THE IMPORTANCE OF HEADLINES IN IMAGE-BUILDING OF EUROPE IN MASS MEDIA DISCOURSE OF THE USA AND GREAT BRITAIN

Abstract

This article reports the results of a contrastive study of the impact that headlines have on the image-building of Europe in mass media discourse of the USA and Great Britain. The role and functions of headlines are considered in communication and information exchange; their linguistic peculiarities are analyzed in connection with the image of Europe that they create in American and British mass media. The obtained results enables to draw the following conclusions. First, the headlines of certain largest American and British newspapers and magazines are aimed at forming the negative image of Europe. Second, the linguistic image of Europe in the American press is more vivid and emotional than that in the British one due to the fact that British journalists use much less linguistic and stylistic means than their American colleagues.