The irony in the newspapers (on the material of the British press)

Introduction
Every jou
alist has his own style of writing. Trying to gain the definite stylistic effects the jou
alist uses the different stylistic means.
The stylistic makes use of different phenomena from lexicology, grammar and phraseology. But the stylistic doesn’t study the elements of language, it studies their expressive potential in the text. In other words, the stylistic studies their stylistic function.
The stylistic function is considered as the expressive potential of the interaction of the language means in the text.
The stylistic considers the language means’ expressive features and consequently their role in the influence on the reader.
Our work is devoted to the stylistic device of the irony. The aim of our work is to reveal the main stylistic means used by the jou
alists in the newspapers’ comments.
The aim has defined the next tasks:
1. To give the definition of the term “irony”
2. To reveal the main stylistic functions of the irony.
3. To make the analysis of the newspapers' comments.
The subject of this work is very actual. To our mind there are two reasons of it:
1. The comments in mass-media became very popular in last years. For example, in Russia there is a very popular TV program named “However” («Однако» in Russian version) with its constant director Mikhail Leontyev. The British mass-media is not an exception.
2. The comments are very often accompanied by the irony
The work consists of introduction, two chapters and conclusion.
In the first chapter we give the common information about the irony.
The second chapter is the practical one. It represents the immediate research including the analysis the newspapers’ comments. The comments are taken from the British press (the newspapers The Times and Guardian). Describing the means by which the irony is gained, we made use of the work by the linguist Pokhodnya S.I. («Языковые виды и средства...

Conclusion
We have studied the theoretical works about the irony and made our own analyze.
We came to the conclusion that the irony is a figure of speech by means of which a word or words (it may be a situation) express the direct opposite of what their meanings denote, thus we often say “how clever!” when a person says or does something foolish. Irony shows the attitude of the author towards certain facts or events.
The main meaning in all given definitions of the irony is the same – the discrepancy between what one says or does, and what one means or what is generally understood.
The irony is largely mentionned in the works orf the ancient Greek philosophers. Even the word “irony” itself originates from the Greek word eironeía which means hypocrisy, deception, or feigned ignorance.
There have been always a question what is the main aim of the irony.
Platon considered the irony as a mocking which is aimed to fight for justice.
The brightest carrier of such irony was Socrat.
There is also the irony in the art. This irony has the name “the irony of fate”. The expression “the irony of fate” stems from the notion that the gods are amusing themselves by toying with the minds of people. In the stories “The Gift of the Magi” and “The Chief of the redskins” written by well-known author O’Henry the irony of fate is very well showed.
The practical part of our work was represented by the analyzis of the newspapers’ comments.
The newspaper is the means to persuade and to inform. The newspaper is for the mass audience. Usually people read the newspapers in the conditions when it is very difficult to concentrate: in the bus or train, during the breakfast etc. Thus, the information in the newspaper must be organized by way to communicate it quickly and make the emotional influence on the reader.
There are many proper names in the newspapers: toponyms, the titles of the establishments and organisations. There are also many cardinals and dates.
There are also...