A STUDY ON STRATEGIC USE OF LANGUAGE IN NEWSPAPER HEAD LINES

A STUDY ON STRATEGIC USE OF LANGUAGE IN NEWSPAPER HEAD LINES

The language we use to communicate with one another is like a knife. In the hands of a careful and skilled surgeon, a knife can work to do great good. But in the hands of a careless or ignorant person, a knife can cause great harm. Exactly as it is with our words- Anonymous. For the news media, particularly the newspaper, the greatest weapon is the power of words. The success or failure of a newspaper depends largely on the way its headlines appear to the readers. A well thought out headline does half the job of conveying the message. And consequently, a poorly written one can lead to misinterpretation. This research is an effort to delve into a complete understanding of the structuring of headlines in English newspapers and analyzing it against the use of phrases and words that are misleading and ambiguous. Through a thorough analysis of the textual presentation in the headlines, the researcher intends to study how the interplay of words in headlines works in grabbing attention of the readers through creation of curiosity and ambiguity. Furthermore, this study tries to understand the strategies employed by juggling of words in the headlines and the meaning creation of the same in the readers.

SHERPA PEMA

Media Studies