On Grammatical Features and Diction of News Headline 英语专业毕业论文.doc

On Grammatical Features and Diction of News HeadlineAbstract: With the rapid development of the high science and technology, it is required for people to gain more and more information to acquaint themselves with the society. The information age has coming irresistibly. News is the main source for getting information. It is common for us to come into contact with all kind of news, and news headline plays a vital part in news. The news headline is the eye of the news, which conducts us to understand the whole news. Therefore, the most important thing we should do to get the contents of the news to master the news headline. This thesis mainly discusses some grammatical features and diction of news headlines. The thesis also analyzes the varied ingredients of news headline and its usage. Only mastering the relative characteristics of the news headlines, which help us to get the contents of the news not only quickly but also comprehensively. The main grammatical features of news headline include the omission of words, voices and punctuations. Generally speaking, the diction of news headline is always concise and comprehensive. Short and simple words, initials, abbreviations and coinages are usually employed. Keywords: news headlines, grammatical features, diction, omission and conciseness 摘 要: 随着高科技的迅速发展，人们需要获取更的多的信息来了解社会，信息时代也就不可阻挡地到来了。新闻是获取信息的重要来源，我们经常会接触到各种不同的新闻，而新闻又是新闻中的关键，它有如新闻的眼睛，指引着我们去了解新闻，也因此获取新闻内容最重要的事情就是掌握新闻标题。本论文主要讨论新闻标题的语法特征通读该如何措词，它分析了新闻标题的各种成份以及用法。只有掌握了新闻标题的有关特点，才能既快捷又全面地获取新闻的内容。新闻标题的语法特征可以概括为以下四个方面：词语的省略，不同时态、语态、以及标点符号的运用。通常而言，新闻标题的用词都言简意赅，一般采用缩写词、简写词、深造字以及简短动词。关键词：新闻标题； 语法特征； 用词； 缩写； 简洁ContentsAbstract.i摘要.iiContents.iiiIntroduction.11. The omission of words in news headlines.11.1The auxiliary verbs.21.2The linking verbs.41.3The articles .51.4The conjunction “and ”.51.5The personal pronouns.62. Tense of news headlines.72.1The features of tense.82.2Present tense.92.3Present progressive tense.113. Voice of news headlines.124. The punctuation of news headlines.134.1The clash .144.2The colon.144.3The conjunction “and”.145. The diction of news headlines.155.1Short and simple words .155.2Initial .165.3Abbreviations.185.4Coinages.18Conclusion.19Bibliography.20Acknowledgement.2121IntroductionIn our daily life, information is very important, and newspapers, magazines .TV and Internet provide us with a lot of information. However, time is limited. They have not enough time to surf Internet each day; they have hot enough time to read every newspaper and magazine. And they have not enough time to watch each program. Therefore, they have to choose some topics that they are interested in. It is obvious that, we know the news headline plays a soul role. The news headline is to the news what the eyes to the people. It provides the readers with the chief information. Good headlines should be concise and comprehensive. Like a guider, the headlines always generalize the main idea. The concise words concentrate the most important contents. With the help of the headlines, the readers can find their interesting topic quickly and easily. In a word, it is important to understand some features and diction of the news headlines. This paper will mainly discuss some grammatical features that include omission of words, tense of news headlines, voices of news headlines and punctuations of news headlines, a diction of news headlines, which includes short words, initials, abbreviations and coinages.1. The omission of words in news headlineThe unimportant words are omitted in news headline, for stressing the key words. The omission of words is one of the grammatical features of news headlines. Generally speaking, the headlines should be a complete sentence; however, some grammatical components and words are always omitted in news headline in order to save the space of the whole page. Therefore, the main contents are emphasized and the headline is more concise and comprehensive. Especially, the function words are often omitted such as the articles, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs and linking verbs which will help the readers each the meaning more quickly. 11.1 The auxiliary verbs The auxiliary verbs omitted are similar to the linking verbs. The auxiliary verbs usually have no practical meaning. It embodies a kind of grammatical meaning. Therefore, when the auxiliary verb is deleted, a reader can still get the meaning. For example:1) Global Nuclear Ban to Be Debated in Princeton =Global Nuclear Ban is to be Debated in Princeton The New York Times, Sept 28,19862) Financier killed by burglars=A Financier is killed by burglars3) Women told to guard their rights by law=Women are told to guard their rights by lawThe China Daily, March 7,19874) Detective facing fraud probe barred from job=Detective facing fraud probe has been barred from jobThe Observer, Aug. 10,1986 In the four examples, the auxiliary verb “be” is omitted. But the reader can judge the meaning of the headlines.I have discussed the articles, conjunction “and”, personal pronouns, linking verbs and auxiliary verbs that are omitted in English news headlines. However, here are two reasons that these words are not omitted. Firstly, these function words have to be retained for keeping the completed English phrases or idioms, or keep the balance of some words and phrases. For example:TB on the rise again in London (the observer, April 10,1993)The headline retains the definite article “the”, because “on the rise” is a fixed phrase in English. Therefore, the definite article isn't omitted. It not only makes the readers to understand the meaning of phrase more easily, but also stresses the meaning of the phrase.5Secondly, the articles, linking verbs, and conjunction “and” are employed in news headline in order to make up for the forms of headlines. For example:1) Four killed and Five hurtIn a house fire The Times, Sept. 3, 19882) Economic IndexShows Recovery Is slowing a bit The Financial Times, June 10, 1998In example 1) the conjunction “and” and the article “a” are not omitted. They keep the shape of the centered head headline. According to the requirement and form of drop line head of headline, the linking verb “is” is not omitted.1.2The linking verbs The linking verbs like the articles and the personal pronouns are usually omitted. The linking verbs embody a grammatical relationship. It has no practical meaning, because they are only the function words. Therefore, when the linking verbs are omitted in the new headline, the meaning won't change. For example:1) There dead after inhaling oven gas =There dead after inhaling oven gasThe China Daily, July 8, 19882) Cops under Fire =Cops are under Fire3) Courses on Practical skills Popular with students=Courses on Practical skills remains Popular with students4) Political efforts vital to reform Party leader=Political efforts are vital to reform Party leader The China Daily, July 8,1988Although the linking verbs are omitted, they should obey certain principles and do not change the original meaning.1.3 The articlesUsually, the articles of the headlines do not affect the meaning of the whole sentence. The articles are often omitted for saving the space. Thus the headline is more concise. For example:1) 37 killed in Italian plane crash=37 killed in an Italian plane crash The Sunday Times, July 26,19872) Top Indian hotel angry with BBC =A top Indian hotel angry at BBCThe Sunday Times, July 26,1987 In the first sentence, the article “an” is omitted, but the reader can also understand the meaning of the sentence. There are 37 people that were killed in an Italian plane crash. Therefore, the articles omitted save the space. In the second sentence, there are two articles“A” and “the” that are omitted. But a reader can know the meaning of the sentence clearly, too. This headline tells us that a top Indian is unsatisfied with the BBC's report. Obviously, in each example mentioned above, the former is more concise than the latter. But they can express the same meaning.61.4 The conjunction “and”The conjunction “and” is often omitted and replaced by a comma in the headlines. The comma occupies the shorted and smaller space than the conjunction “and”. Therefore, the news headlines usually use a comma instead of “and”. For example:1) Volunteer, Terrorist Killed in an Ambush=A volunteer and a Terrorist are killed in an AmbushLaurel, Aquinas killed in an Ambush=Laurel and Aquinas are killed in an Ambush3) Shares in Tokyo Fall, Hurt partly by a weaker Yen2)=Shares in Tokyo Fall and Hurt partly by a weaker YenThe Asian Street Journal4) Germany Targets Illegal Cigarettes to Fight Gangs, Loss of Tax Rexene=Germany Targets Illegal cigarettes to Fight Gangs and Loss of Tax Rexene The Wall Street Journal Dec.2, 1997According to the examples, the comma replaces the conjunction “and” in news headline. If the reader knows that feature of the headlines, he will catch the meaning of the headlines quickly.1.5 The personal pronouns In order to be brief, personal pronouns are often omitted. But the readers could still realize the genitival relationship. For example:1) Mother, Daughter share full bright Year=A mother and her Daughter share a full bright Year2) Irish group kills ex-chief =An Irish group kills its ex-chief The first personal pronoun “her” is omitted in the first headline. And the “its”is omitted in the second headline. Although the personal pronouns are omitted, the reader can understand the purpose of the writer. In the two examples, “Her” refers to “mothers”. And “its” refers to “Irish's”. The personal pronouns have been omitted in the headline, and it is obvious that the headline is more concise. If the reader knows the feature, he can improve his reading comprehensive abilities. 42. Tenses of news headlinesNowadays, the headlines are different from the model of early headlines that are mainly made up of nouns or nouns phrases. Now verbs can be used in the headlines (especially the action verb). And the headlines have a special feature of tense. However, it is impossible to employ all verbs tense in order to keep the headline brief. A verb has many forms. Usually, past and past defective tenses are not adopted in an English news headline. But present tense is often employed in a news headline. This embodies a vivid picture for readers. That is so-called” journalistic present”. There are three tenses, which are usually adopted in news headline: present tense, future tense and present Progressive tense. 22.1 The feature of tenseIn daily life, present tense shows the present time, relatively present time and the existing condition. At the same time present tense can convey the past and future time. But in news headlines, present tense shows the present fact or the past fact to strengthen the vividness and reality. However, according to English grammar, past tense or defective tense should be used. If these tenses are adopted, the news seems to have a sense of out-date. It is regarded as “out-date news”. For example, “Heavy Rain Lashes city” is better than “Heavy Rain Lashes city”. The former is more vivid than the latter; present tense is usually adopted to strengthen the freshness, immediacy and reality. To show the case seems to happen at present so as to attract the reader's attention. Generally speaking, the pass things are reported in news headline, and present tense usually replaces past tense. Therefore, the space of “-ed” is omitted. Then the headline is more concise. For example:1) Longevity Star Dies at 110The Asian Wall Street Journal2) Yeltsin opponents resign from republic's legislatureMoscow: Two Russia lawmakers opposed to Russian president Mr. Boris Yeltsin resigned yesterday from the republic's legislature after Mr. Yeltsin asked for more powers to lead Russia out of its economic quagmire, Toss reported. The South china Morning Post, oct.30, 1991In example 1), the verb “Dies” expresses the pass meaning. “Dies” is an instantaneous verb. The meaning is: Longevity star died at 110.Here the writer uses present tense “dies”. It seems the case happened just now and increases a sense of time. In example 2), “resign” replaced “resigned”. As if the readers were on the spot. It makes the news be more vivid and fresh.Moreover, not all pres