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Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and-Didactic Researches” Issue 2 (21), 2018 ISSN 2587-8093

ters, having passed the relevant exams etc, and if he is now a physician assistant, or whatever it is called, what gets assistant physician in the hospital... [our translation].

It should be noted that in this case there is no contradiction between our first postulate about the use of zero unions in challenging the statements of the speech and the conclusion about the preference of the Union connection in the statements with a conditional dependent units.

In oral speech, as we know, the principle of usual or occasional selectivity operates, which determines the choice of syntactic means of speech organization in each specific situation of communication (the choice between the types of syntactic communication in complex statements). We are also well aware that in the German communicative style there is a strong tendency to explicate grammatical meanings with the help of subordinate, less often – compositional conjunctions in complex constructions of oral speech that is why zero conjunctions are relatively less likely to form grammatical connections in complex statements in general. At the same time the possibility of segment construction of the statement remains an important factor, so the possibility of joining each subsequent predicative unit on the principle of "stringing beads on a thread", as the above fragment shows. What has already been said is gone, and since the thought is always directed forward, the speaker in the generation of his/her statement is oriented "prospectively", not "retrospectively". It is this fact that determines the structure of the next predicative unit as a potentially autosemantic unit, which is illustrated by example (6). From the standpoint of the speaker, thus, the (actual) subsequent speech segment is more important than the previous one, which after the pronouncement goes to the background, and no longer matters for the speaker to realize the structural and semantic coherence of the generated expression. It is necessary to consider the factor of spontaneity, a level of familiarity or formality of the communication, otherwise the complex of non-linguistic components that determine the linguistic specificity of statement.

Complex statements with cause-effect semantic relations can be referred to absolutely specific structures of oral discourse. The logic-semantic solidity of the components of such complex statements is based on real logical connections existing in the nature of things in the world around, so the zero union activates the semantic-syntactic role of each part in the composition of a complex syntactic unit, for example, the first predicative unit can nominate an atypical situation that requires clarification of its cause. This explanation is provided in the second predicative unit, thus relieving the tension set by the first part of the statement, and the union as such is placed outside the brackets because of the self-evident relations as a state of affairs in the world. Such a zero-union can be represented in opposition to the unions of "weil-since", "denn – since" without distinction between composition and subordination:

(7)... du musst mir doch helfen (0) ich muss endlich einmal gegen Ricky Nelson kämpfen

[2*]. - You should me help (zero union) I should fight with Ricky Nelson. [our translation]. Compare: (7a) Du musst mir doch helfen, denn ich muss endlich einmal gegen Ricky

Nelson kämpfen / weil ich endlich einmal gegen Ricky Nelson kämpfen muss... – You have to help me, because I have to fight... [our translation].

Semantic tension is given by the particle doch in the verb, which focuses on the need for concretization and explanation of the action. Let us turn to the following example:

(8) Das gut gefiel unwahrscheinlich, (0) wir hatten auch schönes Wetter und dann haben abends in einer Jugendherberge übernachtet [1*]. – It was very pleasant (zero union), there was wonderful weather and we spent the night in the hostel [our translation]. Compare: (8A) Das gefiel unwahrscheinlich gut, weil wir auch schönes Wetter hatten und abends dann in einer Jugendherberge übernachtet haben / denn wir hatten auch schönes

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Wetter... – I liked it very much, because the weather was wonderful and we spent the night... [our translation].

The first predicative unit in such statements (8) may contain a certain provision, which contains a subjective modality – an expression of satisfaction, confidence, joy, etc. The content of such predicative unit is not informative (only the topic of the statement is indicated). Therefore, the speaker explains what motivates the content of the first part, and thus is born a complex statement with a zero union (zero opposition to the unions weil – because, denn – because, only in the first case, it is a subordinate union, and in the second – a creative union), the meaning of which in this context is reduced to convey in a broad sense of causal semantics. In the statement (8) there are "means of supporting" this relationship – additional linear means of communication (das, auch, dann – this, also, then).

The zero-union is represented in complex statements with temporal relations, for exam-

ple:

(9) …bis zu ihrem Examen es ist natürlich so da muß ich doch mal mit den Kollegen sprechen auch die große Exkursionen Exkursionen machen [2*] – ...to her examination, it is naturally so, I need to talk to our colleagues who still tours... [our translation].

In this statement there are temporal markers of linear syntactic connection (bis, so, da, doch – until, so, then), which allow to assume the presence of zero temporal union. Compare oral-spoken structure with possible transformation:

(9a) Bevor Sie ihr Examen haben, muss ich mit den Kollegen sprechen ... – Before you have an exam, I have to talk to my colleagues... [our translation].

Conclusion.

The analysis of practical material shows that oral discourse has all the prerequisites for the use of complex statements with a zero union, but with a possible choice between structures with a syntactic bond or its zero expression, the syntactic algorithm often develops in favor of constructions with syntactic bonds: the rules of explicit textuality inherent in the communicative style of the German language win, obviously. Despite the low frequency of complex statements with a zero union in the German oral discourse, it is possible to define such structures as markers of conversation, those bright absolutely specific constructions of oral speech, which give a "color of ease" to oral communication.

References

[1]Bodujen de Kurtenje I.A. Izbrannye trudy po jazykoznaniju. – M.: Izd-vo Akademii nauk SSSR, 1963. – S. 311-325.

[2]Kirov E.F. Jazykovu nuli // Rusistika i komparativistika: sb. nauch. statej. – Vil'n- jus-Moskva: VPU i MGPU. 2007. – S.215-225.

[3]Beloshapkova V.A. Slozhnoe predlozhenie v sovremennom russkom jazyke. – M.: Prosveshhenie, 1967. – 159 s.

[4]Bronskaja A.A. Sintaksicheskie svjazi v bessojuznyh slozhnyh predlozhenijah // Nauchn. dokl. vyssh. shkoly. Filologicheskie nauki. – M., 1975. - № 1. – S. 74-82.

[5]Jung V. Grammatika nemeckogo jazyka. – S.-Pb.: Lan', 1996. – 517 s.

[6]Helbig G., Buscha J. Deutsche Grammatik. Ein Buch für die Ausländer. – Leipzig:

EnzyklopädieVerl., 1974. – S. 559-598.

[7]Gulyga E.V. Teorija slozhnopodchinennogo predlozhenija v sovremennom nemeckom jazyke. – M.: Vysshaja shkola, 1971. – 207 s.

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[8]Kruchinina I.N. Novye tendencii razvitija sovremennoj teorii slozhnogo predlozhenija // Voprosy jazykoznanija. – 1973. – № 2. – S. 111-119.

[9]Kolosova T.A., Cheremisina M.I. O znachimosti ponjatij «sojuznost'» i «bessojuznost'» v tipologii russkih slozhnyh predlozhenij // Slozhnoe predlozhenie: tradicionnye voprosy teorii i opisanija i novye aspekty ego izuchenija. Vyp.1. Materialy nauch. konf. – M.: Russkij uchebnyj centr, 2000. – S. 24-32.

[10]Skrebnev Ju.M. Vvedenie v kollokvialistiku. – Saratov: Izd-vo Saratovsk. un-ta, 1985. – 209 s.

[11]Engel H. Syntaktische Besonderheiten der deutschen Alltagssprache // Gesprochene Sprache. – Düsseldorf, 1974. – S. 199-228.

Analysed sources

[ 1*] Wackernagel-Jollis B. Untersuchungen zur gesprochenen deutschen Standardsprache: Beobachtungen zur Verknüpfung spontanen Sprechens. – Göppingen: Kümmerle, 1971. –

267 S.

[ 2*] Datenbank für gesprochenes Deutsch (DGD), URL: https://dgd.ids-mannheim.de (vremja obrashhenija – 20.02.2018).

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UDC 811.111

GENRE CHARACTERISTICS OF ENGLISH WEB BROWSER TEXT

O.M. Voevudskaya, O.V. Shurlina

____________________________________________________________________________

Voronezh State University

Faculty of Romance and Germanic Philology

Department of Theory of Translation and Intercultural Communication PhD, Dr. habil. in Philology

Oksana M. Voevudskaya e-mail: oxavoev@mail.ru

Voronezh State University

Faculty of Romance and Germanic Philology

Department of Theory of Translation and Intercultural Communication Lecturer

Olga V. Shurlina

e-mail: oshurlina@gmail.com

___________________________________________________________________________

Statement of the problem: The purpose of the presented research is to determine genre features of English web-browser text. According to the purpose the following problems are solved: 1. to identify constitutive characteristics of web-browser as a speech genre; 2. to develop and describe a model of the speech genre "web browser". Research results: The text analysis of the most popular web-browsers Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari for the total of 5214 pages resulted in identifying the speech genre "web browser", formulating its constitutive characteristics, developing and describing the model of the speech genre "web browser".

Conclusion: The English web browser as a speech genre represents the computer mediated instructive text providing the interaction of software developers with users to allow the last to access Internet information resources. The model of the speech genre "web browser" includes the following genre characteristics: the communicative purpose, the sender, the recipient, the initiator of the interaction, feedback between the participants of the interaction, the text structure and language means used to create the web browser text. The obtained data can be used to describe genre characteristics of web-browser text in other languages; to studying other genres of computer mediated communication; to identify text features that are typical for different types of the software.

Keywords: web-browser, speech genre, genre characteristics, computer mediated communication, developer, user, the interface, hypertextuality, multimedial, language means.

For citation: Voevudskaya O.M., Shurlina O.V. Genre characteristics of English web browser text /

O.M. Voevudskaya, O.V. Shurlina // Scientific Journal “Modern Linguistic and Methodical-and- didactic Researches”. – 2018. - №2 (21). – P. 17-28.

Introduction.

In modern linguistics one of the focuses of attention is on functioning of language in various social fields, including the field of information technologies, whose rapid development at the end of the 20th century defined the formation of information society in the 21st century.

Information society has extensive opportunities for receiving and processing information as well as instant access to global and local information resources. In this regard there is a pressing need for studying communication by means of the computer. A web browser is one of its program components. Software resources, including the web browser, may contain data in different forms, however, the text, which is initially created in English according to the adopted language conventions, is a basis of person to person interaction by means of any computer system.

_____________________________________

© Voevudskaya O.M., Shurlina O.V., 2018

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The thought about the use of genre forms in the speech was formulated by M. Bakhtin in 1930-1940s: "Speech genres organize our speech almost the same way as it is organized by grammatical forms. We learn to speak in genre forms, and, while hearing someone else's speech, we guess its genre from the first words, we predict its certain volume (that is the approximate length of speech), its certain structure, we expect the end, that is we feel the whole speech from the very beginning, which is only differentiated in the course of the speech" then [1, pp. 257-258].

M.Bakhtin's ideas are shared by many researchers: T. Anisimova [2], N. Arutyunova [3], A. Vezhbitska [4], St. Gaida [5], V. Goldin [6], V. Dementiev [7], I. Zaslavskaya [8], L. Kapanadze [9], T. Matveeva [10], T. Shmelyova [11] and others. The considerable intensification of genre researches has been observed since the end of the last century till present. The works study and describe different genres – greetings, congratulations, small talks, a compliment, a project application and others. However, we think that genre characteristics of English webbrowser text make a lacuna of such researches.

Research methodology.

The purpose of the present paper is identification and description of genre characteristics of English web browser text.

In the present article the research object is the speech genre "web browser", and the subject – genre characteristics of English web browser text.

In the analysis we used the texts of the most popular English web-browsers for the total of 5214 pages: Google Chrome [1*], Internet Explorer [2*], Mozilla Firefox [3*], Safari [4*].

The main methods of the research became: the method of continuous selection of the examples representing the analyzed language phenomena, the method of the component analysis, the method of the contextual analysis, the method of the linguistic description.

Research results.

In this research we separate the concept "web browser" representing one of the types of application software which is studied in programming from the concept speech genre “web browser” which is implemented in the computer mediated instructive text focusing on the interaction between software developers and users to provide the last with the access to information resources of the Internet.

Unfortunately, the common principle for the analysis of speech genres has not been developed yet. However, researchers offer various models of speech genre description: T. Anisimova [2], A. Vezhbitska [4], N. Lebedeva [12], T. Shmelyova [11] and others.

Taking into account a special type of communication (computer mediated) we have developed our own model to describe genre characteristics of English web browser text. The model includes the following parameters: the communicative purpose, the sender, the recipient, the initiator of interaction, feedback between participants of interaction, the message and its language features (see figure 1):

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communicative purpose

↓

sender

↓

recipient

initiator of interaction, feedback

message

language features

Figure 1. The model of speech genre "web browser".

Let us consider each of these constitutive parameters consistently.

The communicative purpose of the speech genre "web browser" is to give the user necessary information to work with this software. Besides, the user can receive instructions how to work with the web browser effectively. For example, the information about the distinctive characteristics of the web browser Safari is given in the section Learn about features (example 1):

(1)The Best way to see the sites.

The best browser for your Mac is the one that comes with your Mac. Safari is faster and more energy efficient than other browsers, so sites are more responsive and your notebook battery lasts longer between charges. Built-in privacy features help keep your browsing your business. Handy tools help you save, find, and share your favorites. And Safari works with iCloud to let you browse seamlessly across all your devices [4*].

The senders of the web browser text are developers, the authors of technical documentation (technical writers) and professional lawyers. The developers, according to users’ expectations, give names to menu items of the user interface. The authors of technical documentation, whose task consists of conveying the difficult technical information to users precisely and

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briefly, create reference texts. The professional lawyers develop the sections Terms of Service,

Privacy Policy and Legal Notices.

The names of text creators are unknown to users though it is possible to claim that the sender is implied in the web-browser name, which matches the name of the developer company.

As the web browser text addresses the big audience, its recipients are people of different age groups and various level of competence in the area of information technologies.

The following parameters of the model are related to the stages of interaction between the senders and recipients of web browser text, namely to the stage that is preceded this interaction and the one that has to follow it.

The previous stage assumes the initiator of the communication. The developers, putting the web browser on the market, initiate the interaction with users. The subsequent stage means the development of the speech events. The users, accepting the conditions of the web browser use, have an opportunity to customize the web browser text. For example, the user can adjust the web browser interface according to his or her preferences. Besides, the user can express the opinion about web-browser performance, participating in surveys regularly held by the developer companies. For example, after reading the reference texts in the Firefox Help section the users are asked to answer the question affirmatively or negatively (example 2):

(2)Was this article helpful? [3*]

The developers consider the users’ opinions and comments when they update the webbrowser.

Further we will consider how the main or substantial information of the web-browser text is structured.

The structural and substantial components of the English web browser text are statements, interphrase unities (a difficult syntactic whole), fragments (united components of the text) (example 3):

terms. To learn more about s m a r t k e y w o r d s , see How to search IMDB, Wikipedia and more from the address bar [3*].

Each statement in this fragment of the reference text of web browser Mozilla Firefox advances the information step by step, making a start from the previous statement which is shown in the information repetition: web search, search results; search provider; smart keyword, smart keywords.

In example 3 the new information is transferred by the rheme elements of the statement which are the driving force of the information; the thematic elements represent the starting points of the statement, they connect them in a whole and provide the informative, communicative and structural sequence. The information repeats in the thematic elements of the statement in which, according to the rules of creating the text, the complete or partial rheme of the previous statement repeats: rheme 1 defines theme 2, rheme 2 defines theme 3, etc. Thus, the theme and rheme sequence of this fragment of the reference text is achieved which syntactically represents a difficult syntactic whole. The theme and rheme sequence provides communicative and structural coherence of the reference text: the communicative coherence of the text is defined

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by consecutive increase in the information volume; structural – by verbal styling of the thematic sequence and also by the choice of certain syntactic means of communication. As a result, the contents define a form, and the form acquires the contents.

The main constitutive components of the text are its cohesion and coherence.

The structural cohesion of the English web browser text consists of syntagmatic links between the language elements. The lexical recurrence is one of the means of achieving coherence of reference web browser texts (example 4):

(4) If you're seeing pop-up ads that won't go away, or the homepage you set is gone, you may have an unwanted p r o g r a m i n s t a l l e d on your computer. Here are some steps you can take to get rid of this p r o g r a m and block similar ones from getting

i n s t a l l e d in the future [1*].

The coherence of the English web browser text consists of creating united system of the meanings which are present at separate words. The coherence of the reference text can be achieved by means of words repetition which are contained in the name; use of cataphoric and anaphoric markers; certain background knowledge the user has (examples 5-7).

In example 5 the coherence of the reference text is provided by means of words repetition which are contained in the name. These words are the key ones here; they are used to create a complete semantic context where the other words which are situationally connected with the key ones are involved:

(5) D o w n l o a d and I n s t a l l G o o g l e C h r o m e

G o o g l e C h r o m e is a fast, free web browser. Before you d o w n l o a d , you can check if C h r o m e supports your operating system and that you have all the other system requirements [1*].

In example 6 of the reference text of the web browser Google Chrome the typical anaphoric marker is the definite article, and the cataphoric – indefinite:

(6) If you’ve previously created a sync passphrase to encrypt your data, you'll be asked to provide the passphrase when you sign in. If you forget the passphrase, you’ll need to reset sync [1*].

In example 7 we can speak about the reference to some background knowledge: the presupposition isn't expressed in the text directly, but it is meant by the author of the reference text and its user and gives an opportunity to interpret the text adequately:

(7) Export bookmarks from Chrome

1.In the top-right corner of the browser window, click the Chrome menu .

2.Select Bookmarks > Bookmark Manager.

3.Click the "Organise" menu in the manager.

4.Select Export bookmarks [1*].

The structure of the English web browser text is characterized by paragraphs. There are analytical-syntactical, synthetic-analytical and frame paragraphs. For example, the analyticalsynthetic paragraph from Privacy and Copyright Protection section of Google Chrome consists of analytical (explanatory part) and final (generalizing part) components (example 8):

(8) Privacy and Copyright

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Google’s privacy policies e x p l a i n how we treat your personal data and protect your privacy when you use our Services. By using our Services, you agree that Google can use such data in accordance with our privacy policies.

We respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement and terminate accounts of repeat infringers according to the process set out in the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act. We provide information to help copyright holders manage their intellectual property online. I f y o u t h i n k s o m e b o d y i s v i o l a t i n g y o u r c o p y r i g h t s

The paragraph structuring functions logically and semantically and focuses on certain information. Functions can be combined fully or partly. For example, the paragraph structuring in the following reference text from Terms of Service section of Mozilla Firefox focuses on logical and semantic points though at the same time there is an additional emphasis as the paragraph pays attention to the components of the complex syntactic whole (example 9):

(9) Terms of Service 1. I n t r o d u c t i o n

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of Firefox cloud services, a suite of online services provided by Mozilla (the "Services").

2.F i r e f o x A c c o u n t s In order to use the Services, you'll need to create a Firefox Account. During registration, you will be asked to set a password. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for the activity that happens through your Firefox account. Mozilla is not responsible for any losses arising out of unauthorized use of your Firefox account.

3.F e a t u r e s

Firefox Sync lets you access information stored in Firefox across devices, including your tabs, awesome bar, passwords, bookmarks, and browser preferences. You can enable and disable Firefox Sync through the Tools section of Firefox.

…

12. C o n t a c t U s Contact Mozilla at:

Mozilla Corporation Attn: Mozilla – Legal Notices 331 E. Evelyn Ave., Mountain View, CA 94041 [3*].

Further we will consider the language features of the speech genre "web browser".

The English web browser text is multimedial and hypertextual due to its electronic functioning. The multimedia defines the use of verbal and nonverbal means in the web browser text. Examples 10-13 shows the icons used on the homepage of the web browser Google Chrome. When you put the cursor over these icons, you can see instant messages pop up:

(10) (Click to go back, hold to see history)

(11) (Click to go forward, hold to see history)

(12) (Reload this page)

(13) (Bookmark this page) [1*].

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The hypertextuality of the English web browser text is expressed in the use of the separate text elements in the user interface menu and nonlinear reference texts connected with each other by the system of hyperlinks. The hypertext characteristic, for example, of Google Chrome interface enables the user to choose the route and determine the coordinates of his or her search (example 14):

(14) Help > About Google Chrome > Help center > Report an issue [1*].

If you choose, for example, the option About Google Chrome, then you can go to the links Get help with using Chrome or Report an issue. If you choose the option Get help with using Chrome, then you can see Welcome to the Chrome Help Center page. This page has such options as Popular Articles, Get started with Google Chrome, Personalize your Chrome, Search the Web and others.

The multimedia and hypertextuality of the English web browser text defines the use of certain language means. While writing the web browser text we consider the standards and requirements that are stated in the Style Guide created by the developer company.

The recommendations stated in the Style Guide cause creating the English web browser text containing information which is new for the user by its contents and form. However, the language choice for the user is predictable as high-informative texts demand from the addressee considerable cognitive efforts to interpret the text adequately. The developers and authors of technical documentation have to convey difficult technical information precisely and briefly. Therefore, the web browser text is characterized by easy processing that defines its efficiency. The form and contents of the text are easy as in this case the text processing speed increases. The text does not contain deep meanings. Otherwise the addressee will need extra time to interpret it.

The language means English web browser text are described according to their specific use at the lexical and grammatical levels.

The lexical level of the English web browser text is characterized by the use of:

• Terms.

In example 15 the terms tab, address bar and window are used to nominate the corresponding elements:

(15) Move a t a b into a new w i n d o w

Click and drag the t a b away from the a d d r e s s b a r and into another w i n d o w . The t a b should pop in automatically. You can also pull the t a b out into its own, new w i n d o w [1*].

• Common vocabulary`.

The understanding of the language should not cause difficulties for users, which explains the frequent use of common vocabulary. In example 16 the word suggestion means "an idea, plan, or possibility that someone mentions, or the act of mentioning it":

(16) Get s u g g e s t i o n for spelling errors

You can get smarter spell-checking s u g g e s t i o n s by sending the text you type into the browser to Google's servers. To turn on s u g g e s t i o n s , right-click inside the text field that you're typing in and select Spell-checker options > Ask Google for s u g g e s t i o n s

[1*].

• Emotional vocabulary (in Terms of Service and error messages).

The use of emotional vocabulary in error messages helps the users perceive the text in a habitual figurative way and facilitates their perception. In example 17 the message Oh, no! ap-

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