Around the project

The project aims to research the question of how conspiracy theories (VT) are constructed with and via language as social reality. It does not merely serve to confirm a paradigm of linguistic discourse theory and linguistic pattern analysis. It aims to make a necessary contribution that complements existing research on VT and, by focusing on the aspect of language that has so far been excluded, to contribute to an urgently needed and more comprehensive understanding of VT. To this end, the rhetorical strategies, specific linguistic means and practices that are characteristic of talking about alleged conspiracies and that are intended to make VT plausible are examined. The project thus contributes to a linguistic-communicative elucidation by showing how language is used in VT to create beliefs. Different VTs are examined in contrast in order to arrive at generalizable results. The project thus conducts important basic research on VT in German-speaking countries. The knowledge gained can serve as a starting point for further studies, e.g. comparative language studies.

The following concrete research questions arise from these content-related objectives for a discourse linguistic approach:

1. What linguistic means and practices are used to construct conspiracy theory knowledge?
2. How is recognized reality referred to linguistically?
3. How is one's own version of reality linguistically legitimized as the correct one?
4. What linguistic means and practices are used to question and reinterpret the official version or integrate it into the conspiracy theory system of beliefs?
5. Can linguistic patterns be identified that are constitutive of VT? If so, which linguistic patterns are typical and specific to a particular VT? Are there linguistic patterns across conspiracy theories that are constitutive for VT? Are there linguistic characteristics that occur singularly, and if so, what functions do these have?