Semantic and Expressive Potential of Punctuation Marks in Headlines (Based on the Material of Article Headlines on OtiumPortal Website)

DOI 10.17721/2522-1272.2024.85.2

Nataliya Shumarova
Doctor of Philol. Sciences, Professor,
Educational and Scientific Institute of Journalism,
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
0000-0003-0766-8807

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the article is to determine the semantic and expressive potential of headlines through the use of punctuation marks. Research material included texts by journalism students, devoted to the topic of travel and published on the OtiumPortal website during 2022-2024.

The methods used in the research were determined by the necessary tasks to achieve the goal. Continuous sampling, comparative and semantic analysis methods were applied to discover semantic and expressive connotations influenced by punctuation marks in headlines.

The analysis showed that punctuation marks used in headlines perform two main functions for which they were introduced into the headline: semantic, which consists in transmitting and formatting fragments of information content, and expressive, which is designed to highlight this content and generate emotions and interest of the reader.

Among the three types of «the Dot Complex» – Period, Colon, Ellipsis – the period is the punctuation mark with the most blurred positional capabilities. It can easily be replaced with a colon or a dash without losing meaning, indicating a certain ‘defunctionalization’ of the sign. At the same time, as a semantic pause, a symbol of completion, the period carries a double meaning of the end of a statement and the beginning of something new, the learning of which necessitates a pause.

The colon realizes the greatest semantic power, being the most frequently used sign in the analyzed headlines. It is most often used in models of various positional relations of an object with its characteristics, place, and purpose of interaction.

Isolated cases of using ellipses in headlines demonstrate the significant expressive potential of this punctuation mark and, from a semantic perspective, predict the unexpected nature of the subsequent content.

Commas, dashes, and exclamation marks in headlines are used according to the rules of «Ukrainian Spelling» (2019). The question mark in headlines performs its direct function; its absence in headlines with indirect questions may indicate a change in the communicative positions of «author: reader».

The enhancement of meaning occurs due to the effect of the unexpected appearance of the punctuation mark and is enriched by expressive nuances.

KEYWORDS: headline; punctuation marks; semantic function; expressive function