The headline complex of a creolized media text: the right to be called a text (based on the German press)

The aim of the research is to identify the specific features of the categorical attributes of creolized media texts. The article examines approaches to the definition of “text” in a broad linguistic sense, the evolution of this definition that occurred at the end of the last century, and the correlation between the attributes of the classical text category and the creolized media text of the headline complex. The research material consists of creolized media texts from high-quality German newspapers. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that, for the first time, based on creolized media texts from the high-quality German press, it identifies categorical features unique to polycode texts in print media. As a result of the study, it was established that all standard attributes of verbal text are inherent in creolized media texts; however, due to the presence of different sign systems that must be coordinated with one another, each attribute manifests more complexly, exhibiting several distinctive features. The headline complex of a creolized media text does not always demonstrate the attribute of dividability, as it may consist of a single sentence or even a single word. Cohesion and semantic coherence are revealed through the degree of creolization between verbal and non-verbal components. The completeness of the studied text type is expressed by the presence or absence of an “information resource” resulting from the interaction of different semiotic systems.