Stylistic Research)
Germanic Languages. Number of pages: 208
The dissertation comprises an introduction, three chapters, a conclusion, and a bibliography. It focuses on the study of linguo-stylistic peculiarities of the feature article as an independent genre in English newspaper style. The research aimed to investigate the feature article's relevant structural, compositional, and lingo-pragmatic peculiarities. First, the researcher studied the general characteristics of the feature article as a genre and a particular type of text. The second step involved comparing the compositional and semantic structures. Third, pragmatic factors influencing the selection and use of different language means and stylistic devices in the feature article texts were explored. Finally, a comparison of leading articles and short news items with the feature articles was conducted.
In the introduction, the novelty of the research methods was established, as well as the theoretical and practical significance of the work. The following research methods were described and employed: investigation of theme-rheme relationships at the text level, comparative analysis, stylistic analysis, contrastive analysis, and statistical research methods. Chapter I investigated the elements of the feature article's formal structure. In Chapter II, linguo-pragmatic and compositional peculiarities of the feature article were explored. Chapter III was devoted to the comparative analysis of the following newspaper genres: the feature article, the short news item, and the leading article. For the research, 1,500 feature articles were used from the following British newspapers: The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mirror, The Daily Express, The Daily Mail, and The Sun. For contrastive analysis purposes, 800 short news items and 800 leading articles were studied.
The research results showed that the feature article differs from other newspaper genres in terms of its compositional, semantic, structural, and pragmatic peculiarities. Two types of feature articles were discovered: expressive and logical. In addition, the following nine subtypes of semantic development were identified in the expressive and logical types of feature articles: ordo artificialis, parallelism, spiral development, illustration, amplification, dotted development, detachment, stepped development, and argumentation. Finally, it was demonstrated that the feature article is a distinct genre within the English newspaper style.
The research results can be applied to the further development of theoretical disciplines in text linguistics and to the development of practical solutions to specific problems in functional stylistics and English language teaching methodology.