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Lying with slurs and other evaluative terms

delete2026-02-01
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AI
B
Brian Haas *
DOI:10.1093/analys/anae102delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Are slurring statements, when applied to members of the slurred group, true, false, or a little bit of both? Intuitions are mixed. And investigating more truth-value judgements is unlikely to cure the stalemate we find ourselves in. Truth-value judgements are just not up to the task. In their place, I propose we look to judgements of lying instead. This change in focus provides a new and better tool for understanding the complex semantics and pragmatics of slurs. As I argue, it also suggests that slurring statements encode, conventionally implicate and presuppose the same information as statements with the slur's neutral counterpart. I then briefly apply this style of argument to the semantics and pragmatics of evaluative language more generally.
Keywords:
slurs
evaluative terms
lying
semantics

Journal

A
Analysis
IF:
0.9
Papers:
59
Citations:
0

Organization

U
university of southern california
Scholars:
4.6W
Papers: 3.8W
Citations: 51