THE PRAGMATIC FUNCTIONS OF BIBLICISMS IN THE CONTEMPORARY GERMAN PRESS

Abstract

The article examines the mechanism of influence of biblicisms on recipients, paying attention to the phenomenon of transformation of biblicisms as a means of enhancing this influence. On the basis of German-language newspaper articles, the use of biblicisms was examined, and the pragmatic functions of the used biblicisms were analyzed. As a result of the study, we came to the conclusion that the transformation of the component composition of biblicisms is carried out to increase the emotional impact on the recipient. The main focus of the article was on the analysis of biblicisms in the press as a means of increasing the impact on the target audience and creating an emotional connection between the addressee and the author. The study confirms that biblicisms are not only an integral part of journalistic texts but also an important factor in shaping their perception. The biblical expressions used in journalistic texts replenish the language system and subsequently become the property of the language and are recorded in dictionaries as stable expressions. The main task of biblical expressions in the press, attracting the attention of the addressee, is facilitated by the fact that biblical expressions are heard by everyone and invite the addressee to further interaction with the text. Bibleisms give an assessment of a particular situation. Transformations of the component composition of biblical expressions help to do this in a particularly compact way, since they can express at least two different informational purposes in one biblical expression. Transformations demonstrate the flexibility of the ways in which speech can be enriched, which allows them to be adapted to specific speech situations. The most numerous are four types of transformations of biblical expressions: addition, i.e. attaching new parts to existing expressions to make the context even more emotional. The next method is truncation of the component composition, when words that do not contain important information are removed from the expression. Often, we find that some biblical expressions are difficult to understand, so in order for these expressions to fulfill their functions, one word is replaced by another. Contamination involves certain biblical metaphors that are used in specific contexts. They lead to a change in the basic meaning or change the meaning of what is said. Usually, this method of transformation is used in religious or cultural contexts, where they acquire new shades or intertextuality. The use of transformed biblicisms allows for more effective memorization of the text by the recipient.