Zła mowa (Bad Speech). Przegląd Uniwersytecki, 4-6, 2016, 4-8.

Abstract

The article analyses forms of harmful speech that operate indirectly and often go unnoticed, yet produce real normative consequences. Drawing on speech act theory and the concept of accommodation, it argues that bad speech primarily consists in unjustly restricting the rights of individuals or social groups, for instance through veiled accusations or subordinating utterances. Such speech acts work by exploiting shared communicative practices and the passivity of audiences, who thereby help to accommodate harmful presuppositions or authority relations. The article contrasts narrow and broad models of public discourse and shows how resisting bad speech requires active blocking of accommodation mechanisms rather than mere appeals to freedom of expression.