The "Aggression Indices" and Making Verbal Aggression Presentable

Abstract

I have introduced the term “aggression indices” to describe those linguistic phenomena which signal verbal aggression and which may even extend into abuse. Terms used to blame victims can inflict further injuries and can establish new abuser-abused relationships, for example, between witnesses and victims. It is quite fascinating that although all languages, including Hungarian, have the potential to create countless aggression indices, yet choose a certain subset of aggressive terms. Belittlement and extenuation operate though fixed linguistic panels. Aggression indices have a fundamental role in maintaining abusive social structures in that they excuse the perpetrators and deny or belittle the abuse. I shall argue that verbal aggression often cannot be exposed without identifying the aggression indices, especially in cases of denying deliberateness, which relativize acts of aggression.