Functions of Italics in the Article by N.M. Karamzin Historical memories and remarks on the way to the Trinity (1802)

Abstract

The paper examines the features of using italics in the article by N.M. Karamzin “Historical memories and remarks on the way to the Trinity”, published by him in 1802 in the journal “Messenger of Europe”. It has been established that the text contains 25 fragments using italics, and in most cases words and phrases that are different parts of the sentence are highlighted in italics. Analysis of the material allowed us to identify two main functions of italics. The first of them is associated with the introduction of a “non-author word” into the text, which may belong to one of the established types: the introduction into the text of a nomination previously unknown to the author and/or reader; use of archaisms and author's neologisms; indication of precedent texts; quoting narrative fragments and direct speech that go back to the texts of other authors. The second function is associated with focusing the reader’s attention on communicatively significant parts of the text, while the words on which phrasal stress falls are most often highlighted. It has been found that in most cases, italics allows both of these functions to be achieved simultaneously. Correlation of the features of the use of italics in the considered journalistic article and the poetic works of N.M. Karamzin, studied by I.M. Borisova, made it possible to establish significant differences in the functional load of this graphic tool, associated primarily with the genre of the texts.