HEADLINES OF GERMAN-LANGUAGE MEDIA TEXTS AS A MEANS OF ATTRACTING READERS’ ATTENTION

Abstract

In the modern information space, the media text’s headline provides the initial contact with the readership, which determines the relevance of its study, including the analysis of linguistic strategies for attracting readers’ attention. The article presents an analysis of studies devoted to the functional characteristics of media text headlines. The empirical part of the study, based on article headlines posted on the websites of leading German-language publications, identifies the main linguistic strategies for attracting attention to the message being broadcast. It is concluded that the headlines of German-language media texts actively use linguistic strategies of expressiveness, surprise, intrigue, brevity, and imagery, thereby exerting an emotional and cognitive influence on the recipient of media information. In addition, the article concludes that the organic combination of several strategies within a single headline increases its communicative effectiveness, with expressive and imaginative means of language playing the greatest role, enhancing the attractiveness of the message.