Study on Features and Styles of English News’ Title

Abstract. Headlines are quite essential for english news. They are the windows of news. This paper describes the types of headlines and also explains the features of headlines. Firstly, introduction of classifications of headlines can give readers a perceptual knowledge. Secondly, explains characteristics of vocabularies in headlines and then concludes tense and voice features in headlines. News media is the best channel of knowing every field including politics, economics, science, culture, and society.

Key words: English; headline; feature.

1. Introduction

A piece of news is composed by three parts: headline, leading and body among which a headline is the epitome and highlight of the content of newspapers and periodicals. The headline refers to the title of news and articles on newspaper, composing brief words and revealing journalistic features. study on this theme can help us avoid misunderstanding, therefore help us better interpret different journalistic culture, enhance English news reading ability. In addition, study on it can help enrich the professional branch of English style study academically and combine English study with communication discipline, applying language study to practical use in specific field.

2. The function of English news title

The idiom “a good headline is half the story” can generally indicate the vital role headline plays in embodying the news value. Confronted with fierce competition in mass media market and meeting the audience’s need of being quicker and quicker, news editors are racking their brains in headline design to make it much accurate, outstanding, vivid, humorous and attractive through blending excellent aesthetic sense with pinpointed journalistic feature together.

Exactly, we can summarize the function of news headline in the following four aspects: introducing news information; reviewing the news facts; attracting the readers; embellishing the layout.

3. Types of headline

There’re usually 6 or 7 columns with width of 4 or 5 cm each in layout of one English printed sheet. English news title can be divided into one-column head, two-column head, three-column head and banner head, etc. in accordance with the amounts of columns and lines it takes up. Recently, despite of some few newspaper as The New York Times, most western newspaper are inclined to adopt one-deck head, excising highline and subtitle, for one-deck head is not only far easy and convenient to produce and lay out, but also effective in cutting down space.

3.1 Categories according to their forms

3.1.1 Cross line

Cross line is also called one-line head, with one line in commonly one column and rarely two, three or four columns. It’s of high popularity for its edge of extremely economy.

E.g. Son Admits Beating Ex-wife Holly

USA Today Aug. 26, 1997

Obviously, from the aspect of edition skill, the strong point of cross line owes to its clearness at a glance. Besides, it will extent to readers the aesthetic sense of limpid, simple but elegant. However, it is sometimes too simple and dull to be plump and powerful. Thus frequent use of cross line will provoke bleak and desolate feeling of readers quite easily.

3.1.2 Flush left headline

In a flush left headline, every word or phrase takes up one line and begins at the very left. There’s no limitation for this style on the character number and format, and therefore it has been one of the most commonly used headline form of modern English newspapers. The following example can show you what a flush left headline is.

E.g. Bear Sterns

rescue was easy

part of crisis

Financial Times March 26, 2008

Flush left headline can help readers twist eyesight towards underside naturally line by line. It helps save time from seeking for the next line while finishing one line reading, as well as create distinctive layout beauty visually by laying particular press on the left side.

3.1.3 Banner headlines

The columns a headline takes up resolve the importance of the corresponding news. Generally speaking, the bigger space it occupies, the more columns it captures, the more importance it embodies. “For banner headline, every headline word in it is large and bold and the whole headline often covers several columns. It is also called first large headline and often used in front page for its attraction.” Then, it undoubtedly serves for the lead news of that very print.

3.1.4 Drop form headline

Drop form is also called step head, indented head, etc. It looks like a ladder. There are several lines in it and the following line draws back several letters from the above one. But for drop form has set strict regulation on the length of every line, the production process of it is far laborious and thus the use frequency of it far less. However, the drop form headline acquires leaping attribute visually. Beauty and nice are its merits.

E.g. Atlanta Denies Bribes

Used to Get Olympics

The New York Post, Dec. 5, 1991

Obviously, this style of headline is able to cultivate the aesthetic sense of laminated streamline in general layout.

3.1.5 Pyramid and Inverted Pyramid headline

Pyramid or Inverted Pyramid form is constituted by 3 to 4 lines with each of different length, in which, the top one is longest or shortest and the followings gradually shorten or extended by equal length.

In that way, the general image of the headline looks like an triangle or inverted triangle in the shape of a lively pyramid or inverted pyramid. Although this kind of title is good-looking, it’s time-wasting and troublesome to make it out successfully, which refines its use into small range.

E.g. Securities Market

Builds Up

To 92

The Asian Wall Street Journal, Dec.30, 1991

The toil fully decorated inverted pyramid headline embodies the elegance and singularity, spontaneously betraying mightiness, generosity and intensity to the readers. But it is also popular for nice looking. It forms a Pyramid-looking headline.

3.1.6 Double headline

This kind of headline is used mostly for the report of big events. It has two lines: one is main headline and the other auxiliary headline.

E.g. It Isn’t the Cow That Are Mad

It’s the People That Are going Mad

3.1.7 Jump head headline

Nowadays, to make the layout and content much colorful and variable, editors have to assure or satisfy certain amounts of headlines of front page. As a result, they will have to cut off some longer news with one part on the front page and remainders on another now and then artificially, thus they edit a new head for the remaining news as well. That new headline is commonly defined as “jump head”.

The headline is divided into two parts: original head and jump head. An original part is on one page, but after the body jumps pages, the original head will be changed into a jump head which uses different words from original one to express the same meaning.

There is an instance: on Dec.11, 1997, a piece of news of Times about the economy depression of Britain adopts “jump head”.

The original head:

Preparing for a victory over

Tea and cornflakes

For limited layout, the later part of the news was printed on the 20th print. There’s a jump head for audience to find out the transposition of the remaining part.

The jump head:

Planning for a day of battles

3.1.8 Boxed Headline

Boxed headline refers to headlines encircled by 4 lines. This style is usually applied to small font to make it pinpointed and powerful. Such as:

The Washington post, Dec. 28, 2001

South china morning post, Feb. 28, 2002

3.2 Categories according to their meanings

3.2.1 Strait headline

This kind of headline tells us strait about the subjects of news. This is the most common one and is easy to understand.

(1) e.g. Railroad Workers Strike in Argentina.

(2) e.g. Leaders’ threat

on Olympics

start ceremony

Financial Times March 22, 2008

3.2.2 Questioning headline

Question marks are often seen in this kind of headlines but most of them do not have meanings of questioning. They often give a clue of possibility or writer’s doubt about the reality of some facts. Selection of questioning headline can make title obscure and evoke the audience curiosity to explore into the news. In addition, they also tend to discuss with readers and hence recall their resonance and close the relation between newspaper and audience. For instance,

Who Will Rise to challenge Bush?

Beijing Review, Dec.4, 2003

At first glance of the title, we will wonder the challenge in head of Bush rises from either Iraq war or the contradiction between U.S. and “base institute”. The interlaced hypothesis can successfully rouse the readers’ curiosity. Then they look through the news body only to find it a prediction report on American president election, focusing on the hindering rivals to George Bush.

No Female Secretaries for Male Leaders?

International Herald Tribune, Feb. 16, 2003

The question indicates not only the author’s disapproval of the above title but also the potential discussion with readers.

War for oil?

No, there’s gas, too!

The guardian, Feb.19, 2003

The question is a typical self-questioning and self-answering tag one. The question disperses to the audience the author’s strong emotion toward America’s opening fire on Iraq. Other examples:

E.g. Bear at $10: a done deal?

The Wall Street Journal March 26,2008

3.2.3 Feature headline

It is often to use feature headline when a piece of news is unusual or readers will be quite interested in it. Such headlines are not easy to understand，sometimes the whole news should be read.

E.g. The Man Who Reign over UK’s Queen

Reign means rule over and it is only used for a queen or a king. So the connection of “man” and “reign” may get readers confused, then they may be eager to find why. Not until the whole news are read. They find the man is just a captain of a ship named Queen Mary.

4. features of expression in headline

The expression characteristics of English news titles mainly lie in the following three parts: vocabulary, rhetoric, tense and voice.

4.1.1 Short words are often used

The reader body is composed by people from different fields, classes and of different educational levels. In order to satisfy this particular community, the news writing and title producing should be simple and understandable rather than abstruse and obscure.

As a journalistic saying goes, “the aesthetic glamour of news resorts to reproducing the news reality in plain words, so does the headline”

Generally, editors usually substitute big or long words with monosyllables, which is named “midget word”, and popular for their vividness and compactness. Editors disgust long words badly which not only take up lines but also seemed ugly. For the sake of nice and balance，editors like short words to generalize news.

Most midget words are verbs, nouns and adj.

E.g. aid－assistance

bid－attempt

nab－capture

wed －marry

“It has been lasting several years to use short words in news headlines. Mencken，an American linguist，said ‘ it is the outstanding characteristic of using very short words in headlines.’ in his work ‘American English’. Similar examples as above are so many in modern English newspapers.

“It is worth saying that single syllables beginning with explode are used more for its shortness and power，such as bid，bust，pop，cut，chop，kill，curb，gut，mug…. Many of the vocabularies in headlines are Anglo－Saxon words which are oral，simple，plain and lively. What’s more, they have been accepted by the public.”

4.1.2 Use of shortenings widely

We are always stepping up to make the information transmission accurate, exact and efficient in cross-cultural communication. To meet this need, shortenings came into being, which can make thoughts interaction economic and free. Shortenings used in headline can not only save space, but also introduce news information in simple but vivid and acceptable way.

E.g. Weighing the U.S. dollar’s decline

The Wall Street Journal March 26, 2008

In addition, according to the applying field distinction, there is another division.

Shortenings of institutes and organizations ,such as NPC; NESCO; WTO

Shortenings of common things in common sense, such as: AIDS; UFO; PC

Shortenings of profession, such as: PM; GM; VIP; PA

4.1.3 Use of literary quotations，proverbs，wisdoms，idioms

Terry.L.Fredenkson，in his “Journal English” he said idioms are full of headlines. They are used widely as well as changed their forms very often to give a sense of being humor and alive.

E.g. Farewell to Arms

It tells about the communist party’s secretary of soviet union advised US president to destroy nuclear weapons completely. It quotes the name of a famous book ,“A Fare Well to Arms” .

4.1.4 Heavy uses of shorted words/ abbreviation

Shorted words refer to the brief form of n., adj. through clipping or shortening serving the aim of saving space.

Graduate—grad; Hospital—hosp;

High technology—high-tech; Cigarette—cid

There’re several kinds of clippings:

Back clipping: Ad = advertisement

Front clipping: Copter= helicopter

Front clipping and back clipping: Flu= influenza

Center clipping: Nat= nationalist

Irregular clipping: Aussie= Australian

4.1.5 Use of neologism and foreign words

This kind of uncommon word can also strikes the eye. Editors know readers are unfamiliar with these words, so they always give explanation in a context. Neologism and foreign words always connected with places and contents that are reported.

E.g. Yen benefits from European funds

Yen is Japanese monitory unit.

4.2 Use of rhetoric in headlines

The English headlines use various rhetoric methods to attract readers.

4.2.1 Metaphor

E.g. A House in Two Parts

This is a headline of a report discussing Canadian country system. This report introduce main existing differences in language, law，culture and concept between English speaking Canada and French speaking Canada. Thereby illustrate the unsteady Canadian system. “A House in Two Part” is suitable as well as vivid.

4.2.2 Contrast

E.g. U.S. is Long on Game Shows，Short on Foreign News

This is a press on U.S. TV program. It is distinctly contrast and irony.

4.2.3 Alliteration and Consonance

E.g. Soldiers Salary Soars

“S” is the beginning letter of every words，and this is alliteration.

Alliteration and rhyme here sounds well and give a special atmosphere to catch readers’ eyes..

4.2.4 Puns

Puns are often in irony，humorous headlines. If they are used properly, this trend would be stronger.

E.g. “African Statesman Still Sowing Seeds for Future”

“This report is about Julius Nyerere，president of Tanzania，who is sowing seeds happily in his hometown where is far from big cities after retired. But Africa is unsteady thus many international leaders go all the way to learn from him the ways of saving a country. So he is still sowing seeds for the future of Africa. ‘Sowing seeds’ is a pun in this headline.”

4.2.5 Metonymy

When using metonymy, the person or the thing a writer want to write are not shown directly in a headline，but by borrowing other things connected to indicate them indirectly.

E.g. Uncle Sam’s Island

Uncle Sam is nearly known to all. It is another informal saying of American government or Americans.

Metonymy can avoid repeating certain words and strengthen the affection，so it is used largely in modern newspaper，even some of metonymies become public words, such as White House, Bucking Ham Palace, Downing Street, Motor City, and so on.

4.2.6 Paradox

E.g. Surgery Without the Surgery?!

A paradox can make readers think from two－side ways and let them understand news deeply. To understand this kind of headline well we should chew them twice or even more.

As we have mentioned, news title is a part of news, the more flexibly the rhetoric is used in news title writing, the more attractive and eye-catching the news will be to the readers. So to learn of the rhetoric use in news title is important in the command of news English.

4.3 Tense and voice of headline

Verbs show actions. A piece of news will be reinforced if a verb is used properly. But the tenses of verbs are always difficult for foreign readers to understand. Headlines must be short and accurate, so the verbs in them have special tense showing methods. English headlines do not use past tense but present tense to make readers feel they are in the situation and the news is in time, this called Journalistic Present Tense, the same as Historical Present Tense in literature. Above all, headlines often use three kind of tense.

4.3.1 Use of the simple present tense

In news, present tense is often used to describe things happened just now, that is to say, it is used to replace past tense.

English learners should pay attention to this situation, do not consider present tense in headlines as they usually are.

E.g. Comeback Gives China A Sensational Thomas Cap Win

(The Comeback gave China a sensational Thomas Cup Win.)

4.3.2 Use of the simple future tense

The simple future tense describes things will be happen in the future. The forms of future tense are “will (shall) do”, “be going to do”, “be to do”, “be about to do” and so on. But in English headlines “be to do” form in which “be” is omitted is used most. So in headlines “to do” forms express writers’ prediction of future trends.

E.g. Last Two Iraq Hostages to Go Free

(The last two hostages in Iraq are to Go Free.)

4.3.3 Use of the present progressive tense

Present Progressive Tense emphasizes certain thing is doing at present time and its result is not known at now. Also “be” is usually omitted for the need of shortness.

(1) e.g. Sino--British Partnership Progressing

(Sino--British Partnership is Progressing)

(2) e.g. Signs of Rifts Appearing in Argentina’s Junta

(The signs of rifts are appearing in Argentina’s Junta.)

4.3.4 Use of passive voice

When verbs in headlines should use passive voice, the “be” in “be + participle” form and the operator followed “by” are usually omitted. Thus the only left past participle can give a passive meaning directly in headlines, thus learners must not confused passive voice as past tense.

E.g. 12 Reported Killed in a Suicide Bomb

(It was reported that 12 person was killed in a suicide bomb.)

In fact，after learners read more，they will found active voice is used far more than passive voice. Only when object is emphasized，passive voice is used.

Tense and voice of a headline can be concluded in one sentence，present participle can express the progressive meaning, past participle the passive voice，infinitive form the future tense.

(1) e.g. Gun－Safety Education Facing Many Hurdles

(2) e.g. Aircraft Carrier Named After President Reagan

(3) e.g. House To Vote on Ergonomics Rules

It should be noted that other tense at times are used in oration or question headlines.

(1) e.g. We Won’t Quit

(2) e.g. Tones Planned to Kill Bush？

These tenses are mainly used to emphasize the time.

In short, the tenses and voices used in English news title are not as rich as the Chinese ones. But the limited choice in tense and voice while writing English news title won’t influence the exact expression of news information.

5. Conclusion

Above all, in a fast changing world, news media is the best channel of knowing every field including politics, economics, science, culture, and society. Though it benefits you a lot, to understand headlines is not such as easy as ABC. If you are really eager to know well of headlines, the history and cultures of English countries, the works of English writers’, the English idioms and wisdoms that all these kinds of knowledge should be mastered.

From this paper, we can find that there is diversity as well as unity between the Chinese and English news paper, such as their common point in layout principle and pursue of briefness. The diversity lies mainly in the tenses and voices, which sources from the different cultural feature. This paper has exposed some aspects of western journalistic culture, generally from expression and forms. We can take good use of their merits and experience.

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