STERYEOTYPING, RECLEMATION AND REPRESENTATIONS Flashcards
how do words become pejorative
by being used against others and then gains popularity in society
how can language be reclaimed
the group it was used against pushes away from the negative meaning
why would language need to be reclaimed
because they can become too offensive to be used in society
what is ethnic representation
terms used to label non-white groups and the weakness of those used to label white
sexuality representation
labels are often used to mark out those who differ from the norms of society
lexical asymmetry
two words that should have the same meaning but don’t (eg. wizard and witch, bachelor and spinster)
semantic degradation
when lexical items have negative connotations and meaning associated with them
metonym
similar to a metaphor, substitutes one usually related idea for the thing its representing (calling a car a whip)
synecdoche
literary device that uses a part of something to represent the whole of something to represent a part of it (referring to power or authority as a ‘crown’)
overt marking
shows markedness through the modification of marked expressions using affixation (actor and actress)
covert marking
where one is seen as the norm and the other deviant (career woman never career man)
examples of marked terms
- mistress
- waitress
- lioness
examples of unmarked terms
- master
- waiter
- lion
generic pronouns
the historic use of gendered nouns and pronouns to encompass both genders
