Der Slogan als zentrale Profilierungsaussage : Eine Analyse am Beispiel der Landtagswahl 2008 in Bayern

Sammanfattning: Abstract   The aim of the thesis is a political-linguistic analysis of slogans used during the 2008 election campaign to the Landtag of Bayern. The purpose of this analysis is to establish whether political slogans represent each party’s profile and in what way. What do the potential voters learn about the parties from their slogans? How do the slogans differ among the parties? What issues are raised in them? How are they used in a political battle? In the theoretical part of the thesis, the word slogan is defined and characterized from a linguistic point of view. The function of political slogans is presented, as well as the role of slogans in political communication. In addition, the first part introduces the criteria of political slogan analysis compiled by Monika Toman-Banke and explains the role and procedure of the Landtag elections 2008 in Bayern, Germany. The empirical part is devoted to the analysis of political parties, such as: die Christlich-Soziale Union (CSU), die Freie Demokratische Partei (FDP), die Grünen, die Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD), die Freien Wähler, die Republikaner und die Linke. The following thesis proves that political slogans, more or less direct, convey a lot of information about the profile of a given political party. Moreover, it is easy to distinguish what issues are important to which party. The topics of the slogans in the 2008 Landtag elections did not differ much from the previous election. Most of the parties concentrated on weakening the CSU’s power and the willingness to revive the political scene in Bayern, which meant criticizing the CSU and the political situation in Bayern.