7/24/2019 A Duel With Words - Insults as a Weapon of Choice in Different Cultures.

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Socially endorsed insulting verbal duels

Though it may seem that insulting a person is a universally condemned behaviour, there

are nevertheless instances of such type of language use being not only tolerated but even

encouraged. As they constitute very intriguing phenomena, I have decided to analyse them froma socio-linguistic viewpoint.

The search for socially endorsed use of invectives spans very distant geographical

locations: from the Trobriand Islands, Scandinavia and the British Isles, est Africa, to the !orth

American mainland and the northern e"tremities of both !orthern America and eastern Asia.

#iverse cultures inhabiting the above-mentioned places represent different language groups, and

yet testify a similarity in their approach to socially regulated insulting. Therefore, I will analyse

kingullugcaraq, i.e. a ritual performed by the $up%i&, and contrast it with asong duel, which is a

rather well-&nown ceremony among the Inuits. But as such behaviour is not typical only for

very isolated, primitive cultures, I will also loo& atplaying the dozens, that is the way the

African-American subculture of modern day 'SA sometimes acts. hat is more, a very

interesting ceremony ta&es place on the (iriwina Islands where the local community gathers

only to watch two family groups hurl invectives on one another in a ritual calledyakalawhich is

somewhat similar to the hal) of the Anlo-*we of +hana. $et another phenomenon calledflyting

is recorded in literature. It involves peorative language and is utilied only to offend the

opponent.

The aim of the paper is to offer an individual insight into these socio-linguistic

phenomena as well as to provide a synoptic analysis.