Pardon My Sumerian: A Typology of Insults and Offensive Language in the Old Babylonian Lexicon

One of the most universal expressions of language is probably the invective, that is to say insults, slurs, and other offensive utterances. As a scholarly discipline, ‘swearing research’ has been slow to take hold, but is now increasingly popular among historians, and to a lesser extent linguists. Within the field of Assyriology we know of many texts that contain derogatory language, which have been studied in isolated contexts. This thesis marks the first systematic study into insults in the Old Babylonian lexicon. It incorporates Sumerian school texts – famous for their combative dialogues – and letters from the AbB and ARM series. It lays the groundwork for further research in the form of a database that includes over 900 entries: insults from various contexts, as well as the terms that denote the act of insulting. This forms the basis for a typology that characterises every insult by language, genre, type, directness, context, and other categories. A number of interesting...Show moreOne of the most universal expressions of language is probably the invective, that is to say insults, slurs, and other offensive utterances. As a scholarly discipline, ‘swearing research’ has been slow to take hold, but is now increasingly popular among historians, and to a lesser extent linguists. Within the field of Assyriology we know of many texts that contain derogatory language, which have been studied in isolated contexts. This thesis marks the first systematic study into insults in the Old Babylonian lexicon. It incorporates Sumerian school texts – famous for their combative dialogues – and letters from the AbB and ARM series. It lays the groundwork for further research in the form of a database that includes over 900 entries: insults from various contexts, as well as the terms that denote the act of insulting. This forms the basis for a typology that characterises every insult by language, genre, type, directness, context, and other categories. A number of interesting patterns are immediately visible. Firstly, a very small number of literary texts accounts for the majority of insults that were collected. However, the types of slurs generally correspond with those found in less represented categories, such as personal letters. Secondly, one can identify a division between extensive offensive statements with a build-up and punchline, and individual insulting words. Animal names are common here, especially ‘dog’ and ‘pig’, but more creative ones also occur abundantly. Thirdly, the inclusion of insulting terms (e.g. ṭapālum “to insult”) allows us to cross-reference them with their respective most popular insults. This is especially useful to determine what the ancient authors of the texts perceived as offensive, rather than us modern commentators. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the collection and study of insults shows just how human they were. The results demonstrate the promising possibilities of this new branch of Assyriological scholarship. They are not necessarily restricted to the negative and belligerent aspects of humanity communication. The study of offensive language can also, for example, serve to study the social context of literature produced by the scribal elite, and by extension rhetoric, argumentation, or sentiment among real-life historical agents in different settings.Show less

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Pardon My Sumerian: A Typology of Insults and Offensive Language in the Old Babylonian Lexicon