RESEARCH PAPER PROPOSAL
Research Paper Title: Violence through language: Seemingly neutral linguistic items
of everyday speech as carriers of verbal aggression
Students’ names:
Περδικάκη Αικατερίνη
Σταυλιώτη Γεωργία
I.D. numbers: 1563200800215
1563200800240
PLANNING AND CONDUCTING RESEARCH
Elly Ifantidou
Date of Submission:
13th December 2011
Introduction
Verbal aggression possesses a dominant role in all aspects of everyday life.
People have always tended to be verbally violent towards their interlocutors –
intentionally or not – who, in turn, might or might not have been aware of their
perpetrator’s intentions. Despite this considerable impact of violent language on
everyday interactions, academics tend to ignore its existence; instead, as Lachenicht
(1980) points out, “polite language, courtesy and etiquette have received far more
attention”. Furthermore, particular emphasis has been placed on the language
employed by perpetrators and victims in cases of physical violence (Robertson and
Murachver 2006, MacMartin and Wood 2005). Research has mainly focused on maleto-female physical violence and its characteristics. Nevertheless, verbal aggression
can go both directions, which means that the emerging findings could change the
stereotypical features of the “perpetrator man” and the “victimised woman”
altogether. Finally, the differences in the use of verbal violence by young and older
people have not been adequately researched, to the best of our knowledge.
Consequently, we hope that the present study makes its own contribution to the
specific issue.
Purpose
The present study aims at examining the way verbal violence is reflected on
everyday speech. Extensive reference has been made to the relation between language
and physical violence (Frazer and Miller 2009, Infante et al. 1990) as well as to the
manipulative use of language in the areas of journalism and politics (Dunn, Moore
and Nosek 2005, Leudar, Marsland and Nekvapil 2004). As a result, relying on such
findings – and adapting them to the topic of our research – we will aim at identifying
signs of verbal aggression in casual interactions in the context of contemporary Greek
society.
Developing a tentative hypothesis
It is expected that there will be differences in the use of verbal violence with
respect to the sex and age of speakers. Therefore, our tentative hypotheses are
formulated as follows:

Men will use verbal violence to a greater extent than women.
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
Young people will be more verbally aggressive than older people.

Self-references (“I”, “we”) will be indicators of verbal violence.
Methodology
Our methodology will involve 40 Greek participants of 18 to 45 years old
answering a questionnaire. In particular, they will be asked to mark on a five-degree
scale how frequent their contact with verbal aggression is and provide specific
reactions to hypothetical situations in which they would feel insulted and defensive.
Furthermore, they are required to describe two pictures of verbal violence, so that
their treatment of the issue emerges. The observation of Greek TV shows is expected
to further shed light on the way that verbal aggression is extensively employed even
in comic instances – since two TV series observed are comedies – and in order to
somehow decrease interpersonal distance – as the TV interview observed is hoped to
indicate.
An effort was made so that participants are equally divided into male and
female as well as young and older ones, so that conclusions are drawn based upon
adequate and symmetrical data. One episode of each TV show is to be observed due
to lack of time; nevertheless, it will be the one considered as most representative,
which will thus lead to concrete findings.
Expected results
The data used will probably indicate that male participants employ verbal
violence more than female ones. On the other hand, women are expected to be more
reserved but, at the same time, they will tend to use self-references in order to subtly
inflict their viewpoints on the interlocutor. In other words, it is assumed that verbal
violence will be shown as expressed quite directly by men but less so by women.
Furthermore, young people are expected to be rather verbally aggressive, while older
people may more frequently need to defend themselves against violent language.
Therefore, the former could possibly be the “offensive active perpetrators” and the
latter the “defensive passive recipients” with respect to verbal violence.
Conclusion
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The results of this study will be examined and discussed with reference to the findings
introduced by Frazer and Miller (2009), Infante et al. (1990), Robertson and
Murachver (2006), Schweinle et al. (2010), Rifkind (2004) and Lachenicht (1980).
We hope that our research will be able to provide supporting evidence on the
widespread use of aggravating language, thereby contributing to a better realisation of
the immense power of verbal violence in everyday life. Despite its underestimation by
scholars, verbal aggression plays an admittedly significant role in the Greek culture as
well. Consequently, its exploration is considered to be of major importance so that
attention is drawn to a wiser and less violent use of language.
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