INTEGRATION OF REFERENTIAL AND EMOTIVE FUNCTIONS WITH MODALITY IN ENGLISH AND UZBEK MEDIA DISCOURSE HEADLINES
Keywords:
media discourse, headline, communicative functions, referential function, emotive function, modality category, objective modality, subjective modality, epistemic modality, comparative analysis.Abstract
This article analyzes the manifestation of referential and emotive functions based on R. Jakobson's theory of communicative functions and the integration of the modality category with these functions in English and Uzbek media discourse headlines. Drawing on the scientific research and theoretical insights of scholars such as T. van Dijk, R. Jakobson, F. Palmer, J. Lyons, and J. Nuyts, the study demonstrates the crucial role of communicative functions and the modality category in identifying the communicative tasks of media discourse headlines. The article examines the role and significance of the modality category as a tool shaping the pragmatic potential of headlines in scientific research. It provides a comparative analysis of how objective and subjective modality are manifested in English and Uzbek media discourse headlines, their connection with specific communicative functions, and the similarities and differences between the two languages. To investigate this issue, descriptive-analytical, comparative-analytical, discourse analysis, functional-pragmatic analysis, and content analysis methods were employed, along with in-depth content analysis of secondary sources based on scholarly literature. Headlines from English (The Washington Post, BBC News, The Times, Politico.com) and Uzbek (Gazeta.uz, Daryo.uz, Kun.uz, Qalampir.uz) media sources published in 2024-2025 were selected and analyzed as primary research materials. The research findings reveal that the referential function occupies a dominant position in both languages, closely associated with objective modality, while the emotive function is manifested through subjective modality and exhibits a stronger and more sensational character in Uzbek media discourse compared to English. Modality tools are expressed differently in the two languages: grammatical means (modal verbs, passive constructions) prevail in English, whereas lexical means (modal words, emotionally charged nouns, metaphorical expressions) dominate in Uzbek. The conclusion outlines the theoretical and practical significance of the research, its limitations, and directions for future studies.
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