Functions of dialectal insertions in headlines and headliners (based on the example of the regional press of southern Germany)

The aim of the study is to identify the dialectal means through which the attractive and other secondary functions are realized in headlines and headliners from articles of regional newspapers. The scientific novelty is determined by the combination of linguopragmatic and linguocultural approaches to defining the functions of dialectal insertions in the print media of southern Germany. Based on the analysis of pragmatically significant elements of articles (more than 50 headlines and headliners) from regional and municipal newspapers as well as other information portals published between 2014 and 2021, the study examines how insertions of Bavarian and Swabian-Alemannic dialects are used in contrast to Standard German to attract the attention of the target audience. The results of the research showed that the attractive function of headlines and headliners is realized through wordplay (paronomasia, polysemy) using dialect, invectives, collocational errors, phonetic and lexical dialectisms indicating the traditions of southern Germany, regional communication formulas, and reminiscences. These also serve secondary purposes — marking the region of narration and target audience, demonstrating the regional origin of the article’s protagonist, reflecting the author’s opinion, as well as expressing pride in one’s native land.