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{{Redirect|Name slur |other uses of slur |Slur (disambiguation)}} |
{{Redirect|Name slur |other uses of slur |Slur (disambiguation)}} |
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A '''pejorative''' word, phrase, '''slur''', or '''derogatory term''' is a [[word]] or grammatical form expressing a negative or |
A '''pejorative''' word, phrase, '''slur''', or '''derogatory term''' is a [[word]] or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of [[respect]] toward someone or something.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pejorative |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pejorative |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321023104/https://www.dictionary.com/browse/pejorative |archive-date=Mar 21, 2016 |access-date=2012-04-25 |publisher=Dictionary.com}}</ref> It is also used to express [[criticism]], [[hostility]], or disregard. Sometimes, a term is regarded as pejorative in some social or ethnic groups but not in others or may be originally pejorative but later adopt a non-pejorative sense (or [[List of Latin phrases (V)#vice versa|vice versa]]) in some or all contexts. |
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==Etymology== |
==Etymology== |
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In [[historical linguistics]], the process of an inoffensive word becoming pejorative is a form of [[semantic drift]] known as '''pejoration'''. An example of pejoration is the shift in meaning of the word ''[[wiktionary:silly|silly]]'' from meaning that a person was happy and fortunate to meaning that they are foolish and unsophisticated.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Horobin |first=Simon |date=March 31, 2021 |title=Five words that don't mean what you think they do |url=http://theconversation.com/five-words-that-dont-mean-what-you-think-they-do-158102 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405221608/https://theconversation.com/five-words-that-dont-mean-what-you-think-they-do-158102 |archive-date=April 5, 2021 |access-date=2021-04-05 |website=The Conversation |language=en}}</ref> The process of pejoration can repeat itself around a single concept, leaping from word to word in a phenomenon known as the [[euphemism treadmill]], for example as in the successive pejoration of the terms ''bog-house'', ''privy-house'', ''latrine'', ''water closet'', ''toilet'', ''bathroom'', and ''restroom'' (US English).<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-11|title=Ableist Language and the Euphemism Treadmill|publisher=Cambridge University Press|url=http://www.cambridgeblog.org/2020/08/ableist-language-and-the-euphemism-treadmill/|access-date=2021-04-06|language=en|first=Karen|last=Stollznow}}</ref><ref name="Bell 1953">{{cite book|last=Bell |first=Vicars Walker |title=On Learning the English Tongue |year=1953 |publisher=Faber & Faber |quote=The Honest Jakes or Privy has graduated via Offices to the final horror of Toilet. |page=19}}</ref> |
In [[historical linguistics]], the process of an inoffensive word becoming pejorative is a form of [[semantic drift]] known as '''pejoration'''. An example of pejoration is the shift in meaning of the word ''[[wiktionary:silly|silly]]'' from meaning that a person was happy and fortunate to meaning that they are foolish and unsophisticated.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Horobin |first=Simon |date=March 31, 2021 |title=Five words that don't mean what you think they do |url=http://theconversation.com/five-words-that-dont-mean-what-you-think-they-do-158102 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405221608/https://theconversation.com/five-words-that-dont-mean-what-you-think-they-do-158102 |archive-date=April 5, 2021 |access-date=2021-04-05 |website=The Conversation |language=en}}</ref> The process of pejoration can repeat itself around a single concept, leaping from word to word in a phenomenon known as the [[euphemism treadmill]], for example as in the successive pejoration of the terms ''bog-house'', ''privy-house'', ''latrine'', ''water closet'', ''toilet'', ''bathroom'', and ''restroom'' (US English).<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-08-11|title=Ableist Language and the Euphemism Treadmill|publisher=Cambridge University Press|url=http://www.cambridgeblog.org/2020/08/ableist-language-and-the-euphemism-treadmill/|access-date=2021-04-06|language=en|first=Karen|last=Stollznow}}</ref><ref name="Bell 1953">{{cite book|last=Bell |first=Vicars Walker |title=On Learning the English Tongue |year=1953 |publisher=Faber & Faber |quote=The Honest Jakes or Privy has graduated via Offices to the final horror of Toilet. |page=19}}</ref> |
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When a term begins as pejorative and eventually is adopted in a non-pejorative sense, this is called ''melioration'' or ''amelioration''. One example is the shift in meaning of the word ''[[wiktionary:nice|nice]]'' from meaning a person was foolish to meaning that a person is pleasant.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nordquist |first=Richard |date=3 October 2019 |title=Amelioration (word meanings) |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/amelioration-word-meanings-1689082 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118133056/https://www.thoughtco.com/amelioration-word-meanings-1689082 |archive-date=Jan 18, 2021 |access-date=2021-04-06 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en}}</ref> When performed deliberately, it is described as [[reclaiming|reclamation]] or [[reappropriation]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Brontsema|first=Robin|date=2004-06-01|title=A Queer Revolution: Reconceptualizing the Debate Over Linguistic Reclamation|journal=Colorado Research in Linguistics|volume=17|issue=1|doi=10.25810/dky3-zq57|issn=1937-7029|quote=Linguistic reclamation, also known as linguistic resignification or reappropriation, refers to the appropriation of a pejorative epithet by its target(s).}}</ref> Examples of a word that has been reclaimed by portions of the community that it targets is ''[[queer]]'', [[faggot]] and [[Dyke (slang)|dyke]] which began being re-appropriated as a positive descriptor in the early 1990s by activist groups.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Perlman|first=Merrill|date=2019-01-22|title=How the word 'queer' was adopted by the LGBTQ community|url=https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/queer.php|access-date=2021-07-12|website=Columbia Journalism Review|language=en}}</ref> However, due to its history and – in some regions – continued use as a pejorative, there remain LGBT individuals who are uncomfortable with having this term applied to them.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Druhan|first=Colin|date=2019-03-06|title=Our complicated relationship with the term queer|url=https://inmagazine.ca/2019/03/our-complicated-relationship-with-the-term-queer/|access-date=2021-07-12|website=IN Magazine|language=en}}</ref> The use of the [[racial slur]] ''[[nigger |
When a term begins as pejorative and eventually is adopted in a non-pejorative sense, this is called ''melioration'' or ''amelioration''. One example is the shift in meaning of the word ''[[wiktionary:nice|nice]]'' from meaning a person was foolish to meaning that a person is pleasant.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nordquist |first=Richard |date=3 October 2019 |title=Amelioration (word meanings) |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/amelioration-word-meanings-1689082 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118133056/https://www.thoughtco.com/amelioration-word-meanings-1689082 |archive-date=Jan 18, 2021 |access-date=2021-04-06 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en}}</ref> When performed deliberately, it is described as [[reclaiming|reclamation]] or [[reappropriation]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Brontsema|first=Robin|date=2004-06-01|title=A Queer Revolution: Reconceptualizing the Debate Over Linguistic Reclamation|journal=Colorado Research in Linguistics|volume=17|issue=1|doi=10.25810/dky3-zq57|issn=1937-7029|quote=Linguistic reclamation, also known as linguistic resignification or reappropriation, refers to the appropriation of a pejorative epithet by its target(s).}}</ref> Examples of a word that has been reclaimed by portions of the community that it targets is ''[[queer]]'', [[faggot]] and [[Dyke (slang)|dyke]] which began being re-appropriated as a positive descriptor in the early 1990s by activist groups.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Perlman|first=Merrill|date=2019-01-22|title=How the word 'queer' was adopted by the LGBTQ community|url=https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/queer.php|access-date=2021-07-12|website=Columbia Journalism Review|language=en}}</ref> However, due to its history and – in some regions – continued use as a pejorative, there remain LGBT individuals who are uncomfortable with having this term applied to them.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Druhan|first=Colin|date=2019-03-06|title=Our complicated relationship with the term queer|url=https://inmagazine.ca/2019/03/our-complicated-relationship-with-the-term-queer/|access-date=2021-07-12|website=IN Magazine|language=en}}</ref> The use of the [[racial slur]] ''[[nigger]]'' (specifically the [[Nigga|-''a'' variant]]) by [[African Americans]] is often viewed as another act of reclamation, though much like the latter in the LGBT movement, there exists a vocal subset of people with Sub-Saharan African descent that object to the use of the word under any circumstances.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Higson|first=Rachel|date=2017-09-28 |title=Considering the N-Word: To Reject or Reclaim? |url=https://www.prindleinstitute.org/2017/09/considering-n-word-reject-reclaim/ |access-date=2023-03-12|website=Prindle Institute|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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*[[Dysphemism]] |
*[[Dysphemism]] |
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*[[Fighting words]] |
*[[Fighting words]] |
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*[[Graphic pejoratives in written Chinese]] |
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*[[Insult]] |
*[[Insult]] |
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*[[Judgmental language]] |
*[[Judgmental language]] |
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Latest revision as of 23:26, 8 November 2024
A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something.[1] It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a term is regarded as pejorative in some social or ethnic groups but not in others or may be originally pejorative but later adopt a non-pejorative sense (or vice versa) in some or all contexts.
Etymology
[edit]The word pejorative is derived from a Late Latin past participle stem of peiorare, meaning "to make worse", from peior "worse".[2]
Pejoration and melioration
[edit]In historical linguistics, the process of an inoffensive word becoming pejorative is a form of semantic drift known as pejoration. An example of pejoration is the shift in meaning of the word silly from meaning that a person was happy and fortunate to meaning that they are foolish and unsophisticated.[3] The process of pejoration can repeat itself around a single concept, leaping from word to word in a phenomenon known as the euphemism treadmill, for example as in the successive pejoration of the terms bog-house, privy-house, latrine, water closet, toilet, bathroom, and restroom (US English).[4][5]
When a term begins as pejorative and eventually is adopted in a non-pejorative sense, this is called melioration or amelioration. One example is the shift in meaning of the word nice from meaning a person was foolish to meaning that a person is pleasant.[6] When performed deliberately, it is described as reclamation or reappropriation.[7] Examples of a word that has been reclaimed by portions of the community that it targets is queer, faggot and dyke which began being re-appropriated as a positive descriptor in the early 1990s by activist groups.[8] However, due to its history and – in some regions – continued use as a pejorative, there remain LGBT individuals who are uncomfortable with having this term applied to them.[9] The use of the racial slur nigger (specifically the -a variant) by African Americans is often viewed as another act of reclamation, though much like the latter in the LGBT movement, there exists a vocal subset of people with Sub-Saharan African descent that object to the use of the word under any circumstances.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Pejorative". Dictionary.com. Archived from the original on Mar 21, 2016. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
- ^ "Pejorative (adj.)". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ Horobin, Simon (March 31, 2021). "Five words that don't mean what you think they do". The Conversation. Archived from the original on April 5, 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
- ^ Stollznow, Karen (2020-08-11). "Ableist Language and the Euphemism Treadmill". Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
- ^ Bell, Vicars Walker (1953). On Learning the English Tongue. Faber & Faber. p. 19.
The Honest Jakes or Privy has graduated via Offices to the final horror of Toilet.
- ^ Nordquist, Richard (3 October 2019). "Amelioration (word meanings)". ThoughtCo. Archived from the original on Jan 18, 2021. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
- ^ Brontsema, Robin (2004-06-01). "A Queer Revolution: Reconceptualizing the Debate Over Linguistic Reclamation". Colorado Research in Linguistics. 17 (1). doi:10.25810/dky3-zq57. ISSN 1937-7029.
Linguistic reclamation, also known as linguistic resignification or reappropriation, refers to the appropriation of a pejorative epithet by its target(s).
- ^ Perlman, Merrill (2019-01-22). "How the word 'queer' was adopted by the LGBTQ community". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
- ^ Druhan, Colin (2019-03-06). "Our complicated relationship with the term queer". IN Magazine. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
- ^ Higson, Rachel (2017-09-28). "Considering the N-Word: To Reject or Reclaim?". Prindle Institute. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
Further reading
[edit]- Croom, Adam M. (2011). "Slurs". Language Sciences. 33 (3): 343–358. doi:10.1016/j.langsci.2010.11.005.
- Croom, Adam M. (2014). "Remarks on 'The Semantics of Racial Slurs'". Linguistic and Philosophical Investigations. Vol. 13, no. 1. pp. 11–32.
- Croom, Adam M. (January 2014). "The Semantics of Slurs: A Refutation of Pure Expressivism". Language Sciences. 41, Part B: 227–242. doi:10.1016/j.langsci.2013.07.003.
- Henderson, Anita (Spring 2003). "What's in a Slur?". American Speech. Vol. 78, no. 1. Project MUSE. pp. 52–74.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Pejoratives at Wikimedia Commons- "Pejorative Language". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
