Wahlkampf-Rhetorik inmitten einer globalen Krise
Election Campaign Rhetoric amid a Global Crisis

Summary/Abstract: Language can exert power. Through language, one can explain different opinions, express emotions, and even manipulate or hurt others. Political language is a powerful means of persuasion, manipulation, and justification of one’s worldview. This paper examines election campaign rhetoric in Germany, Croatia, and the United States. The study applies conversation analysis according to Bendel Larcher (2015), focusing on the following aspects: (1) voice and body, (2) processuality and interactivity, (3) contextual reference and audience orientation, and (4) self- and other-positioning. The aim of this paper is to identify similarities and differences between German, Croatian, and English based on examples from televised election debates. The following research questions are addressed: How do politicians behave in debates with regard to voice and body? How are the debates moderated? How do politicians interact with one another? How do they position themselves and others? Are there any cross-linguistic differences? The analysis reveals considerable differences in communication and behavior among politicians. Gestures are used most frequently in the Croatian debate, while emotional expressions dominate in the English one. All debates are moderated, yet interruptions occur more often in the German and Croatian ones. The topics are predetermined; however, Croatian politicians tend to use their speaking time to introduce additional viewpoints. Questions and topics are mostly addressed directly, with the exception of Trump, who avoids answering some questions. In the German debate, moderators use affirmation more frequently, whereas disagreement, positive and negative evaluation, and insistence are more prominent in the Croatian and English debates. Verbal aggression appears in all debates, but insults in the Croatian one are notably more direct and aggressive.

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