POLITICAL JARGON AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS (ON THE EXAMPLE OF ENGLISH MEDIA TEXTS)

Abstract

The article studies the main features of political jargon in the texts of English-language media. The main characteristics of the studied units as one of the types of non-literary vocabulary are considered and systematized. The definition of the terms “political slang” and “political jargon” were given based on the obtained data. The study outlines the role of political jargon in the pages of modern English-language media. The concept of expressiveness as a linguistic term is specified. The main factors of wide use of political jargons in the socio-journalistic discourse are revealed. The structural characteristics of political jargons and word-forming means that serve the expressiveness of the studied English vocabulary are analyzed. Examples of political jargons are given such as acronyms, complex and complex words, telescopic formations, idiomatic expressions.

The growing public interest in political processes and political decisions, as well as the enormous role and influence of the media have shifted political jargon being a “coded” subtext intended for communication within the political elite, beyond a particular group and made it a basis for general use. Political jargon is an effective means of creating expressiveness in the texts of political media, since it corresponds to the pragmatic focus on the public opinion, management and the formation by a mass addressee of a certain assessment of information and a given emotional reaction to it. The nature of political jargon in the pages of the media gives a general expression on key issues and attracts the reader's attention and helps to convey information about a particular event in the public environment. Political jargon is a dynamic lexical subsystem that is constantly updating and replenishing with new lexical units.