THE ILLOCUTIONARY-PRAGMATIC POTENTIAL OF HEADLINES IN GERMAN INVESTMENT RECOMMENDATION TEXTS

Abstract

The article is devoted to a detailed study of the illocutionary-pragmatic potential of headlines in German media texts on investment. The study’s objectives are to identify the main communicative-pragmatic patterns present in the titles of such financial publications and to determine the linguistic means that ensure their persuasive and manipulative effects. The study’s material is based on the authors’ own sample of over 100 headlines of investment analytical publications posted on the German-language specialized resources Börse online and Focus+. The authors argue that the headline in investment media discourse functions not only as a means of thematic orientation but also as an independent element capable of programming the interpretation of the subsequent text and evoking a specific reaction in the recipient (potential investor). It has been established that the illocutionary-pragmatic force of the headline complex in the analyzed texts is enhanced through the use of a combination of linguistic devices, including specific vocabulary, syntactic constructions, stylistic devices, graphic markers, and others. All of these are aimed at enhancing the persuasiveness of the headline, creating the precondition for trust in the communicated recommendation and a willingness to engage in market action with financial assets.