Speaking Migration: How Populists and Institutions Frame the Same Issue

Radoslav ŠTEFANČÍK 

https://doi.org/10.53465/JAP.2025.9788022552806.557-564

 

Abstract: In populist discourse, migration is generally presented as an undesirable phenomenon, and migrants as a threat. This is also how Slovak populist parties present migration. If populists come to power, their rhetoric may change. This text deals with the creation of migration policy at a time when populists are part of the governing coalition. My reasoning assumes that the language of policy differs from that of politics. While the language of politics contains various emotionally charged expressions, similar means of expression are absent from the language of policy. I attempt to verify this assumption by analyzing the outputs related to the formation of Slovak migration policy. While the language of politics is emotionally charged and its main purpose is to persuade, the language of policy is factual and informative.

Keywords: migration, migration policy, administration, language, populism, Slovakia

Fulltext: PDF

Language of the paper: English

Online publication date: 23 December 2025

Pages: 557 – 564

 

ISBN: 978-80-225-5280-6 (online), 978-80-225-5279-0

ISSN: 2729-8973 (online), 2729-8981

Publisher: Bratislava University of Economics and Business, Vydavateľstvo Ekonóm

 

How to cite this conference proceedings paper (APA 7^th Edition):

Štefančík, R. (2025). Speaking Migration: How Populists and Institutions Frame the Same Issue. In R. Štefančík (Ed.), Jazyk a politika. Na pomedzí lingvistiky a politológie X (pp. 557–564). Vydavateľstvo Ekonóm. https://doi.org/10.53465/JAP.2025.9788022552806.557-564