The Impact Factor of the Language of Czechoslovak Normalization: A Study of the Seminal Work, <em>Poučení z krizového vývoje ve straně a společnosti po XIII. sjezdu KSČ</em>

This article employs a corpus-driven discourse approach to analyse the language of the canonical official interpretation of the Prague Spring, Poučení z krizového vývoje ve straně a společnosti po XIII. sjezdu KSČ. The study argues that Communist rhetoric reduced language to a ‘coded’ ideological ritual, which largely achieved its two intended perlocutionary effects: to re-educate its readers and to satisfy the political demands of the Soviet leadership. It further suggests that the text points to the importance of social stability and a quiet life (to get on with one's work) as two of the principal leitmotifs of the normalization era.University of Wolverhampto