The Asian hornet is an insect species that is invasive to Europe, having been introduced into France some 20 years ago. It is often found in Southern England in the summer months and, in recent years, has been spreading north across the UK although it is not yet fully established. In this work-in-progress talk, I present some initial linguistic patterns found in an 80,000 word corpus of UK national media reports on the Asian hornet. In particular, I explore how the discourse of invasive species biology legitimises a representation of the Asian hornet as an animal that is dangerous and determined, and whose behaviours constitute a grotesque environmental spectacle that is as fascinating as it is unwelcome.

Meet the speaker

Dr Olivia Knapton, Senior Lecturer in Linguistics

Olivia is a qualitative discourse analyst whose work primarily focuses on people’s experiences of mental health and the body, and communication about the natural world. She is a member of the Centre for Language, Discourse and Communication, and teaches across the undergraduate and postgraduate linguistics programmes within the School of Education, Communication and Society.