WAR OF THE WORDS. ETHNIC SLURS IN THE BALKAN AREA
WAR OF THE WORDS. ETHNIC SLURS IN THE BALKAN AREA

Summary/Abstract: An ethnic group can be defined as any racial, religious, mother-tongue, national or regional category of culturally distinct persons, regardless of the group size, social power or origin. An ethnic slur is a term of abuse used by members of a majority group for racial or immigrant minorities or a term used by any group for almost every group with whom they had contact, economic and cultural conflict. Slurs vary in pejoration from malicious to jocular and can be highly derogatory, pejorative, parasitic, neutral or group constructing. Ethnic slurs have been widely used in Europe, by all nations directed against their neighbours, against those with whom they had contacts and conflicts or simply against interethnic component groups. The Balkan region, an area with a tormented and turbulent history, included different ethnic groups which have developed together but evolved differently. In time, all nations of the area got slurred by the others. The historical heterogeneous background, conflicts, immigration, internal migration, mass labour mobility are typical for the Balkans, famous in the past and present for its ethnic and religious diversity. These created not only a sense of loss and trauma but a powerful linguistic counterpart which can be heard every now and then in the area. However, in their effort to build and maintain their identity, as well as to respect others, peoples from Balkans tend to keep outside xenophobic attitudes and to adopt a reasonable rhetoric.

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