On the Possibilities and Limits of Historical Discourse Analysis. The Case of the Second Disputation of 1523

The usefulness of discourse-analytical procedures to the reconstruction of historical facts & events is assessed as the second disputation between Huldreich Zwingli & the representatives of the Zurich Anabaptists held in Oct 1523 (Huldriech Zwinglis Samtliche Werke [Huldreich Zwingli's...

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Published in:Zeitschrift fuÌr Germanistik 1990-04, Vol.11 (2), p.147-161
Main Author: Enninger, Werner
Format: Article
Language:ger
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Summary:The usefulness of discourse-analytical procedures to the reconstruction of historical facts & events is assessed as the second disputation between Huldreich Zwingli & the representatives of the Zurich Anabaptists held in Oct 1523 (Huldriech Zwinglis Samtliche Werke [Huldreich Zwingli's Collected Works], Egli, E., & Finsler, G. [Eds], Zurich, 1908) is examined. It is concluded that discourse analysis is an instrument of only limited value to historical studies, as the quality of historical sources (protocols, acts) prevents the full application of conversational analysis. It is argued that historical documents are not objective transcripts suitable to discourse analysis, but crude testimonies usually containing prejudiced reports & biased interpretation. N. Struever's optimism regarding the potential of discourse analysis as a tool in historical studies ("Historical Discourse" in Handbook of Discourse Analysis. Volume 1: Disciplines of Discourse, Van Dijk, T. A. [Ed], London, 1985) is not shared. 23 References. Z. Dubiel
ISSN:0323-7982