Abstract
Abstract In Swiss media, one can easily find statements that evaluate consensus and compromise positively and present them as typical of Switzerland. At first glance, these statements seem to fit perfectly with the assessments of numerous political scientists, according to whom Switzerland is a prime example of a consensus democracy. This article explores the characteristics of contemporary political discourses on consensus and compromise in Switzerland and identifies the underlying political concepts of ‘consensus’ and ‘compromise’ by use of methods from discourse analysis and conceptual history. These methods are applied to dictionaries and digital corpora covering media, parliamentary, and government language usage in Switzerland. Whenever possible, corresponding German data are also analyzed for comparison. The analysis shows that Swiss political discourses on consensus and compromise are characterized by linguistic patterns that cannot be found in corresponding German discourses to the same extent. These results strongly suggest a connection between the political discourses on consensus and compromise, the respective concepts, and the elements of consensus democracy in the Swiss political system, a finding which has various potential applications.
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