LINGUISTIC PECULIARITIES OF INNOVATIONS IN AMERICAN ENGLISH

Abstract

The article deals with linguistic peculiarities of innovations selected in texts of American news weeklies such as Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report. The author has identified and described innovations coined in the beginning of the 21st century in American journalistic texts. The innovations include lexical and grammatic coinages. The above-mentioned nonce words are coined by analogy of the existing word forming patterns. Lexical innovations reflect phenomena of American political and social life. Jargon is also an active sphere of communicative activity and serves as a foundation for producing nonce words. Grammatic innovations prove the tendency to violation of language standards and bear the characteristics of colloquial American English. In most cases the innovations are semantic nonce words and their analysis helps to realize semantic connection between the original meaning and the new one.
Apart from semantic characteristics, identified innovations perform a set of functions, i.e. they are functionally oriented. They reflect social and political changes, and help native speakers precisely express their thoughts and emotions. Nonce words, as effective instruments of journalists’ influence, perform the following functions: informative, expressive, pragmatic, appealing etc. Nonce words are expressive, concise, attractive by their form and semantics. They affect readers.