Specifics of Phraseological Units in American Newspaper Discourse

Abstract

This study attempts to shed light on the use of phraseological units within the context of American newspaper discourse. Phraseological units play a crucial role in shaping the language of news articles, influencing style, tone, and communicative efficacy. The research explores the distinct characteristics of phraseological units used in newspapers, considering their functions and impact on reader engagement. The investigation presents a comprehensive analysis of newspaper articles published in the two leading daily American newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, drawing on linguistic frameworks to explore the specific usage patterns and contextual nuances of phraseological units. Through the analysis of newspaper stories published between September and December 2023, this work explores the peculiarities of fifty-two phraseological units across the boundaries of political and science news articles. The theoretical foundation of the study was provided by the works of Kopylenko (1978), Naciscione (2010), Fairclough (1995), Minaeva (2022), and other scholars who investigated the fields of phraseology and newspaper discourse. The findings reveal the nuanced link between phraseological units and journalistic goals, providing insight into how these linguistic tools promote clear and powerful communication. The results indicate that a bigger number of phrasal verbs comprise an adverbial particle up to account for more than 35% of thirty-one occurrences identified, and subsequent analysis revealed clusters of meaning extensions for the same particle. From the research, it is obvious that phrasal verbs are observed to enhance brevity and clarity, while idiomatic expressions are used to bring a note of expressiveness into the discourse. Scientific conclusions on the use of phraseological units in the American newspapers are also presented.