Racist Language in Society and in Dictionaries: A Pragmatic Perspective

Abstract

After a reference in the Introduction to action by pressure groups against derogatory language used by the speech community when referring to particular social groups or social convictions, mention is made of various unprotesting social groups. The whole of section 2 is devoted to a discussion of racist language in society. Seven different categories are illustrated with examples from various languages. The important question of how racist language should be handled in dictionaries is examined in section 3. Examples of protests by ethnic pressure groups are given, followed by a wide-ranging discussion of subjects such as the inclusion or exclusion of racist lexical items, definitions and usage labels of racist items, and the utilization of usage examples of racist items with definientia. Where applicable, suitable definitions and effectual usage labels are suggested.

Problems in Defining Ethnicity Terms in Dictionaries

“…We also commented on the pros and cons of the customised approach to some ethnicity terms used in a small number of the dictionaries we examined. Having analysed the case of a few ethnicity and ethnicity-related terms in a Montenegrin dictionary and the public reaction which followed its publication, we concluded the same thing as Hauptfleisch (1993) and Burchfield (1980): editors and lexicographers should be very cautious in how they define and label ethnicity and ethnicity-related terms. As we have seen, sometimes rudimentary definitions will not suffice, while at other times lack of standardisation will create problems.…”

“…A judge also ruled in the favour of the publisher of the Van Dale dictionary, which included some negative expressions regarding Jews, as reported by Hauptfleisch (1993). As Burchfield, he also concludes that such situations make editors more aware of the sensitivity of some terms and more cautious in how they handle them, which is a positive thing.…”

“…This may take the form of an organised protest against the definitions and labelling of some derogatory terms, and also against the very inclusion of some lexical items that have offensive connotations. Hauptfleisch (1993) further gives a brief history of such public outcries. An often-cited essay is that of Burchfield (1980), who had edited the Oxford English Dictionary for thirty years, about his experiences following the publication of the definitions of some senses of the ethnic terms such as Jew, Palestinian and Pakistani in the Concise Oxford Dictionary.…”

De masones, sodomitas, herejes y comunistas: las minorías en la historia de la lexicografía monolingüe española

“…En relación con las minorías étnicas, los trabajos de Ivo Buzek son especialmente interesantes para conocer la evolución de la imagen de la etnia gitana como "sociedad marginal" en los diccionarios de español a través de sus aportaciones a la historia crítica de la lexicografía gitano-española (Buzek 2010(Buzek , 2011a(Buzek , 2011b. El racismo en los diccionarios ha sido y sigue siendo un tema que ha suscitado el interés de la investigación lexicográfica (Hauptfleisch 1993). En este sentido, y en el ámbito hispánico, además de los trabajos de Buzek que ya hemos citado, Forgas Berdet, Calero y Lledó (2002) ya se dirigen al análisis de la presencia del racismo en el discurso lexicográfico y, algo más interesante todavía, a la repercusión de las representaciones étnicas estereotipadas en la enseñanza.…”

Afrikaans, American and British Models for South African English Lexicography: Racial Label Usage

“…The WAT has good reason for concern. Racially provocative language in Afrikaans dictionaries has historically caused many problems for their publishers, resulting in boycotts and book burnings (Hauptfleisch 1993) and protests from academics (e.g., Links 1991). Historically, the WAT used racist metalanguage in its definitions, for example, using the offensive term kaffer in definitions of compound terms like Kafferhond, which was defined in a 1968 volume of the WAT as "Dog belonging to a Kaffu" (Hauptfleisch 1993: 126).…”