If you call an English person ‘a mole’ will it carry the same weight as if you call a German person ‘ein Maulwurf’? The power of insults that are based on the names of animal species can vary quite dramatically across different languages and cultures. Prof. Dr. Dagmar Schmauks who is a supernumerary professor at […]
Tag: insult
Jocular mockery (and mock impoliteness)
If someone Tweeted that you had a “face like monkfish genitalia” would you phone your legal team? Or LOL and tell everyone about it? [* see note below] That could depend on your enthusiasm (or otherwise) for ‘Jocular Mockery’. Which, along with its close cousin ‘Mock Impoliteness’ is examined by Professor Michael Haugh (of the […]
Originally considered an insult
“Regularly Ig Nobel awards ceremony for the curious scientific studies were originally considered an insult, today they mostly proudly awards (recently including our domestic scientists). Analysis of mortality individual chess pieces and related research by this award could aspire too.” —from the article “Kdo přežije?” in the January 12, 2015 issue of Hospodářské Noviny, [machine-translated […]