Expressivity and Psycholinguistics

Abstract Language expresses more than just descriptions; it conveys emotions, feelings, and attitudes, particularly through negative expressives. These terms—such as exclamations, slurs, epithets, and adjectives—reflect a speaker’s negative stance toward something and have distinct semantic and grammatical properties. While some aspects of expressivity can be explored theoretically, many require empirical investigation. In recent years, experimental studies have offered valuable insights into these phenomena. This chapter reviews these findings, highlighting the importance of integrating the empirical methods of psycholinguistics with theoretical inquiry. The review underscores the need for a broad, interdisciplinary research project that can shed light on the complex phenomena of social meanings.