Comme une bitch ? Exploration des variations d’usage et de sens entre « bitch » et « chienne » en tant qu’insultes sexistes

Abstract

This article aims to examine the semantic gap between “chienne” and “bitch” —slurs that conjure up the image of a female dog, yet characterize it in different ways. Evaluating the extent of that gap, by using both conventional and specialized dictionaries, allows us to consider potential semantic evolutions: in the United-States, « bitch » is undergoing a process of positive appropriation driven by its plasticity and by a reevaluation of its connotations. Could “chienne” undergo a similar process in metropolitan France despite its radically different characteristics? This possibility is assessed through a case study on the usage of “chienne” and “bitch” by three French female singers and rappers: Aya Nakamura, Tracy de Sá, and Liza Monet. That study shows that, although there is no current widespread positive usage of the insult “chienne”, its meaning is already being challenged.

Keywords

• translation
• sociolinguistics
• sexism
• translation theory
• slur