A Word Which Bears a Sword: Inquiries into Pejoratives

Pejoratives, in particular bad epithets for ethnic, racial and gender groups, are a hot topic in philosophy of language. What does it mean when you call someone a “nigger” or a “whore”? This book proposes an original account of the meaning of pejoratives, connecting them to other terms for social groups and kinds. It also discusses their negative ethical and political aspects, and their role in face-threatening, offending and derrogating. It can be of interest to readers dealing with lingustics, semantics and pragmatics, as well as to a wider circle of people interested in hate speech, discourse ethics and issues of justice and equality.