IL PARTITO DELL’AMORE E IL PARTITO DELL’ODIO. ANALISI LINGUISTICA DEL CONFLITTO POLITICO NELL’ITALIA DELLA SECONDA REPUBBLICA

ORRU', PAOLO

2013-01-01

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Abstract

The most relevant aspect of political communication in Italy during the Second Republic has been the high level of conflict between parties. The so-called politichese went through a radical simplification when politicians introduced original formulae to reconnect with the electorate. Silvio Berlusconi brought in modern marketing strategies, which he applied to develop a communication style based upon the fight against his opponents and the dualism between the feelings of love and hate. At the same time Umberto Bossi, leader of the Northern League, provided citizens with a mirror image of themselves by using a vulgar and violent vocabulary and regionalist claims. On the other hand, left wing parties tried to adapt to this changed situation by attacking directly Berlusconi and delegitimizing his actions in every possible way. Some new and very interesting communicative personalities, such as Nichi Vendola, Antonio Di Pietro and Beppe Grillo, recently emerged. Some linguistic choices that led to the creation of a permanent state of conflict have been analyzed in this article: references to military vocabulary and to medical terminology, the use of crude expressions and foul language, the adoption of language to convey feelings of fear and danger, the employment of irony and derision techniques. The aim of this essay is to fill a vacuum in several other studies about political language, which have mostly focused on the different nuances of politichese though generally disregarding the particular aspect of conflictual communication.