Musolff, Andreas (2014) "Beat Back the Hun!” How an act of ‘Self’-construction was turned into an exemplary case of ‘Othering’. Angermion, 7 (1). pp. 75-89. ISSN 1868-9426
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Abstract
To call Germans “Huns”, or collectively, “the Hun”, in Britain today counts as an offensive utterance, and the specific lexical item Hun in this meaning a dysphemism. In current usage, it only occasionally resurfaces in tongue-in- cheek statements, often related to football. The term Hun also features as a citation (and often as a good punning opportunity for headlines) in articles that discuss anti-German incidents and statements and relate them to lingering resentments from World Wars I and II. What gives the Hun nickname such an enduring appeal as an anti-German invective, even if it is used mainly mockingly these days? Should it be regarded as a metaphor, given that its nonfigurative reference to an ancient Asian people is transparent to most users?
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | intercultural communication,german history,world war i,dysphemism,metaphor |
Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of Politics, Philosophy, Language and Communication Studies |
UEA Research Groups: | Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Research Groups > Language and Communication Studies Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Migration Research Network |
Depositing User: | Pure Connector |
Date Deposited: | 24 Jul 2015 22:32 |
Last Modified: | 21 Jul 2023 09:38 |
URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/53593 |
DOI: | 10.1515/anger-2014-0105 |
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