PRAGMATICS OF ENGLISH AND UKRAINIAN PARENTHETICAL WORDS IN COLUMNIST GENRE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY
Authors:   Vinnytsia Institute of Trade and Economics of State University of Trade and Economics, Ivanytska Natalia B. , Ivanytska Nina L. ,   Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University
Published: December 2024

Parenthetical words are of interest to researchers because they can express subjective modalities,
organize texts, and add energy to language. Scientists analyzed the grammar and semantics of parenthetical
words, as well as their ability to convey modalities and create effective communicative and pragmatic
contexts. However, the communicative and pragmatic features of parenthetical words in multilingual
media discourses, especially in the columnist genre, have not been thoroughly investigated by linguists.
The aim of this study is to fill this gap and highlight the relevance of examining the role of parenthetical
words in such contexts.
The research focuses on the common and distinctive pragmatic features of parenthetical words in
English and Ukrainian media discourse within the columnist genre. To achieve this goal, the article analyzes
the approaches to qualifying parenthetical words in English and Ukrainian linguistics. It also proposes a
working typology of parenthetical words based on their semantics and develops a methodology for
comparing the pragmatics of the components. The study also compares the degree of implementation of
evaluative and metatextual parenthetical words in different media discourses and explores the typological
characteristics of their use in the columnist genre.
The study employs a combination of common and linguistic research methods: analysis, synthesis,
comparative and contextual-interpretive methods. The data were evaluated objectively using quantitative
calculations. Online media sources served as the empirical basis for the study, from which sentences
containing parenthetical words were extracted using the continuous sampling method. To ensure a fair
comparison, an equal number of texts were taken from English and Ukrainian media. Specifically, 200,000
characters were analyzed from each language in the columnist genre. The following media outlets were
used as sources: “The Guardian” (columns by George Monbiot, Aditya Chakrabortty, Marina Hyde,
Zoe Williams, and Polly Toynbee), “The Telegraph” (columns by Allison Pearson and Camilla Tominey),
“Ukrainian Weekly” (columns by Radomyr Mokryk, Diana Klochko, Onukh, Maksym Vikhrov, Edward Lucas,
etc.), and “Ukraiinska Pravda” (columns section). A total of 141 and 132 constructions were extracted from
the English and Ukrainian texts, respectively, using the continuous sampling method.
In the typology of parenthetical words used in our study, we identify evaluative and metatextual
parenthetical words. These groups carry specific semantics, such as “degree of probability,” “author’s
emotions,” “logical coherence,” and “source of information.” These semantic components serve to fulfil
pragmatic functions of assertion, hypotheticality, evaluation, text coherence, and address marking.
However, differences exist in how these functions are implemented by English columnists and Ukrainian
authors. English columnists tend to use parenthetical words that convey a high degree of probability
for the facts they present, while Ukrainian authors are more likely to use units with a lower degree of probability, indicating a hypothetical function. This difference may arise from linguistic, cognitive, and
cultural traditions in the creation of media texts of the columnist genre. British columnists tend to express
their opinions more directly to shape public opinion, while Ukrainian authors are less categorical in their
statements, creating a sense of collaboration and discussion with the reader.
The implementation of the pragmatic function of evaluation showed common tendencies in both
media discourses towards the insignificant use of parenthetical words with the semantics of “author’s
emotions”. The communicative approach to using words in parentheses to denote negative emotions is
similar. Metatextual units are less frequently used than evaluative parenthetical words in both English and
Ukrainian discourse. In English discourse, the authors more often refer to external sources of information
and use the corresponding parenthetical words. At the same time, Ukrainian authors use a broader range
of units than English columnists.