Search

The presented thesis examines lexical and pragmatic instruments used by the leading newspaper in Germany during the Second World War, the Völkischer Beobachter. The objective is to determine the importance of the choice of lexical and pragmatic instruments and the communication strategy applied to influence readers. The targeting of readers by the press is illustrated by descriptions of the political climate and specific historical events. The thesis links language, history and wartime politics. By drawing on academic literature, the author describes the historical context preceding the Second World War, focusing on political events and press bans. Selected key wartime events are linked to linguistic analysis. The National Socialist ideology, led by Adolf Hitler, assists in demonstrating the origins of the typical features of National Socialist language. The newspapers themselves, Völkischer Beobachter, and selected linguistic and pragmatic phenomena are also described. The selected examples were chosen on the basis of a search in the Völkischer Beobachter and subsequent analysis. The linguistic analysis consists of a lexicological classification into linguistic devices of emotionality, expressivity, metaphor, metonymy and idiomatic expressions. The pragmatic devices as communication strategies and...