Accurate expression is the foundation of effective communication, as it influences both the clarity of the message and the way in which it is understood by the recipient. In a society where we are daily exposed to vast amounts of information from various media, linguistic precision becomes crucial, especially in news reporting. News articles do not merely convey facts; through the choice of linguistic means, they also construct an interpretative framework that shapes readers’ understanding of events as well as their opinions and attitudes.
In this master’s thesis, I examine the use of the passive voice in Slovene and German journalistic texts, focusing on its frequency and structure. The aim of the study is to identify differences and similarities in passive usage between the two languages and to recognise characteristic patterns determined by the linguistic and stylistic norms of each language. In the theoretical section, I provide a comprehensive overview of journalistic language, including text typology and the classification of journalistic genres. I also analyse the verb voice in both languages in detail and summarise the challenges in distinguishing between the passive voice and stative constructions, while also highlighting grammatical errors in the Slovene reflexive passive (slo. trpnik s se).
In the empirical section, I analyse a selected corpus of ten journalistic texts in each language, distinguishing in German between the eventive passive (nem. Vorgangspassiv) and the stative passive (nem. Zustandspassiv), and in Slovene between the participial passive (slo. trpnik z deležnikom na -n/-t) and the reflexive passive (slo. trpnik s se). The analysis is conducted according to parameters such as verb person and number, tense, the presence of an agent, occurrence in main or subordinate clauses, the use of modal verbs, verbal aspect, and fixed expressions. Special attention is paid to the incorrect use of the accusative case in the Slovene reflexive passive.
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