Curs, crabs, and cranky cows: Ethological and linguistic aspects of animal-based insults

dc.contributor.authorSchmauks, Dagmar
dc.date.accessioned2017-11-30T10:20:10Z
dc.date.available2017-11-30T10:20:10Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.descriptionDieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.de
dc.descriptionThis publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.en
dc.description.abstractOur attitude towards animals is highly inconsistent. Linguistic evidence of this is the many animal names that we use for characterizing other humans. Although terms like “beastly” draw a clear dividing line between mankind and the animal kingdom, we also see numerous similarities across species and coin expressions such as “eagle eyes” or “ostrich policy.” A treasure trove for such comparisons can be found in animal-based insults with which we mock the appearance or behavior of others. Based on English and German examples, this contribution intends to give some ethological reasons for the fact that we choose specific animals for insulting humans. As this topic has not yet been widely explored, the result can only be a general overview, combining ethological and linguistic aspects. There are many expressions preferably used in “joshing,” but the never-ending creation of new expressions is proof of human creativity.en
dc.identifier.eissn0037-1998
dc.identifier.issn1613-3692
dc.identifier.urihttps://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/7237
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-6513
dc.language.isoen
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
dc.subject.ddc400 Sprache
dc.subject.ddc410 Linguistik
dc.subject.otherinsultsen
dc.subject.othermaledictologyen
dc.subject.othercultural stereotypes of animalsen
dc.subject.otherlinguistic creativityen
dc.subject.otherhumoren
dc.titleCurs, crabs, and cranky cows: Ethological and linguistic aspects of animal-based insultsen
dc.typeArticle
dc.type.versionpublishedVersion
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.doi10.1515/sem-2013-0103
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.issue198
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.journaltitleSemiotica
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublishernameDe Gruyter
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublisherplaceBerlin [u.a.]
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.pageend120
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.pagestart93
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.volume2014
tub.accessrights.dnbdomain
tub.affiliationFak. 1 Geistes- und Bildungswissenschaften::Inst. Sprache und Kommunikationde
tub.affiliation.facultyFak. 1 Geistes- und Bildungswissenschaftende
tub.affiliation.instituteInst. Sprache und Kommunikationde
tub.publisher.universityorinstitutionTechnische Universität Berlin

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