THE SEMANTICS OF RACIAL EPITHETS.

The article presents an analysis on how racial epithets works as derogatory expressions and as semantic strategy. Racial epithets conveys derogatory content towards their subjects. The two competing strategies for explaining how epithets work include the semantic and the pragmatic. An analysis is pr...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Journal of Philosophy Vol. 105; no. 8; pp. 416 - 441
Autor principal: Hom, Christopher
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Journal of Philosophy Inc. Aug2008
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:The article presents an analysis on how racial epithets works as derogatory expressions and as semantic strategy. Racial epithets conveys derogatory content towards their subjects. The two competing strategies for explaining how epithets work include the semantic and the pragmatic. An analysis is presented on the combinatorial externalism, a semantic account of various purposes of epithets. It is argued that the semantic strategy conveys that the derogatory content of an epithet is part of its literal meaning. Racial terms used for Chinese people and African-Americans are examined.