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    Home/Original/inverse
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    Inverse View

    It is not the case that Slurs and dog-whistles exhibit a distinct semantic profile from standard ambiguity, functioning as what Nunberg calls 'deferred reference' rather than lexical ambiguity.

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    Reasons For

    1 perspective
    Reason for
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    • 1.Deferred reference still requires multiple available meanings; if slurs have only one standard meaning plus hidden coding, calling it 'deferred' obscures rather than clarifies.
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    • 2.Many standard ambiguities (bank, bat) also depend heavily on context and pragmatic inference, not just lexical features, undermining the claimed distinction.
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    • 3.The theoretical value of invoking 'deferred reference' is unclear—standard linguistic frameworks already account for context-dependent, coded, or implicit meaning effectively.
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    Reasons Against

    1 perspective
    Reason against
    ?
    • 1.Dog-whistles require pragmatic context and speaker intent to convey their coded meaning, unlike standard ambiguity which relies on lexical features alone.
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    • 2.Slurs reference their target group indirectly through social conventions, not through multiple discrete dictionary definitions, fitting deferred reference better.
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    • 3.Standard ambiguity allows hearers to consciously choose between meanings; slurs work covertly, suggesting a distinct semantic mechanism operating beneath conscious access.
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