Key Characteristics and Linguistic Features of Journalistic Texts

Journalistic Text Definition

A journalistic text is designed to report on events and issues of general interest. Its primary function is to inform, though it also incorporates critical reviews and opinions regarding news and events.

Core Characteristics

• Theme: Heterogeneous, addressing a wide variety of issues and questions.
• Sender and Receiver: Collective; a team develops the content, which is addressed to a general audience.
• Channel: Traditionally paper, utilizing written linguistic signs.
• Functions of Language: Primarily representative (to inform), though absolute objectivity is rare. It also employs appellate functions to attract readers and shape opinions, and poetic functions through the use of literary devices.

Linguistic and Grammatical Features

Syntactic Structures

• Imperfect Subjunctive: Frequent use of the "-ra" form with an indicative past value (e.g., The former prime minister).
• Imperfect Indicative: Used instead of the present perfect simple or compound (e.g., This morning the police raided the house).
• Phatic Infinitive: Using the infinitive as a main verb to lead or terminate communication (e.g., Finally, to say that...).
• Verbal Phrases: Abundance of verbal phrases instead of simple verbs (e.g., make public instead of "publish").
• Prepositional Phrases: Tendency to use prepositional phrases instead of simple prepositions (e.g., for space instead of "for").
• Derived Words: Use of longer derived words (e.g., concretize instead of "concrete").
• Appositive Structures: Removal of prepositions, often using nouns separated by a hyphen (e.g., church-state relations).
• Historical Present: Used in headlines (e.g., Spain suffers a resounding defeat in its match with Germany).
• Conditional of Rumor: Used to report unverified information (e.g., The president reportedly met with the King).
• Passive Constructions: Frequent use of "to be + participle" (e.g., The project is being developed).
• Verb Structures without Holders: Common in headlines (e.g., Skepticism in Russia regarding European security).
• Quotations: Frequent playback of statements (e.g., According to the president, "Spain is going well.").

Lexical Features

• Technical Terminology: Employment of specialized terms (e.g., economic slowdown, decree-law).
• Semantic Calques and Foreignisms: Use of terms like emergency and glamor.
• Neologisms: Appearance and dissemination of new terms (e.g., prosecute, medicamentazo).
• Euphemisms: Use of common euphemisms (e.g., black economy instead of "financial fraud").
• Idioms: Abundance of idiomatic expressions (e.g., give the green light, hot potato).
• Abbreviations and Acronyms: Frequent use of standard forms (e.g., CIA, UGT).