John Benjamins Publishing Company
A multi-act perspective on slurs
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Abstract
This paper proposes a semantic interpretation of slurs based on a multi-speech act theory. According to this perspective, when a speaker utters a sentence containing a slur, he or she performs two different speech acts, one of which, following Searle’s taxonomy, is an expressive one. Therefore, slurs have two semantic components, the first being identical with the intension and extension of the corresponding neutral term. The second is an expressive speech act by means of which the speaker expresses derogation and denigration towards the class of individuals designated by the neutral component. This interpretation is in line with those theories which regard slurs as having a mixed semantics. However, unlike these theories, in this proposal slurs are not regarded as a type of conventional implicature.
Abstract
This paper proposes a semantic interpretation of slurs based on a multi-speech act theory. According to this perspective, when a speaker utters a sentence containing a slur, he or she performs two different speech acts, one of which, following Searle’s taxonomy, is an expressive one. Therefore, slurs have two semantic components, the first being identical with the intension and extension of the corresponding neutral term. The second is an expressive speech act by means of which the speaker expresses derogation and denigration towards the class of individuals designated by the neutral component. This interpretation is in line with those theories which regard slurs as having a mixed semantics. However, unlike these theories, in this proposal slurs are not regarded as a type of conventional implicature.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- What is pejoration, and how can it be expressed in language? 1
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Pejoration in different linguistic domains
- Pejorative prosody 21
- How do evaluative derivational meanings arise? A bit of Geforsche and Forscherei 41
- Quantification with pejoratives 75
- Pejoration, normalcy conceptions and generic sentences 103
- Demonstrative pejoratives 119
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Pejoration, slurring and sarcasm
- Slurring as insulting 145
- A multi-act perspective on slurs 167
- The meaning and use of slurs 187
- Pejoration via sarcastic irony and sarcasm 219
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Pejoration in different linguistic contexts
- Pejoration in contact 243
- Bla, bla, bla in German. A pejorative construction? 269
- Pejoratives in Korean 301
- Pejorative aspects attributed to hearing people in signed constructed dialogue 325
- Index 355
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Preface vii
- What is pejoration, and how can it be expressed in language? 1
-
Pejoration in different linguistic domains
- Pejorative prosody 21
- How do evaluative derivational meanings arise? A bit of Geforsche and Forscherei 41
- Quantification with pejoratives 75
- Pejoration, normalcy conceptions and generic sentences 103
- Demonstrative pejoratives 119
-
Pejoration, slurring and sarcasm
- Slurring as insulting 145
- A multi-act perspective on slurs 167
- The meaning and use of slurs 187
- Pejoration via sarcastic irony and sarcasm 219
-
Pejoration in different linguistic contexts
- Pejoration in contact 243
- Bla, bla, bla in German. A pejorative construction? 269
- Pejoratives in Korean 301
- Pejorative aspects attributed to hearing people in signed constructed dialogue 325
- Index 355
