Dysphemism

[Joel S. Berson]

At 3/9/2012 04:43 PM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>Dysphemism is the word you want.

I like the OED's choice of quotations.  First is one from 1884, then
one in French by A. Carnoy from [1927, and then
      1933 "John o' London's Weekly 7 Oct.,   Professor Carnoy [b.
1874], the distinguished French philologist, has coined the word
'dysphemism' as a set-off to 'euphemism', ..."

Apparently he didn't.  (But the1933 quotation is a neat explanation
of the meaning.)

Joel


>JL
>
>On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 3:40 PM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com>wrote:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> > Poster:       Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at GMAIL.COM>
> > Subject:      Re: coarseness update
> >
> >
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Not homophobic or sexist... It's become a reverse euphemism for being
> > fully subordinate--no sexual innuendo attached. Sinophobic? For sure!
> >
> >     VS-)
> >
> > PS: Do we have a standard term what I just called "reverse euphemism"?
> > Choosing a coarse expression to amplify something that can easily be
> > described without it? Slur is not quite right in this case...
> >
> >
> >
> > On 3/8/2012 10:29 AM, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
> > > ...
> > > And middle-aged businessguy Peter Kiernan is interviewed on CNN about his
> > > hot-selling _Becoming China's Bitch_.
> > >
> > > Quasi-obscene? Sexist? Sinophobic? Homophobic? (why not "China's Punk"?)
> > > You judge.
> > > ...
> >
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