What is Hate Speech? The Case for a Corpus Approach

Lepoutre, Maxime; Vilar-Lluch, Sara; Borg, Emma; Hansen, Nat

Abstract

Contemporary public discourse is saturated with speech that vilifies and incites hatred or violence against vulnerable groups. The term “hate speech” has emerged in legal circles and in ordinary language to refer to these communicative acts. But legal theorists and philosophers disagree over how to define this term. This paper makes the case for, and subsequently develops, the first corpus-based analysis of the ordinary meaning of “hate speech.” We begin by demonstrating that key interpretive and moral disputes surrounding hate speech laws—in particular, surrounding their compatibility with the rule of law, democracy, and free speech—depend crucially on the ordinary meaning of “hate speech.” Next, we argue, drawing on recent developments in legal philosophy, that corpus linguistics constitutes a distinctively promising tool for ascertaining the ordinary meaning of “hate speech.” Finally, we offer a proof of concept, by outlining, and analyzing the interpretive and moral implications of, the first such study.

Citation

Lepoutre, M., Vilar-Lluch, S., Borg, E., & Hansen, N. (2024). What is Hate Speech? The Case for a Corpus Approach. Criminal Law and Philosophy, 18, 397_430. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11572-023-09675-7

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 22, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Apr 26, 2023
• Publication Date: 2024-07
• Deposit Date: Apr 29, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: May 11, 2023
• Journal: Criminal Law and Philosophy
• Print ISSN: 1871-9791
• Electronic ISSN: 1871-9805
• Publisher: Springer Verlag
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Pages: 397_430
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11572-023-09675-7
• Keywords: Law; Philosophy
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/20008732
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11572-023-09675-7