Functions of Precedent Phenomena Usage in the Headlines of Media Texts and their Sources (Based on the Materials of the English-Language Magazine The Economist)

   The paper discusses the functions of precedent phenomena usage in the headlines of media texts and their sources. The precedent phenomena that we found in the English-language periodical The Economist served as the material for our analysis. Comprehension and understanding of precedent phenomena in media texts forces the recipient of information to turn to cultural extralinguistic knowledge. This appeal to cultural knowledge is implemented by recipients through mental operations with various text fragments in a variety of forms. Precedent phenomena are necessary components in communication. Owing to them, culturally significant information is stored and broadcast. A participant in communication who owns a set of precedent phenomena acts as a representative of a certain culture. These phenomena reflect the spiritual life of an individual in a certain historical epoch. The analysis of precedent phenomena in the headlines of media texts is quite relevant, due to the fact that operating with a set of precedent phenomena indicates belonging to a specific era and culture. Precedent phenomena constitute an important component of the background knowledge of representatives of a certain linguistic and cultural community. Accordingly, the possession of these phenomena by a linguistic personality indicates their sufficient cultural literacy.
   The relevance of considering this issue is increasing and this is due to the increased number of economic, political, and cultural relationships with English-speaking countries.

   Also, discussing precedent phenomena is extremely important in the process of training specialists in intercultural communication.
   The goal of the present paper is to study and analyze the functions and main sources of precedent phenomena in the headlines of the texts of the British periodical The Economist.

   The goal of the study involves solving the following tasks: 1) to give a general description of precedent phenomena; 2) to identify the sources of precedent phenomena in the context of our analysis of texts’ headlines; 3) to characterize the functions of media text headlines.
   In the process of analyzing the material under study, the following methods were used: linguistic and cultural analysis with elements of component and contextual analysis, as well as the method of free interpretation of material under discussion.

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