FEMINICIDE IN THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE: WHICH WORDS TO DESCRIBE GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE?

Abstract

Words can shape experience by narrating it or manipulating it. How we choose words is a decisive act which has important effects on our behavior since it can lead to discriminating practices. On the basis of these considerations, this article analyses the use of some words and expressions and focuses on how aware we are of their meaning when they are employed to tackle and judge delicate topics. We shall begin with some considerations on the term feminicide and then move on to examining how gender violence is, on one hand, linguistically coded in Italian dictionaries and, on the other, in the national press.