Fernseh- und Video-Ansprache als bevorzugte Textsorte der Coronapandemie: Argumentationskategorien, Nominationsverfahren und prosodische Gestaltung. (Television addresses and video talks as preferred text type of the corona pandemic: Argumentation forms, nomination procedures and prosodic design)

This paper provides an analysis of communicative functions und argumentation forms of a text type which has experienced a radical upswing in 2020’s political communication: television addresses or video talks. From the beginning of the pandemic European Heads of State and Government have been frequently employing this means of communication to inform citizens about the measures against the spread of the virus as well as to appeal to abide by the rules. Through the analysis of the video clip “Corona-Appell”, which was published in the official podcast of the Federal Chancellor in October 2020, this contribution will focus on the most striking communicative and argumentative strategies that Angela Merkel makes use of to appeal to Germans’ reason and discipline to face the pandemic. Particular attention will be paid to the description of the argumentation forms and to their verbal as well as non-verbal coding.