Talking about the Corpse

If the corpse is “what does not have a name in any language” (Bossuet), how do we speak about it? The words of body and corpse have fluctuating definitions, which attest our uncertainties. The thanatomorphose, described by the forensic vocabulary, is not completely recognized in everyday parlance, nor in slang. The transformation of the person into a thing remains difficult to conceptualize. Still the familiar language today lacks the unrestrained inventiveness of 19th century slang, and is more and more unaware of the reality of the corpse.