ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors aim at identifying the most pertinent terms relating to corruption and at quantifying how frequently they are employed in contemporary newspaper discourse. They measure the relative importance of each term towards the others and point out parallels and differences in the make-up of the "terminological tool kits" and their connotative width available for dissecting corruption phenomena in English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. The authors address the changing levels of attention accorded to the topic in major newspapers. Newspaper coverage of corruption in all countries is dominated by two core terminological concepts: one is represented by more generic, morally charged and connotatively broader terms including the English term "corruption," while the second group is rather focused on transactions such as the English term "bribery." The identification of key concepts in the discourses to be targeted is an important preliminary step before setting up public campaigns or planning strategies for the prevention and elimination of corruption.
