Stollznow, Karen (2008). Dehumanisation in language and thought. Journal of Language and Politics, 7(2), 177-200. DOI: 10.1075/jlp.7.2.01sto
Dehumanization is a central tool of propaganda, war and oppression, but could it also be an everyday phenomenon? This paper attempts to demonstrate that dehumanization is not invariably deviant behaviour, but that it is often grounded in normal cognition. Dehumanization is often defined as ‘to make less human’ (Encarta) or ‘to deprive of human character’ (Oxford English Dictionary). Are these adequate definitions? Is there evidence of polysemy, and a more salient sense? How can we explain the meaning and enactment of this process? This paper investigates the linguistic and behavioural representation of dehumanization, with reference to modern and historical events. This semantic analysis considers aspects of pragmatics, semiotics, cognition and metaphor. The framework used in this examination is the Natural Semantic Metalanguage method of reductive paraphrase.
Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners
