Abstract This paper examines reported speech as a key linguistic feature in three German-language newspapers from 1740 to 1835: the Berlinische Nachrichten von Staats- und gelehrten Sachen , Hamburgischer Correspondent , and Wiener Zeitung . Through the analysis of a self-compiled corpus of 198,006 words and 1,666 instances of reported speech, two key trends emerge: the increasing use of direct speech, often linked to objectivity, and the rise of explicitly identified sources. These trends are most prominent in the Wiener Zeitung , which by 1835 adopted direct speech and identifiable sources as dominant practices thus aligning with the Enlightenment ideal of transparency that shaped the press from the end of the 18th century. The Berlinische Nachrichten and Hamburgischer Correspondent , on the other hand, displayed more gradual shifts, retaining higher instances of indirect speech and anonymous sources. The paper explores potential explanations for these divergent developments, considering factors such as editorial practices, censorship, and regional media influences, highlighting the interplay between linguistic change and socio-historical contexts.
Lucia Assenzi (Tue,) studied this question.
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