THE IMAGE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION: METAPHORS OF CHANGE
The article analyzes the ways of creation of verbal images of the European Union that is in need of reformation. To reach the goal we used cognitive analysis of conceptual metaphors used in the reconstruction of the image of Europe (and the EU) in British mass media: the texts from the leading British magazines and newspapers were chosen, including «The Economist», «The Spectator», «The Financial Times», «The Guardian» and «The Independent» of 2017-2018. Communicative strategies employed by the journalists to create the media image of Europe were identified with the help of discourse analysis. The authors of media texts use the strategies of argumentation and threatening in an attempt to prove the urgency of reformation of the EU showing the possible changes with the help of protectionist, spatial, gastronomic and mechanical metaphors. The scenario of wait-and-see attitude is also possible, but it is criticized with the help of the strategy of argumentation. To emphasize how inconvenient the new role for Europe is, anthropomorphic metaphor is frequently used. Spatial metaphor represents Europe in the form of “concentric circles” pointing out at the three levels of integration. Pessimistic scenarios of the European future are constructed (Europe committing suicide, Europe as Islamic empire, Europe as a decomposing continent). The analysis makes it possible to conclude that metaphors help journalists to portray the complicated processes taking place in one of the largest political and economic entities of the modern world - the European Union; they form certain images and stereotypes in the minds of the readers.