Wortbildung in Verschwörungstheorien: Diskursmorphologische Zugänge zu heterodoxem Wissen

Sören Stumpf

Abstract

This paper provides an insight into the study of word formation in transtextual discourses. It discusses the state of research and presents two approaches for discourse-linguistic examination of word formations using conspiracy theories. The first case study on conspiracy theories related to the 2016 Berlin Christmas market attack shows how corpus linguistic queries for morphemes can be used to identify word formation patterns that serve to construe a narrative that deviates from knowledge shared in society. The second case study on chemtrails illustrates that word formations occur in the context of argumentation patterns that are used to make conspiracy theories convincing. Word formations can thus also be indicators of argumentation topoi. Overall, the case studies show that word formations are used in conspiracy theories to doubt orthodox knowledge on the one hand and to present heterodox knowledge as more trustworthy on the other. Word formations are therefore involved in the construction of social, collective knowledge. Overall, the paper argues for a stronger inclusion of word formation in linguistic discourse analysis.

Keywords: Wortbildung, Diskursgrammatik, Diskursmorphologie, Verschwörungstheorien,
Korpuslinguistik, Argumentationsmuster