A sociolinguistic and etymological challenge

[doe_witch]

Not to beat a dead horse, but while r_blackcat's post on ableist language was mostly struck through, it's prompted me to make an inquiry about something I've wondered for years. It's arguably the kind of question that belongs on a community more directly centered around issues of privilege, discrimination, etc., but since we have a bunch of etymology-

Comments

[mirmarmelade]

Not exactly an answer to your post, but I remember an article in Onze Taal (a Dutch magazine about the Dutch language and language more generally) that surveyed the kinds of swear words/bad words that appear in diffeent languages (all European, if I remember correctly). Some interesting differences were found between languages and cultural areas that are somewhat relevant to your questions. In some languages, the worst things you can call someone have to with sex: questioning one's assumed heterosexuality, calling them or their mother a whore. In other languages very bad insults are more likely to be health related, and those can then be divided in physical and mental health related insults. (And then there are the religiously inspired ones, but they seem less relevant in this discussion.)

I think it's an interesting issue which kinds of insults are deemed 'worse', and on what grounds. The etymology might play a role in this, as some mental health related insults might not be known for their original meaning anymore and thus not be viewed as 'bad' are very transparent other terms, like sex-related insults.