To express the strongest human emotions such as anger, people often choose to use hurtful language and expressions. The words chosen in this context can be extremely powerful and possess the power to hurt and inflict very strong emotional responses followed by violent disagreement. Although strong emotions that could cause people to be detrimental are part of our daily life, so far little has been done to investigate how humans use language to cause offense and be impolite.
This study investigates how teenagers realize insults as responses to initial insults within different situations with a special focus on gender differences. Who uses more counter-insults throughout and within different situations where social distance is varied? Which realization strategies are used by whom? It will be further inspected whether the target’s gender to which the counter-insult is presented, has any effect on the participants’ counter-insult behavior.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Theoretical Background
- Defining Insults
- Realizing insults
- Methodology
- Instrument
- Informants
- Data Collection Procedure
- Coding Scheme
- Results
- Frequency of Counter-Insult Strategies
- Counter-Insult Strategies and their Targets
- Discussion
- Conclusion
Objectives and Key Themes
This study investigates how teenagers realize insults as responses to initial insults within different situations, with a particular focus on gender differences. It aims to determine who uses more counter-insults across and within different situations with varied social distances, identify the realization strategies used by different participants, and examine the impact of the target's gender on the counter-insult behavior. The study will analyze whether female and male students use varying amounts of counter-insults and strategies depending on the initial insult's context, the insulter's social distance, and the gender of the insulter.
- The realization of counter-insults as responses to initial insults
- Gender differences in the use of counter-insults
- The impact of social distance on counter-insult behavior
- The influence of the insulter's gender on counter-insult strategies
- The role of context in understanding and responding to insults
Chapter Summaries
- Introduction: The introduction provides an overview of the study's motivation and aims, highlighting the gap in research on how humans use language to cause offense and respond to impolite communication, particularly focusing on insults and counter-insults. The study's focus on teenagers and gender differences in this context is also presented.
- Theoretical Background: This chapter delves into the theoretical framework surrounding insults and impoliteness, starting with a discussion of different impoliteness theories. It then focuses on defining insults as speech acts and how they can be realized, providing a foundation for understanding the study's concepts.
- Methodology: This chapter outlines the methodology employed in the study, detailing the instrument, informants, data collection procedure, and coding scheme used to investigate the research questions.
- Results: The results chapter presents the key findings of the study, focusing on the frequency of counter-insult strategies and their relation to various factors, such as social distance and the gender of the target.
Keywords
The key terms and focus topics explored in this study include: counter-insults, impoliteness, insults, realization strategies, gender differences, social distance, teenagers, discourse completion task, and theoretical frameworks.
Frequently Asked Questions about Counter-Insults among Teenagers
How do teenagers typically respond to insults?
Teenagers often use counter-insults as a way to respond to initial insults, using various linguistic strategies to inflict emotional responses or defend their social status.
Are there gender differences in counter-insult behavior?
Yes, research investigates whether male or female students use different amounts of counter-insults or vary their strategies based on the gender of the person they are responding to.
How does social distance affect verbal aggression?
The frequency and intensity of insults and counter-insults often vary depending on the social distance between the speakers, such as whether they are friends or acquaintances.
What are realization strategies in the context of insults?
Realization strategies refer to the specific linguistic choices and speech acts used to deliver an insult or a counter-insult effectively within a given context.
Why is the study of impoliteness important?
Studying impoliteness helps us understand how humans use language to cause offense, manage conflict, and navigate social hierarchies in daily life.
What methodology is used to collect data on insults?
Common methods include Discourse Completion Tasks (DCTs), where participants are asked to provide written responses to hypothetical insulting situations.
- Quote paper
- Katja Grasberger (Author), 2018, "Now take out the trash you pasty peasant". How Texan High School Students Realize Counter-Insults, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/497954
