Words that Wound: Exploring Online Offensive Language

How and why do words cause people to take offence online? This book explores the complex nature of offence, examining how the structure of language – from individual words to broader linguistic patterns – can be employed to construct offensive meanings. It demonstrates that offence is not a universal concept but a subjective experience shaped by the perspective of the target. Through a multi-layered analysis of words, meanings and context, the book offers a deeper understanding of how offence is creatively constructed, conveyed, understood and experienced on social media. By investigating the continuum between explicitly and implicitly offensive language, it reveals how even subtle language choices can have significant consequences. This work serves as a valuable resource for anyone interested in language, communication and the social dynamics of offence. It will appeal to scholars and students in linguistics, communication studies, the social sciences as well as law and computer science.