Hughes Political Correctness

A History of Semantics and Culture
1. Auflage 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4443-1497-7
Verlag: John Wiley & Sons
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 336 Seiten, E-Book

Reihe: The Language Library

In this carefully researched, thought-provoking book, GeoffreyHughes examines the trajectory of political correctness and itsimpact on public life. Focusing on the historical, semantic,and cultural aspects of political correctness, it will intrigueanyone interested in this ongoing debate.
* A unique and intriguing journey through the trajectory ofpolitical correctness and its impact on public life, focusing onthe historical, semantic, and cultural aspects of what PCmeans
* Explores the origins, progress, content and style of politicalcorrectness, discussing and analyzing around one hundred terms andlexical formations, from Chaucer and Shakespeare, Marlowe andSwift, to nursery rhymes, rap and Spike Lee films, David Mamet, J.M. Coetzee and Philip Larkin
* Offers a detailed semantic analysis of the way that key wordshave been exploited both to advance the agendas of politicalcorrectness and to refute them

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hughes, Geoffrey

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface viii
Acknowledgments xii
Epigraphs xiii
Part I Political Correctness and its Origins 1
Chapter 1 Defining Political Correctness 3
Chapter 2 The Origins and the Debate 60
Part II The Semantic Aspect 85
Chapter 3 Words and Authorities: Dictionaries and Lexicographers87
Chapter 4 The Evolution of the Word Field 106
Part III Zones of Controversy 113
Chapter 5 Issues of Race, Nationality, and Difference 115
Chapter 6 Agendas Old and New 178
Part IV Cultural and Historical Issues 215
Chapter 7 Political Correctness in the Past 217
Chapter 8 Culture 236
Conclusion: The Right Thing to Do? Progressive Orthodoxy, EmptyConvention or Double Standard? 283
Bibliography 298
Author and Subject Index 309
Word Index 317

Über Autor(innen)

Geoffrey Hughes graduated from Oxford, was an Honorary Research Associate at Harvard, and is Emeritus Professor of the History of the English Language at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He is the author of An Encyclopedia of Swearing (2006), A History of English Words (Wiley-Blackwell, 2000), Swearing: A Social History of Foul Language, Oaths and Profanity in English (1998), and Words in Time (1988). He is currently Honorary Research Associate at the University of Cape Town.