A lexicographic approach to slurs in Uruguayan Spanish
Abstract
The goal of this paper is to explore the analysis of slurs (linguistic expressions which are used to express a pejorative attitude towards a person as a part of a group) from a lexicographic approach. Such an approach takes into account some of the philosophy of language current debates with respect to slurs in order to enlighten its possible consequences in the elaboration and analysis of dictionaries. Based on Pullum (2018), and his appropriation of the distinction between semantic information and metadata, we analyze the Diccionario del Español del Uruguay (DEU, 2011) with regards to six lexical entries which correspond to social classes slurs. The primary results show a non-homogeneous management of the criteria to differentiate net semantic content from other relevant information which are linked to the actual use and depend upon the context of the lexical item. This paper, which is an outcome of an interdisciplinary effort to understand the use of slurs, marks a first step towards de lexicographic and linguistic study of slurs, an issue in Spanish that has not received much attention yet.
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References
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