AStudyof‘Violence’
andRelatedWords
ToddDavies
SymbolicSystemsProgram
CenterfortheStudyofLanguageandInformaBon
StanfordUniversity
PJSA2016Conference
September24,2016
Q1:Doesthissentencemakesense,or
isitodd?
Theprotestwassomewhatviolent.
Q2:Doesthissentencemakesense,or
isitodd?
Theprotestwassomewhatnonviolent.
Q3:Doesthissentencemakesense,or
isitodd?
Theverdictwassomewhatunjust.
Q4:Doesthissentencemakesense,or
isitodd?
Theverdictwassomewhatjust.
Q5:Doyouagreeordisagreewiththe
followingstatement?
Wearenevergoingtoliveinaconflictfree
world.Butitispossibletoliveinaviolencefree
world.
Lexicologyof‘Violence’
andRelatedWords
DefiniBons
Domains
UsageTrends
Antonymy
SomeConclusions
SomeDefiniBonsof‘Violence’
GeneralUseandEtymology
Law
Academic(PeaceStudies)
AcBvist
DefiniBon:DicBonary.com
1.swi]andintenseforce:theviolenceofastorm.
2.roughorinjuriousphysicalforce,acBon,ortreatment:todiebyviolence.
3.anunjustorunwarrantedexerBonofforceorpower,asagainstrightsor
laws:totakeoveragovernmentbyviolence.
4.aviolentactorproceeding
5.roughorimmoderatevehemence,asoffeelingorlanguage:theviolenceof
hishatred.
6.damagethroughdistorBonorunwarrantedalteraBon:todoeditorial
violencetoatext.
Etymology:DicBonary.com
See‘violent’:
1300-50;MiddleEnglish<LaBnviolentus,
equivalenttovi-,shortening(beforeavowel)of
baseofvīsforce,violence+-olentus,variant
(a]eravowel)of–ulentus(“fullof”)
DefiniBon:Collins(BriBsh)
1.theexerciseoraninstanceofphysicalforce,usuallyeffecBngorintended
toeffectinjuries,destrucBon,etc
2.powerful,untamed,ordevastaBngforce:theviolenceofthesea
3.greatstrengthoffeeling,asinlanguage,etc;fervour
4.anunjust,unwarranted,orunlawfuldisplayofforce,espsuchastendsto
overaweorinBmidate
5.doviolenceto
(a)toinflictharmupon;damageorviolate:theydidviolencetotheprisoners
(b)todistortortwistthesenseorintenBonof:thereportersdidviolenceto
myspeech
DefiniBon:Collins(BriBsh)
1.theexerciseoraninstanceofphysicalforce,usuallyeffecBngorintended
toeffectinjuries,destrucBon,etc
2.powerful,untamed,ordevastaBngforce:theviolenceofthesea
3.greatstrengthoffeeling,asinlanguage,etc;fervour
4.anunjust,unwarranted,orunlawfuldisplayofforce,espsuchastendsto
overaweorinBmidate
5.doviolenceto
(a)toinflictharmupon;damageorviolate:theydidviolencetotheprisoners
(b)todistortortwistthesenseorintenBonof:thereportersdidviolenceto
myspeech
Etymology:Collins(BriBsh)
C13:viaOldFrenchfromLaBnviolenBa
(impetuosity),fromviolentus(violent)
DefiniBon:MerriamWebster
1a:exerBonofphysicalforcesoastoinjureorabuse(asinwarfare
effecBngillegalentryintoahouse)b:aninstanceof
violenttreatmentorprocedure
2:injurybyorasifbydistorBon,infringement,orprofanaBon:
outrage
3a:intense,turbulent,orfuriousando]endestrucBveacBonor
force<theviolenceofthestorm>b:vehementfeelingorexpression:
fervor;also:aninstanceofsuchacBonorfeelingc:aclashingor
jarringquality:discordance
4:unduealteraBon(asofwordingorsenseinediBngatext)
OnlineEtymologyDicBonary
late13c.,"physicalforceusedtoinflictinjuryor
damage,"fromAnglo-FrenchandOldFrench
violence(13c.),fromLaBnviolenBa
"vehemence,impetuosity,"fromviolentus
"vehement,forcible,"probablyrelatedtoviolare
(seeviolaBon).Weakenedsenseof“improper
treatment”isalestedfromthe1590s.
FromGoogleNgram
Black’sLawDicBonary
Theterm"violence"issynonymouswith
"physicalforce,"andthetwoareused
interchangeably,iurelaBontoassaults,by
elementarywritersoncriminallaw.Statev.
Wells,31Conn.212.
U.S.CentersforDiseaseControl
Interpersonalviolenceisdefinedas"theintenBonal
useofphysicalforceorpower,threatenedoractual,
againstanotherpersonoragainstagroupor
communitythatresultsinorhasahighlikelihoodof
resulBngininjury,death,psychologicalharm,
maldevelopment,ordeprivaBon.
DahlbergLL,KrugEG.Violence:aglobalpublichealthproblem.In:KrugEG,DahlbergLL,
MercyJA,ZwiAB,LozanoR,editors.Worldreportonviolenceandhealth.Geneva
(Switzerland):WorldHealthOrganizaBon;2002.p.1-21.
from
hlp://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevenBon/youthviolence/definiBons.html
PeaceStudies:Galtung(1969)
“Asapointofdeparture,letussaythat
violenceispresentwhenhumanbeingsare
beinginfluencedsothattheiractualsomaBc
andmentalrealizaBonsarebelowtheir
potenBalrealizaBons.”
violence=injus-ce(?)
PeaceandConflictStudies:
Nagler(2001)
“Violenceaswemeanthetermisahuman
phenomenon.Weareviolentwhenweinjure
oneanother,oranypartofthesubtlyconnected
biosphere–oflife.”
Sharp’sDicBonary:GeneSharp(2012)
“ThedirectinflicBonofphysicalinjuryordeath
onpersons,bywhatevermeans,orthethreatto
inflictsuchharm.”
AcBvist:EastPointPeaceAcademy
“PhysicaloremoBonalharm.”
AcBvist:EastPointPeaceAcademy
“PhysicaloremoBonalharm.”
Doesthisseemoddatall?
Ahimsa=?Nonviolence
‘Ahimsa’istheabsenceofanintenBontodo
harm(Nagler,2008)
Domains
Process:forcefulviolentexplosive
Outcome:harmfuldestrucBvedisastrous
Intent:meanmalignvicious
Prospect:hazardousdangerousperilous
Stance:threateningmenacingterrorizing
UsageTrends
Antonymy
Similarresultsfor…
ParBally
Abitof
Alotof
Soitappears…‘Violence’and‘nonviolence’are
ungradedantonyms.
Nagler’sLaw
NV+V=V
Nagler’sLaw
NV+V=V
NV+V-V=V–V
NV=V–V
NV=0
Conclusions
‘Violence’isaverybroadterm,withadefiniBon
thathasexpandedtoincludemanyformsof
forcefulacBon,harm,andinjusBce
Therefore,usingtheterm‘violence’isnotvery
specific.Wemaywanttousemorespecific
termswhentheyapply.
Conclusions(conBnued)
‘Violence’and‘violent’areincreasinginscope
and(recently)usage
‘Nonviolence’isanungradedantonymof
‘violence’
Therefore,thescopeandspacefor
‘nonviolence’isdiminishing