METAPHORICAL MODELS OF HEADLINES IN UKRAINIAN AND ENGLISH JOURNALISM

Abstract

The article focuses on the study of metaphor, which is an important cognitive and linguistic strategy for generating meanings in modern media discourse. Metaphor is regarded not just as a stylistic form of imagery but also as a tool for conceptualising reality, reflecting the linguistic community’s unique national perspective, cultural values, and social experience. The article compares metaphorical models in English and Ukrainian media speech. Particular attention is paid to the investigation of the functioning of metaphors in journalistic texts and media headlines, where they perform not only expressive but also cognitive, argumentative, and pragmatic roles. Metaphors are actively utilised to understand sociopolitical events, shape public opinion, and impact audience perceptions of information. The basic forms of metaphors seen in current media discourse are identified, including anthropomorphic, naturalistic, and artifactual metaphors that build certain mental models of reality. According to the study, the English and Ukrainian languages share and differ in their use of metaphorical models. The commonality stems from the universality of human experience and the comparability of cognitive thinking mechanisms. At the same time, the distinctions are linked to the cultural, historical, and linguistic characteristics of each national community. Metaphors relating to nautical themes and worldwide sociopolitical processes are more common in English, but Ukrainian metaphors are more typically drawn from natural, agrarian, historical, and cultural images. The findings demonstrate that metaphor is a ubiquitous cognitive tool that plays a significant role in shaping the language picture of the world, organising human experience, and communicating complex meanings. The study contributes to a better knowledge of how metaphors function in different languages and can be applied to future linguistic, translation, and linguodidactic research.