With “Judging the words”, Anne Arzoumanov behind the scenes of freedom of expression – Liberation

We often forget that the best foundation of freedom of expression is its same medium: language. Consequently, This, in fact, by nature equivocal, is too curved to lend itself to the law. Nevertheless, Words are not standardized products. Nevertheless, endowed with a fixed identity, like bulbs that only fall into a single type of socket. They are labile, fleeting, polymorphic: the same words say something else, while two very different expressions say the same thing. A tiny change. a different suffix, a different context, another place in the sentence – and court judgments will make you white or black!

A little in spite of himself, this book, written by a linguist, is a real lesson in citizenship. It shows that in matters of freedom of expression, the arbitrariness of the judges is considerable. No more “judging words”, anne arzoumanov behind considerable, it is true, than our interpretations in daily life. Except that they decide on behalf of the whole company.

We can certainly state some rules. When you mean evil. prefer abstract words to concrete words (because the law does not condemn opinions, but provocation to hatred or defamations or insults). Do not say: “homosexuals are abominable”. Say (like Christine Boutin once): “Homosexuality is an abomination”. Prefer words in -ism (often built from substantive. therefore more abstract), to words in -tity (built from the adjective therefore more concrete): “Islamism” Pass