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EUPHEMIZATION OF THE HEADER STRUCTURES OF POLITICAL ARTICLES (ON THE MATERIAL OF CONTEMPORARY FRENCH NEWSPAPERS) // Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin. 2017. Issue 6 (183). P. 91-95

The paper deals with the header structures of political articles, which include euphemisms and are taken from contemporary French newspapers. Considering the tense political situation in the world, euphemistic titles in the articles on political topics become increasingly relevant. They provide a smoothing effect of the emotional impact on the political discourse. Mass media titles and headers serve to partially reveal the text’s information and make a certain impact on the reader. Euphemism is considered as a word used for the sake of decency and discretion, to avoid mentioning unpleasant or shocking reality. As used in the press language, euphemisms render negative referents in terms of information. Their task is to modify the situation through a process of denomination and alleviative processing. Headers of political articles are classified by the type of negative revaluation of referents: understatement, axiological neutralization, improvement. Understatement in the French-language journalism is often implemented through euphemisms formed by meiosis, because they contain inherently weak negative denotation. Axiological neutralization contributes to veiling the true situation. Titles of articles are included in the policy framework shaped euphemistic statements, which make reality less dramatic, and are an essential component of the text itself. They embody a certain judgment about the current political situation. Authors neutralize the negative characteristics contained in the original concept, causing less dramatic reality that promotes the manipulation of mass consciousness. When using the improvement technique, negative formulation gives way to a more positive. Thus, the euphemisms substitute for unwanted words or expressions, which could cause a backlash in a particular situation, for the ones with a neutral connotation.

Keywords: political discourse, euphemisms, meiosis, meiotic euphemisms, negative referent, understatement, axiological neutralization, improvement