2.1 History of the method Political discourse analysis – which will henceforth be referred to as 'PDA' – strives to establish itself as a balanced mix between linguistic analysis and political comment. It is a recent cross-discipline related to discourse studies, more precisely to critical discourse analysis, and political science. Nonetheless, PDA's roots go back to antiquity on which it built and drew inspiration from, as well as from the many studies developed in the interval.
2.1.1 Evolution in the study of politics and/in language It is a universally acknowledged fact that politics and discourse go hand in hand and it could even be argued that politics can only be conducted through discourse. Thus, it is no surprise that the study …show more content…
Another prominent figure that associated language to politics – more precisely the political potential of language – is of course George Orwell. His research and writings, influenced by World War II and early Cold War propaganda, still resonate to this day. For instance, in his article “Politics and the English language” (1969) Orwell argues about the ways language can be used to manipulate thoughts and explains that “political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible” (1969: 225), this thesis is at the core of most, if not all, political discourse analyses.
Orwell's preoccupations are linked to the politicians' responsibility in the general decline of the English language, notably caused by the “political gobbledygook2”. Manipulation of language in itself is not Orwell's primary issue but the intent behind it is what draws his concern, i.e. the population being denied the truth by politicians who try to conceal the negative within particular formulations. All of these aspects are further developed in his dystopian novel …show more content…
Burkhardt.
2.1.2 Politolinguistik (Political linguistics) Politolinguistik is very closely connected to PDA. The definition R. Wodak and R. de Cillia (2006) give in their article dealing with the evolution of Politics alongside Language is a clear indicator of that fact.
“'Political linguistics' (Politolinguistik) is an attempt to integrate scientific research dealing with the analysis of political discourse into an academic discipline” (2006:707).
The term 'Politolinguistik' was officially coined by Armin Burkhardt in 1996. However, the phenomenon finds its origins in the German-speaking area in the wake of National Socialism. Indeed, the discipline was partly built on the critical linguistic research conducted by Klemperer (1947) and Sternberger et al. (1957) on National Socialist discourse. Yet, at the time, these studies were deemed inadequate from the perspective of linguistic theory. Consequently a new methodological approach was constructed in the 1960s that employed various linguistic sub-disciplines such as text linguistics, media research, pragmatics,
2.1.1 Evolution in the study of politics and/in language It is a universally acknowledged fact that politics and discourse go hand in hand and it could even be argued that politics can only be conducted through discourse. Thus, it is no surprise that the study …show more content…
Another prominent figure that associated language to politics – more precisely the political potential of language – is of course George Orwell. His research and writings, influenced by World War II and early Cold War propaganda, still resonate to this day. For instance, in his article “Politics and the English language” (1969) Orwell argues about the ways language can be used to manipulate thoughts and explains that “political speech and writing are largely the defence of the indefensible” (1969: 225), this thesis is at the core of most, if not all, political discourse analyses.
Orwell's preoccupations are linked to the politicians' responsibility in the general decline of the English language, notably caused by the “political gobbledygook2”. Manipulation of language in itself is not Orwell's primary issue but the intent behind it is what draws his concern, i.e. the population being denied the truth by politicians who try to conceal the negative within particular formulations. All of these aspects are further developed in his dystopian novel …show more content…
Burkhardt.
2.1.2 Politolinguistik (Political linguistics) Politolinguistik is very closely connected to PDA. The definition R. Wodak and R. de Cillia (2006) give in their article dealing with the evolution of Politics alongside Language is a clear indicator of that fact.
“'Political linguistics' (Politolinguistik) is an attempt to integrate scientific research dealing with the analysis of political discourse into an academic discipline” (2006:707).
The term 'Politolinguistik' was officially coined by Armin Burkhardt in 1996. However, the phenomenon finds its origins in the German-speaking area in the wake of National Socialism. Indeed, the discipline was partly built on the critical linguistic research conducted by Klemperer (1947) and Sternberger et al. (1957) on National Socialist discourse. Yet, at the time, these studies were deemed inadequate from the perspective of linguistic theory. Consequently a new methodological approach was constructed in the 1960s that employed various linguistic sub-disciplines such as text linguistics, media research, pragmatics,