Media Communication and Linguistic Structures

Evolution of Media and the Newspaper

In the past, town criers were the news people; now, there is the media. The newspaper is a printed or electronic publication characterized by its attention to current events and its purpose to inform, entertain, and create reviews. Journalistic genres are those through which information, assessment, or opinion is transmitted.

Classification of Journalistic Genres

• Informative Genres: These inform readers of novel facts or events of general interest, such as news and reporting.
• Opinion Genres: These offer interpretations or evaluations of relevant issues to convey a view of the topic. Examples include the editorial, letters to the editor, and articles or columns.
• Mixed Genres: These combine information and opinion, such as the chronicle, interviews, and criticism.

Oral and Written Language Varieties

Oral and written varieties of language are determined according to the transmission channel conditions of the messages.

Communication Relations

• Oral transmission requires the presence of the sender and receiver.
• The written transmission does not require physical proximity and allows for planned texts.
• Current technology has narrowed the gap, making the physical presence of the sender and receiver less indispensable.

The differences are that oral messages utilize non-verbal elements, while written language allows for the review of texts and avoids unscheduled utilization, thus enabling a more elaborate language.

Stylistic Varieties: Colloquial vs. Formal

The colloquial and formal stylistic varieties depend on the type of relationship that exists between the transmitter and receivers in the communication process.

• Colloquial (Friend): Characterized by recurrence and unfinished sentences. It involves the use of expletives, buzzwords, phrases, diminutives, augmentatives, and shortening.
• Formal (Unknown): Content is organized with precisely chosen words. It requires respect for the orthographic rules, including punctuation.

Word Formation and Linguistic Structures

Derivation is the procedure of word formation where a particle or an affix is incorporated into the lexical base.

The root is the part of the word that provides meaning. The affix is the particle added to change the meaning; there are prefixes and suffixes. You can also add affixes to words and derivatives.

Register modality refers to the expressive uses a speaker employs in a particular communicative situation.