pejorisering

Pejorisering, also spelled pejorization, is a process in historical linguistics in which a word’s semantic value shifts toward a more negative or disapproving sense over time. It is a form of semantic change that typically moves a term from neutral or positive toward pejorative usage, contrasting with amelioration, where connotations become more favorable.

Causes and mechanisms include the accumulation of negative associations through repeated stigmatizing use in everyday speech, political discourse, or media representation. Metaphorical extension can transfer negative frames from one domain to another, while shifts in social power, group relations, or cultural attitudes reinforce the new negative valuation. Pejorisation can affect a wide range of lexical items, including terms for people, behaviors, and social roles, and may occur gradually or during periods of rapid sociopolitical change.

Patterns and outcomes vary by language and community. Some words undergo predictable, steady pejorisation, while others exhibit episodic changes tied to specific events. In some cases, communities attempt euphemistic or reappropriative strategies to counter or reverse negative connotations; in others, the pejorative sense remains entrenched in usage.

Examples often cited in linguistic literature include words that originated with neutral or technical meanings and later acquired strong negative evaluations in everyday speech, or terms whose usage in describing social groups became stigmatized. These trajectories are typically studied through diachronic corpora, historical dictionaries, and sentiment analysis to map when and how the negative shift occurred.

See also: semantic change; amelioration; pejorative; dysphemism.