Where are the Borders of Hate Speech? Comments to Terrorist Attack in Manchester Posted in Social Networks in Germany, Denmark and Poland Cover Image

Wo liegen die Grenzen der Hasssprache? Kommentare zum Anschlag in Manchester in sozialen Netzwerken in Deutschland, Dänemark und Polen
Where are the Borders of Hate Speech? Comments to Terrorist Attack in Manchester Posted in Social Networks in Germany, Denmark and Poland

Author(s): Michał Smułczyński
Subject(s): Language studies
Published by: Oficyna Wydawnicza ATUT – Wrocławskie Wydawnictwo Oświatowe
Keywords: hate speech; Facebook; quantitative analysis; German; Danish; Polish

Summary/Abstract: Although Marx and Weidacher (2014:91ff.) claim, at Internet language doesn’t exist, is unfortunately the language used in discussions and comments on Facebook, Twitter or weblogs often full of offensive, hateful words and expressions. It is precisely this type of language that is called hate speech. The following paper contains an qualitative analysis of comments, which appeared on Facebook in Germany, Denmark and Poland after the terrorist attack in Manchester in May this year. I try to find answer on following questions: Which linguistic methods are characteristic for such comments? Are some of these methods preferred? What are the authors of such comments trying to achieve? What are the differences between German, Danish and Polish comments? Which aspects of content do they touch?

  • Issue Year: 15/2019
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 225-232
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: German