Insulting Someone’s Intelligence: Offensive Speech Based on Comparisons in the (avoir) le QI d’un(e) N/ (mieć) IQ NGén (avoir) le QI d’un(e) N/ (mieć) IQ NGén (‘(to have) the IQ of an N’) form in French and in Polish

Abstract

This article examines the syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic features of the insulting construction “(avoir) un QI de Npar” in French and “(mieć) IQ Npar(Gén)” in Polish, based on extensive data from internet corpora. The structure intensifies the attribute of stupidity through comparisons with “paragons” – typically unintelligent entities such as objects, animals, or stereotyped humans – whose selection reflects cultural conventions and varies by language. French examples often include complex noun phrase expansions and a dominant paragon, huître (‘oyster’), while Polish examples tend to be syntactically simpler but more diverse. Beyond insult, these constructions create complicity with readers through shared cultural references and irony. The study highlights how online discourse, through its asynchronous nature, fosters creativity and complex insult formulations. The analysis reveals cross-linguistic similarities in derogatory strategies and underscores the socio-pragmatic dimension of such expressions, which both reflect and shape social attitudes toward intelligence.