Contentious Language: South Park and the Transformation of Meaning

Abstract

Disputes over language and meaning are central themes in South Park. The show pushes the boundaries of acceptable communication and challenges censorship. This article explores the show's treatment of language. It focuses on one episode, “The F Word,” to illustrate how the show uses sophisticated strategies of contesting meaning.

Keywords:

• fan studies
• gay rights
• language
• meaning
• South Park

Notes

1. For example, the running joke of Kenny's death has largely disappeared. Episodes are also more focused on particular issues than in the early seasons when social commentary often seemed incidental to the story.

2. The labels liberal and conservative are understood as they apply to American politics. The precise meaning of the terms varies by country and even by region, but, here, the concepts are simplified to indicate the conventional identification of “liberal” and “conservative” roughly with the platforms of the Democratic and Republican parties.