The article considers metaphors related to the conceptual sphere “Inanimate Nature” as a means of representation of cyber threats in modern English-language media discourse. As a result, it has been determined that cyberspace can be represented as metaphorical model “Virtual Environment Is Inanimate Nature”. In the analysed texts, it contains the following frames: “Water”, “Environmental Pollution”, “Seasons”, “Landscape”. The most com mon nominations of this metaphorical model are hydronyms, comprising 86% (107 contexts of use) of all the illustrative examples and making up frame “Water” which consists of the slots: “Movement of Water”, “Forms and States of Water”, “Aquatic Fisheries”, “Water-related Activities”. The most frequently used lexemes are leak and phish-ing/ fishing. The majority of the metaphors of this frame have a negative connotation and are employed to represent such threats as illegal disclosure or theft of personal data, flooding websites with traffic or false information. Many metaphors of this frame have preserved their expressiveness and are exploited to emphasize the intensiveness of the action. Frames “Environmental Pollution”, “Landscape” and “Seasons” are inferior to frame “Water” in terms of the number of the language units comprising it, together making up 14% of all the examples. The specific features of the phenomena of inanimate nature explain the reasons for metaphorical transfer as they coincide with man’s conception of the various kinds of cyber threats and their negative consequences. The research shows that the most common way to intensify the expressiveness of the metaphors in question is by making them a part of extended metaphor. The scientific novelty of the study lies in carrying out focused study and identifying the most productive ways of metaphorical representation of cyber threats in modern English-language media discourse. The research is of practical significance as its findings can be applied in teaching stylistics, lexicology, cognitive and cultural linguistics.
Anna Aleksandrovna Savchenko (Thu,) studied this question.