Section Three

The use of block language in newspaper headlines

Introduction
Language has many complex structures and phenomena which makes it
interesting to be studied and analysed by many language researchers. Every
living thing needs to communicate to each other. Humans, for example, are
able to have a chat, show feelings, socialize, acquiring information, and so on
since they
were born by using a signal, which is called Language. Language, as stated b
y Poole (1999),enables human beings to learn and adapt to changing
circumstances more quickly than would be achieved by evolution” (p. 2).
“Language is very intricately and intimately tied up with human life, and is so
familiar an experience, that its essential nature is not easy to discern”
(Widdowson, 1996, p. 17). There are many kinds of languages, such as
colloquial language, jargon, slang, pidgin, creole ,dialect, vernacular, and etc.
Among them, there is one kind of language which is interesting to be analysed
, namely block language .For English learners, it might be challenging for
them to understand block language since it has unusual grammatical patterns
and vocabulary items.
As broadly known, printing media editors use block language because it can s
avespace, have attractive vocabulary items ( dash and blaze ), and have
‘different’ grammatical pattern (SIX KILLED IN EXPLOSION = Six people
have been killed in explosion), for instance Previously, some people or even
English learners had some similar questions. That is, “Where can we find
such a block language?”. The answer of this question is on Quirk,
Greenbaum, Leech, and Svartvik (1972, p. 414) : “It appearsin such functions
as labels, titles, headings, notices, and advertisements”. Next, some people
often raised this question: “Why is it difficult to understand the headlines of
newspapers?”. Swan (2005) states “English news can be very difficult to
understand as headlines are often written in a special style, which is very
different from ordinary English” (p. 211).  What is the definition of a headline?
Swan (2005)defines the headline as “the short titles above news reports (e.g.
RUSSIANWOMAN LANDS ON MOON)”  (p. 211).From the short description
above, the researchers of this study formulated two questions below to be
discussed.

1. What issue of block language does mostly influence newspapers’

headlines?
2. What makes readers impressed with English newspapers’ headlines?
 Based on the problem formulations above, there are two main
objectives .The first is to identify the grammatical pattern which mostly occurs
in the block language of newspapers headlines. The second is to explain what

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 makes readers impressed with English newspapers’ headlines. Furthermore,
the researcher hopes that the results of this study would be beneficial for the
readers, especially English learners so that they can identify the block
language in the newspapers’ headlines easier.

Literature Review

A. Block Language
Block language is a special type of language which has its own
characteristics. Bram (1995) states that block language is “ the typically
common language used  by the printing media” (p. 107). This kind of
language uses the shortened syntactic structures (usually in phrases and
words, rather than clauses and sentences) in a restricted communicative
context, such as a title of a magazine
or poster. The specific characteristic of this language is that it does not havegr
ammatical sentence, especially in newspapers headlines. Bram (1995
explains “titles applying block language do not usually contain determiners or
finite verbs” (p. 108).Swan (2005) shows the issues of block language which
mostly occur in newspapers’ headlines. There are two main issues given by
Swan as below.

1. Grammar
a) “Headlines are not always complete sentences. Many headlines consist of
a noun and a verb” (Swan, 2005, p. 211).  Example : HOLIDAY HOTEL
DEATHMORE WAGE CUTS
 b) “Headlines often contain strings of three, four, or more nouns; nouns
earlier in the string modify those that follow” (Swan, 2005, p. 211). Example :
FURNITURE FACTORY PAY CUT ROW “Headlines like these can be difficult
to understand. It sometimes helps to read them backwards. FURNITURE
FACTORY PAY CUT ROW refers to a ROW (disagreement) about a CUT
(reduction) in PAY at a FACTORY that makes FURNITURE” (Swan, 2005, p.
211).
c) “Headlines often leave out articles and the verb be ” (Swan, 2005, p. 211).
 Example : SHAKESPEARE PLAY IMMORAL SAYS
HEADMASTERSCHOOLBOY WALKS IN SPACE
d) “In headlines, simple tenses are often used instead of progressive or
 perfect forms. The simple present is used for both present and past events”
(Swan, 2005, p. 211).Example : BLIND GIRL CLIMBS EVEREST (= ... has
climbed ...)STUDENTS FIGHT FOR COURSE CHANGES (= ... are
fighting ...).
e) “The present progressive is used to talk about changes. Be is usually
dropped” (Swan, 2005, p. 211) .Example : BRITAIN GETTING WARMER,
SAY SCIENTISTS TRADE FIGURESIMPROVING.
f) “Many headline words are used as both nouns and verbs, and nouns are
often used to modify other nouns. So, it is not always easy to work out the
structure of a sentence” (Swan, 2005, p. 211)
 Compare : US CUTS AID TO THIRD WORLD (= The US reduces its help ...
CUTS is a Verb and AID is a Noun).AID CUTS ROW (= There has been a

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 disagreement about the reduction in aid. AID and CUTS are both
Nouns).CUTS AID REBELS (= The reduction is helping the revolutionaires.
CUTS is a Noun, and AID is a Verb).
g) “Headlines often use infinitive to refer to the future” (Swan, 2005, p. 212).
 Example : PM TO VISIT AUSTRALIAHOSPITALS TO TAKE FEWER
PATIENTS“ For  is also used to refer to the future movements or plans”
(Swan, 2005, p.212).TROOPS FOR GLASGOW? (= Are soldiers going to be
sent to Glasgow?).
h) “Auxiliary verbs are usually dropped from passive
 structures” (Swan, 2005, p. 212). Example : MURDER HUNT: MAN HELD
(= ... a man is being held by police)SIX KILLED IN EXPLOSION (= Six people
have been killed ...)
i) “ As and in are often used instead of longer connecting expressions” (Swan,
2005, p. 212).Example : HOSPITAL BOSS AXED AS PATIENTS DIE (= ...
because patients die)FOOTBALL MANAGER IN CAR CRASH
 j) “A colon ( : ) is often used to separate the subject of a headline from what
is said about it” (Swan, 2005, p. 212). Example : STRIKE: PM TO
ACTMOTORWAY CRASH: DEATH TOLL RISES
k) “Quotation marks (‘...’) are used to show that words were said by
somebody else, and that the report does not necessarily claim that they are
true” (Swan,2005, p. 212).Example: CRASH DRIVER ‘HAD BEEN
DRINKING’
 l) “A question mark (?) is often used when something is not certain” (Swan,
2005, p. 212)Example : CRISIS OVER BY SEPTEMBER?

2- Vocabulary
There are some important points for the researcher of this study to restate
some vocabulary items of block language which are commonly used in
English newspaper headlines. Swan (2005) states
“Short words save space, and so they are very common in headlines” (p.
212). Some of the short words in headlines are unusual in ordinarylanguage
and some are used in special senses which they do not often have inordinary
language (e.g, bid, meaning ‘attempt ’). Other words are chosen not
 because they are short, but because they sound dramatic (e.g.blaze
, which means ‘big fire’, and is used in headlines to refer to any fire).Swan
(2005) gives the examples of common headline vocabulary.

a) act: Take action; do something Example:
b)  FOOD CRISIS: GOVERNMENT TO ACT aid : military or financial help; to
help Example : MORE AID FOR POOR COUNTRIES.
c) alert: alarm, warning Example : FLOOD ALERT ON EAST COAST
d)  allege: make an accusation Example : WOMAN ALLEGES UNFAIR
TREATMENT
e)  appear: appear in court accused of a crime Example : MP TO APPEAR ON
DRUGS CHARGES
f) axe: abolish, close down; abolition, closure Example : COUNTRY BUS
SERVICES AXEDSMALL SCHOOLS FACE AXE
g) bar: refuse/refusal to allow entry Example : HOTEL BARS FOOTBALL FANS

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h)  boom: big increase; prosperous period Example : SPENDING BOOM
OVER, SAYS MINISTER
i) clear: find innocent Example : DOCTOR CLEARED OF DRUGS CHARGE
j)  cut: reduce; reduction Example : BRITAIN CUTS OVERSEAS AID NEW
HEALTH SERVICE CUTS
k)  dash: (make) quick journey Example : PM IN DASH TO BLAST HOSPITAL
l) duo: two people Example :HANDICAPPED DUO ROW ACROSS ATLANTIC
m) face: be threatened by Example : HOSPITALS FACE MORE
CUTSSTRIKERS FACE SACK
n) fuel: provide reason for growth (of anger, protest, etc.)Example:PAY FREEZE
FUELS UNION ANGER
o) launch: send (satellite, etc.) into space; begin (campaign, etc.); put (new prod
uct) on marker Example : ENVIRONMENT MINISTER LAUNCHES
CAMPAIGN FORCLEANER BEACHES 
p) lash: criticize violently Example : BISHOP LASHES TV SEX AND VIOLENCE
q) q) lead: clue (in police enquiry)Example : NEW LEAD IN PHONEBOX
MURDER CASE
r) link: connection, contact Example : NEW TRADE LINKS WITH PERU
s)  row: nolsy disagreement Example : NEW ROW OVER PENSION CUTS

Methodology

The researcher conducted this study by using Qualitative research. Grix

(2004) explains “Qualitative is derived from ‘quality’, a term coined by Plato to
mean ‘of what kind. Qualitative research is characterised by the use of
methods that attempt to examine ‘inherent traits, characteristics, and qualities
of the political objects of inquiry’” (p. 173). The methods used in this type of
research tend to be more interpretative in nature”. According to the definition,
it can be said that qualitative research uses materials to get a representation
of activities or materials with in a language phenomenon .The researcher
collected the data or sample for this research from the two online English
newspapers The China Daily and The Daily Telegraph. Each of them
contains ten headlines to be analysed. The newspapers were analysed to find
out the issues and functions of the block language which are used by mass
media. In order to examine the data, the researcher used findings, principles,
and concepts theoretically on headlines’ writing style and on block language
in headlines which were explained by grammarians, like Swan (2005) in his
book which is entitled  Practical English Usage ( 3rd ed. ) and Quirk,
Greenbaum, Leech, and Svartvik(1972) in their book entitled  A Grammar of
Contemporary English .In this research, the researcher collected the data
from two online English newspapers from two different countries. Those are
the Chinese newspaper China Daily and the British newspaper The Daily
Telegraph. To analyse them, the researcher used the Swan’s (2005)
theoretical concepts to study the functions and issues of the block language in
newspapers’ headlines.

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Findings

In order to interpret the data, the researcher analysed two online

newspapers .Those are The China Daily and The Daily Telegraph First, these
are the lists of 10 headlines which are published by The China Daily
. The findings are in the brackets next to the headlines.
1) Deep-sea rig starts drilling (The verb starts {Simple Present Tense}
should be has started {Present Perfect})
2) Canada trade links tightened (The verb tightened should be in a passive
form and the tense should be present perfect have been tightened) 
3) China calls for cyber rules (The verb calls for sounds dramatic)
4) Exports still rising, but pace slows (to be ‘are’ is omitted)
5) India raises its glass (The verb raises {Simple Present Tense} should be
Has raised {Present Perfect Tense})
6) Import drive to be launched (The words ‘to be’ means
will be Thus, it should be will be launched )
7) Beijing lends a hand to Europe (The verb
Lends {Simple Present Tense} should be has lent
{Present Perfect Tense})
8) Telecom giants hit back at allegations (The verb
hit  sounds dramatic)
9) Protests end Mubarak’s reign (The verb end {Simple Present Tense}
should be have ended {Present Perfect Tense})
10) PLA strives for transparency (The verb strives {Simple Present Tense}
should be has striven {Present Perfect Tense})The headlines which use
present tense are dominant (Seven times: (1), (5), (7), (9),and (10). Number
(3) sounds dramatic to readers. The other three patterns (Passive ,ommitte
d ‘to be’, and ‘to’ meaning ‘will’) are less frequent. Second, these are the lists
of 10 headlines which are published by The Daily Telegraph. The findings are
in the brackets next to the headlines.
11) Fuel in the tanks, but potholes lie ahead (The verb lie {Simple Present
Tense} should be have lied   {Present Perfect Tense})
12) 40 Killed in Paris Carnage (The verb killed  should be in a passive form
have been killed {Present Perfect Tense})
13) 8 million foreigners living in Britain (to be ‘are’ is omitted)
14) Amanda Knox to face retrial for Meredith Kercher murder (The phrase 'to
face’ means will face. It sounds dramatic either)
15) Emergency care in crisis admits NHS regulator (The verb admits  {Simple
Present Tense} should be has admitted  {Present Perfect Tense})
16) Kate waves farewell to her life as a commoner (The verb
waves {Simple Present Tense) should be has waved  {Present Perfect
Tense})
17) Desert Rats to lose their tanks under Army cuts (The phrase ‘to lose’
should be will lose)
18) Let win in race row over riot comments (The verb row {Simple Present
Tense} should be has rowed  {Present Perfect Tense}. Also, it
soundsdramatic)
19) May forces BBC Trust chief to step down (The verb
 forces {Simple Present Tense} should be has forced 
 {Present Perfect Tense})

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20) NHS takes axe to hospital units (The verb takes {Simple Present
Tense}should be has taken  {Present Perfect Tense})As seen above, the
pattern which is mostly used is Simple Present Tense (six times:(1), (5), (6),
(8), (9), and (10)). The other three patterns are a Passive (2), omitted
‘to be’ (3), and ‘to’ meaning ‘will’ (4), (7). The patterns are used in order to
make dramatic and attractive atmospheres to readers.

References

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Crystal, D. (1995).The Cambridge encylopedia of the English language
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Grix, J. (2004). The foundations of research
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Leech, G. (2006). A glossary of English grammar . Edinburgh: Edinburgh
University Press
.Poole, S. (1999). An introduction to linguistics . New York: St. Martin’s Press
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approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Reah, D. (1998).The language of newspapers (2nd ed.). London: Routledge.
Reeves, I. & Keeble, R. L. (2015). The newspapers handbook (5th ed.). New
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Swan, M. (2005).Grammar . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G. & Svartvik, J. (1972).
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Widdowson, H. G. (1996). Linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press