Lifesaver for the Economy or Threat From the East? The Ukrainians in the Headlines of “Gazeta Wrocławska” Website

Abstract

The aim of the article was to examine how a regional portal tells the stories about the Ukrainian migrants living in Lower Silesia. The objective of the research was the articles with the headlines in which the lexeme “Ukrainian” is present. The chronological scope covered media statements published on www.gazetawroclawska.pl in 2019. The previous research on the linguistic image of an Ukrainian in the Polish language led to the conclusion that Polish-Ukrainian relations are strongly historically conditioned and often inscribed in a three-part opposition: an Alien – Other – A Local boy. As a result of content analysis, typical headline constructions were decoded, announcing texts about Ukrainians on the website of “Gazeta Wrocławska”. The dominant functions of headlines, the linguistic means used there, the lemmas with the highest frequency and the stereotypes were determined. Referring to the issue of familiarity and foreignness and noticing the ethno-stereotypes about the Ukrainians in the analysed media messages, a diversified image of Ukrainian migrants was reestablished – presented as victims, a threat but also an opportunity.

Keywords

• image
• familiarity
• gazeta wrocławska
• headline
• foreignness
• ukrainians