SYNTACTIC FEATURES OF MODERN ENGLISH CUSTOMS DOCUMENTS

Abstract

The article analyzes the peculiarities of the syntax of texts of English customs documents. The authors reveal the specifics of the syntactic structures of the questionnaire parts of the texts of the complex of official customs documents. In particular, the attention is focused on the analysis of examples of application of such structures in the text of the customs document. Some ways of reductions of syntactic constructions are shown that is necessary for acceleration of work with such documents at stages of customs clearance of the goods, service of passengers at border crossing. It was found that in the format of the customs document there are permanent components and those that are filled by the recipient, such as variable fragments. The study revealed that the fixed components act as a theme and the variables as a rhyme. At the moment of filling in the official document, the established and variable parts are presented in the mind of the addressee as a variant of the syntactic combination, which is analogous to the sentence, with the omitted syntactic element – the predicate. The authors propose to consider these syntactic constructions as a thema-rhyme structure. In the course of work some examples of application of such constructions are considered and analyzed. It is established that the variable components may be insignificant and represent only certain personal or quantitative characteristics that are required for the implementation of the customs process. The analysis of the syntactic structures of a set of English-language customs documents also showed the presence of some structures with a multicomponent rhyme. The use of such syntactic fragments is intended to maximize the collection of information within a small English-language official document. The study of the syntax of the question segments revealed the presence of adjectives in the established parts in the postposition to the defined word. It is established that such expressions are an abbreviated modification of the contracted attributive and act in this form for a concise presentation of information. Customs documents are tended to collect and transmit information for the needs of customs and this fact becomes the basis for the formation of a definite structure with specific syntactic patterns.