Application of Economy Principle in News English.docVIP

Application of Economy Principle in News English 　　【Abstract】The economy principle of language obtained full manifestation in news English. This paper presents major ways in which people make news English economic， i.e. using short words， abbreviations， affixes， compounds and words with extended meanings and conversions. 　　【Key words】Economy principle； news English 　　The economy principle refers to using simple rules and the quickest mean to manage complex linguistic phenomena. To be economic， people must reduce the text without affecting the content of information transmitted. 　　The economy principle of language obtained full manifestation in news English. News English generally refers to English used in newspapers and magazines in a broad sense. The primary function of news is to report news events on time. Therefore， news English should be brief and laden with information besides accuracy and clarity. 　　1.Use Short Words 　　News reports have a length restriction for the reason of saving layout. Besides， the readers of news come from all walks of life and they may have different education backgrounds. Hence， there is a need for words containing productive denotations and simple forms. In order to transmit as much information as possible in limited text length to most people， short words predominate over longer ones because of their rich meanings and concise wording. See example （1） and （2）： 　　（1） Gunman Wounded in Bank Robbery 　　（2） Murder： Two Men Held 　　In the above examples， a gunman is “a criminal armed with a gun” and held means “captured”. 　　2. Use Abbreviations 　　Simplification is the universal tendency in journalistic writing， which makes abbreviation popular in the news. 　　Clipped words occur frequently in news reports. See example （3）： 　　（3） One of the newest trends in teen study programs is community service 　　Teen is clipped words whose full form is “teenager”. Compared with its full form， the abbreviated form is more informal and spac