Expressive potential of metaphors in informational newspaper texts

Abstract

Being very expressive, metaphors in informational newspaper texts are the component of expressive-emotional block of subjective-modal information. Worn metaphors are widely represented in the texts under analysis because of the text content universalization. Imagery of individual author’s metaphors stirs interest to the text content, thus increasing the number of readers. The originality of occasional metaphors has a certain expressive potential, strengthens the lexical meaning with additional connotations, thereby influencing addressee’s mind and emotions. Informational newspaper text abounds in precisely chosen and arranged information blocks – both objective and subjective. Author’s sensory perception acquires special textual importance and appears to be one of the indications of addresser’s presence in the analyzed texts. The audience is able to see the hand of the author shaping weather-forecast information for maximum effect and having at his disposal such a zest as sensory words performing various stylistic and pragmatic functions. Sensory words may be defined as attention-getting devices, new elements to present factual information. The author of informational newspaper text engages in attaining a maximum balance between his awareness that he doesn’t want to be neutral sometimes and his belief that he should fulfill the requirements of objective reporting. Involving all senses in the description of the perception makes the representation of facts more complete and might contribute to its persuasive effect. Decoding the subjective sprinkles with awareness and concentration, an addressee unconsciously adds the fragments of addresser’s perception of the world to his own perception system. Sensory words in informational newspaper text can be regarded as creative, descriptive, original, new, organization-promoting, and association-exciting. The ambivalent character of metaphorization in the texts under analysis is shown, on the one hand, via variability of lexical arrangement, and on the other hand, is provided through the economy of language means.