РОЛЬ И УПОТРЕБЛЕНИЕ ФОТО-ЛЕГЕНДЫ В РОССИЙСКОМ И ГЕРМАНСКОМ МЕДИАДИСКУРСЕ

Научная статья
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18454/RULB.6.22
Выпуск: № 2 (6), 2016
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Аннотация

Статья посвящена одной из самых популярных тем лингвистики последних двадцати лет – медиалингвистики, и в частности, исследованию роли подписи в клеолизованном публицистическом тексте. Автором предпринимается попытка сравнить отношение к способам использования фото-легенды в российской и германской прессе. Отечественная журналистика широко использует фотоархивы, считая возможным предлагать к абсолютно разным контекстам одно и то же фото. В этом случае, на наш взгляд, открывается широкое поле возможностей манипуляции общественным мнением. Немецкие журналисты относятся к обсуждаемой нами проблематике более щепетильно, полагая, что фото должно подходить одному единственному материалу, являясь, таким образом, гарантией его аутентичности и однозначности. По нашему мнению, правомерность использования фото-легенды в том или ином ключе зависит от многих факторов, например, таких как заказчик материала, тип печатного органа, политика редакции, подготовленность и информированность целевой аудитории и многих других. Одно остаётся ясным – вопрос о роли фото-легенды и её использовании открыт и требует дальнейшего исследования.

As repeatedly was mentioned in scientific literature in mass media public style we have a tendency of transition from verbal composing parts of the creolized texts to extralinguistic, visual [2]. 

The journalist should take care about the photo has immediate relation to the article. Some attractive commentaries for the illustrations serve to this aim. J. Häusermann calls them “photo-legend”. The Russian medialinguistics also deals with photo-commentaries but we must say that the opinions of the Russian and the German scientists to the problem are very different.

First of all we try to research what do the German journalists and scientists think about it [5]. They call the coherent, connecting function of the photo-commentaries as a main, leading function. The first part of the micro text has an explanation of the photo and the second part interests the readers in the whole article. The photo contains only one part of information often. But sometimes the combination “photo + photo-commentary” makes up a strong competition to the article.

The main models of the photo-commentaries:

  1. a solitary sentence – name + an explanation of a detail;
  2. a name + a text quotation;
  3. a name + an additional information from the text.

Best of all the first model works because it is more conclusive.

To be successful photo-commentaries must be not only rich in content but good formulated. J. Häusermann thinks that all photos practically need photo commentaries. In case the photo legend is absent, the headline of the article is perceived as a commentary. It is important to remember that the reporter should to avoid contradictions between the photo, the photo-legend and the headline. Any illustration must be irreplaceable, it must approach only to one article, the same concerns to the photo-legend.

The photo-legend answers the questions of the illustration. The first question about the people on the photo, they must be named, the readers want to understand what do they do and where they are. The people in a concrete situation are more attractive than skillfully but artificially in a photo-studio creating articles. The photo must be without fail dated, have a strong connection to the article.

 In German journalism, in both regional and local, the names of direct participants of events very often omitted, substituted for a common noun of type "passerby", "the observer". According to Häusermann, if the names still would be called, would have more respect from the readership.  Each photo illustrates in ideal only one part of information and the photo-legend calls this part.

It happens that for various reasons the people in the photo are absent altogether. This may be classified information or journalistic ethics forbids to show the participants of the event. In this case, the connection between the photo and the theme is carried by objects with indirect relevance to the topic.
Symbolic photo that is indirectly related to the text, as a rule, are not welcome. The reader may be difficult to detect metaphorical relationship, as it is often not clear what exactly the object is metaphoric. In addition, symbolic photos often illustrate not so much the news.

What must be in the photo-legend? They say that one good illustration is worth a thousand words, but in journalism is highly desirable. It would be better to do one sentence. Therefore, the statement should be limited so it has acquired the most accurate and current value. This happens only when they write about is shown in the photo. Comments and other subjective associations are unnecessary.

The photo above it is clear immediately, but illustrates something minor, are quite common. Then they usually begin to contradict the title. In the photo legend attempts to remove this contradiction, thus it becomes long, with many unnecessary details. The title performs several important functions: it explains to the reader the meaning of the message embedded in the picture, depicted decode and gives the only true interpretation of the photos. The image is perceived simultaneously on the emotional and unconscious level, he the audience tend to believe more than the word.

Of great meaning the mime and the gesture, the language of body are. The researchers have devoted to this theme many publications. They have taken a conclusion that one and the same signal will by the people of different societies very different perceived. For example, the man on the photo, who brings his arms to the throat, means in Arabic society some threat, in New Guinea this is the signal of suicide, a diver shows in this way a shortage of air. So, to correct to interpret the language of body, we should to know not only the meaning of gesture but some national fineness, the concrete context in which these gesture and mime were used.

And now we try to discuss the opinion of the Russian scientists. V. A. Nikitin,  for example, is of opinion that  the complex “photo + text” is the most effective way of the information transmission (Nikitin, 1999). The commentary or the photo-legend has some important functions: it explains the reason of the report, deciphers the depicted and offers a true, correct interpretation of the photo.

Some Russian researches speak about different forms of the photo-commentary. In this classification all depends on who is the author of the photo and the photo-legend [4]:

  1. The photo-legend of the first degree of relationship – it supposes that the author of the photo is the author of the photo-legend;
  2.  The photo-legend of the second degree of relationship – it can be created by the author of the article, in this case the photo will be included in the context of the illustration, this form of the photo-legend is the informative commentary to the photo;
  3. The photo-legend of the third degree of relationship – the authorship doesn´t belong to the reporter, it belongs as a rule to the build-editor, who tries to orientate either the text of the article or the commentary to it.

The Russian scientists are sure that the photo can be put in any context, the meaning of the depicted can change, it depends on the photo-legend. So, they take a conclusion the photo is a very effective visual remedy or instrument because it can be used in different contexts. Namely the photo-legend is be able to explain the illustration correctly. Also they think the meaning of the depicted depends on the photo-legend only. We observe here the reverse dependence between the photo and the photo-legend. It is the direct way for manipulation.

E. E. Anisimova is of opinion that the photo commentary is an important part of the creolized texts, it provides the pragmatic influence on the readers. One and the same visual sign depending on the context changes its modality [1].

The role of the signature in the structure of a creolized text, according to E. E. Anisimova, ambiguous, in this respect can be distinguished three groups of texts:
1. Creolized texts, composed of image and caption (or set of images).
2. Creolized texts, not including the signature. Such texts consist of verbal text and an attached image without an accompanying signature.
3. Creolized texts consisting of verbal text, images and signatures. These types of texts are most prevalent in modern communications,
signed to ensure its pragmatic impact on the reader.

Category of modality is one of the major text categories, and certainly inherent in creolized texts. In creolized texts modality are not only the traditional linguistic tools, but also extra-linguistic, that is, iconic of the insert. The role of iconic means in modal characteristics is not straightforward. Some iconic funds can act as their own media to a specific modality, for example, motive in prohibiting road signs. E. E. Anisimova suggests that "graphs, tables, diagrams, scientific illustrations, reflects the results of the rational mental activity of the people, are the bearers of objective modality". According to E. E. Anisimova iconic means in virtue of its semantic vagueness compared to verbal means need to end in the word help. Depending on the language context of the same iconic sign can be purchased in different modality.

Summarizing all the above, we can conclude that Russian and German researchers are unanimous when talking about the theoretical aspects of the study of the caption, for example, its meaning and functions in journalistic creolized text. When we start talking about practical application, the views radically diverge. Our journalism widely uses the photo archives, trying to offer to completely different contexts one and the same photo. In this case, in our opinion, opens a wide field of possibilities of manipulation of public opinion.

German journalists are discussing issues more carefully, believing that photos should fit one single material, being thus a guarantee of its authenticity and uniqueness.

In our opinion, the legality of using photos of the legend in a particular key depends on many factors, such as the customer material, the type of organ, policy revision, training and awareness of the target audience and many others. One thing remains clear – the question of the role of photo-legend and its use is open and requires further research.

Список литературы

  • Анисимова Е. Е. Лингвистика текста и межкультурная коммуникация (на материале креолизованных текстов): Учеб. пособие для студ. фак. иностр. Яз. Вузов / Е. Е. Анисимова. – М. : Издательский центр «Академия», 2003. – 128 с.

  • Ленкова Т. А. Новые тенденции в оформлении письменного дискурса печатных СМИ Германии / Т. А. Ленкова // European social science journal. Европейский журнал социальных наук. – Рига-Москва, 2011. – № 6. – С. 121-125.

  • Никитин В. А. Разновидности «журналистского текста»: пути оптимизации передачи информации / Под ред. Никитина В. А. // Сб. статей «Вторая реальность». –СПб., 1999. – С. 10-76

  • Фёдорова А. Б. Фотожурналистика в процессе формирования имиджа государства / А. Б. Фёдорова // Relga. – М., 2013. – № 13. – С. 269.

  • Häusermann Jürg. Journalistisches Texten. – 3., überarbeitete Auflage. – UVK Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Konstanz, 2011. - 261 s.