Language, Politics, and Identity: an Interdisciplinary Investigation of Modern Political Discourse

Abstract

The present article discusses an interdisciplinary approach to the study of political discourse using the example of linguistic and political science studies into the mani-festation of national identity in the speeches of German politicians. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that it is the first to consider the use of an interdisciplinary approach in the analysis of professional discourse by specialists from different scientific fields. The purpose of the work is to show how an interdisciplinary approach is implemented in the study of political discourse by linguists and political scientists. Both studies were carried out using the empirical material of 60 texts of public speeches by leading German politicians (Heiko Maas, Sigmar Gabriel, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Angela Merkel, Olaf Scholz, and Ursula von der Leyen) at international and national events such as the Munich Security Conference, the UN General Assembly, and in government statements. Both studies used general scientific methods (description, analysis, continuous sampling method), as well as quantitative content analysis (political scientists) and statistical methods of the chi-squared test and Cramér’s V (linguists). The use of these methods led both research groups to approximately the same conclusions: German politicians tend to avoid emphasizing ethnic identity in their speeches on the international agenda, which is reflected in their language choices. The analysis by linguists of culture-bound elements with the help of the chi-squared test showed that the elements of non-German realities predominate in the speeches. The content analysis carried out by political scientists revealed that leading German politicians tend not to demonstrate their national identity, giving priority to positioning Germany as a member of the EU and NATO.