L’insulto implicito nel dibattito pubblico delle pagine Facebook. Studio pragmatico

This study aims to analyze, from a pragmatic perspective, acts of implicit insults in the public debate on the fanpage of Matteo Salvini, the leader of the Italian League and former Minister of the Interior. These acts are classified and analyzed formally, specifying the various mechanisms used to determine the illocutionary force of insults and the intensity of the act. In a second step, interlocutors’ reactions to insults are examined. The data reveal that explicit insults tend to outnumber implicit ones. Most implicit insults are related to made by referring to limited intellectual abilities, such as stupidity and idiocy. Insults containing sarcasm and left-handed compliments also account for a substantial part of the data. This means that the locutor uses sarcasm and false politeness strategies to hide true intentions. The data analysis finds that implicit insults have a negative effect on people who are exposed to them. This effect can be detected through the linguistic reactions they render, such as counterinsulting, attacking, sarcastic reaction and defending oneself.