The Metaphorical Construction of Immigration: Bulgaria’s Image in The Sunday Times (2004-2015)

Abstract

This paper aims to expose the cognitive and linguistic mechanisms employed by the The Sunday Times (ST) in the metaphorical construction of immigration to the UK and its implications for the discursive construction of Bulgaria’s image by the newspaper. The object of analysis is the ST’s coverage of Bulgaria through the prism of immigration in the period 2004-2015, examined by applying the critical cognitive-pragmatic discourse analysis as a major analytical tool. The major assumption held is that a stereotype of Bulgaria as a threat is reinforced against the background of an overall shift in the UK public and official attitudes toward migration: from tolerant multiculturalism towards a predominantly negative view of migration. The findings in the study largely confirm this thesis.