Page 408 - Handbooks of Applied Linguistics Communication Competence Language and Communication Problems Practical Solutions

386 Martin Reisigl

National Socialists. Ariel Muzicant was engaged both in the critique and warn-
ing of the FPÖ’s participation in the government and in the negotiations about
the restitution. In his polemic speech, Haider insulted Muzicant as follows:

Mister Ariel ((0.5 sec)) Muzicant. ((1.0 sec)) I don’t understand at all how ((1.0 sec)
if someone is called Ariel [he] can have so much dirt sticking to him ((fervent ap-
plause and beginning laughter)) this I really don’t understand, but ((Haider looks
below at his manuscript)) I mean ((2 sec of applause and laughter)) this is another
thing. 7 sec of applause, during which Haider seizes a beer mug standing at the
((
desk before him and takes a swig))
((Transcript of an extract of the TV news Zeit im Bild 2 (Time in Pictures 2) of
March 1, 2001; underlining stands for stressing))
[Der Herr Ariel ((0.5 sec)) Muzicant. ((1.0 sec)) I versteh überhaupt net, wie ((1.0
sec)) wonn ana Ariel haßt, so viel Dreck am Steckn haben kann ((starker Applaus
und Lachen setzen ein)) des versteh i überhaupt net, oba ((Haider blickt nach unten
auf das Manuskript)) i man ((2 sec langer tosender Applaus und Lachen)) des is a
ondere Soche. ((7 sec lang anhaltender Applaus, während dessen Haider zum Bier-
krug greift, der vor ihm auf dem Podium steht, und einen Schluck Bier trinkt))]
For those among the primary, secondary and tertiary audience who have a re-
spective historical background knowledge, Haider’s criminalizing insult of
Muzicant bears high allusive potential of coded antisemitism. Within the spe-
cific context, Haider’s slur alludes to at least four prejudiced predications dis-
criminating against Jews, viz. (a) the stereotype of “the Jewish traitor to the Fa-
therland.”, (b) the stereotype of “the Jew as criminal world conspirator against
Austria”, (c) the stereotype of “the dirty, impure Jew” and (d) the stereotype of
“the business-minded, tricky, fraudulent, criminal Jew”. In addition, some of the
Jewish listeners and readers of the secondary and tertiary audience associated
Haider’s offense with the historically unproven assertion that National Social-
ists processed bodies of murdered Jews in order to make soap. These recipients
argued that Haider metaphorically transformed Jews once again into soap.
Haider expresses the stereotypes (a) and (b) in the speech sequence immedi-
ately preceding the quotation. He claims in this “pre-sequence” that Muzicant
had a share of the responsibility for the so-called “sanctions” against Austria
and sent a letter with the World Jewish Congress “throughout America” (please
note the exaggerating intensification) in which he stated that Jews were again in
dire straits and had to leave Austria. In order to vividly and persuasively con-
struct his insinuating assertion that Muzicant would complain about a growing
antisemitism in Austria, Haider makes use of pseudo-authentic direct speech.
He puts the following words into Muzicant’s mouth: “Now we must already col-
lect, because our fellow citizens are again being badgered and must leave Aus-
tria. [Jetzt müssen wir schon sammeln, weil unsere Mitbürger sind wieder be-
drängt und müssen Österreich verlassen.]” A syntactic indicator for the fact that
this perspectivation strategy recurs to fictitious quotation is the word order in