ENGLISH PEJORATIVE LANGUAGE AND ITS TRANSLATION FEATURES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31861/gph2025.855-856.175-187Keywords:
offensive vocabular, pejoratives, invectives, obscenisms, verbal aggressionAbstract
The paper reviews the conceptual and terminological field related to offensive vocabulary of limited usage and to the identification of semantic and pragmatic distinctions between such linguistic categories as pejorative, invective, and obscenity. The study is relevant due to the absence of a clear unified classification of this type of vocabulary in both Ukrainian and international humanities scholarship, which leads to terminological polysemy and hinders the accurate analysis of verbal aggression, emotionality, and ethical markers in speech.
The study includes a review of works by Ukrainian (Tkachivska, Stavytska, Bilokonenko, Kulchytska, etc.) and foreign linguists (Finkbeiner, Castroviejo, Popa-Wyatt, Liviu, etc.), which made it possible to systematize existing approaches to the definition, functions, and semantics of offensive vocabulary. It has been established that pejorative vocabulary represents the broadest category, encompassing lexical units with negative connotation that are not necessarily aimed at directly insulting the addressee. Invective, unlike pejorative, is characterized by an intentional orientation toward humiliation or aggressive expression, whereas obscenisms constitute a subclass of tabooed vocabulary that lies beyond socially acceptable norms of communication.
The importance of context in the actualization of pejorative meaning, which allows for distinguishing between absolute and relative pejoratives, is taken into special consideration. The article also offers a generalized classification of pejorative vocabulary based on the criterion of contextual application, which is of practical value for further research in translation studies.
The findings confirm the necessity of developing a unified terminological system for the study of offensive vocabulary, particularly in the translation of literary discourse, where such vocabulary plays an essential role in constructing the sociolinguistic and cultural authenticity of the text.
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