What is the main characteristic of slander?

The main characteristic of slander is that it involves a false spoken statement that damages an individual's reputation. Slander is specifically related to verbal communications, distinguishing it from libel, which pertains to written statements. The essence of slander lies in the potential harm caused by the untruthfulness of the statement, as it falsely represents an individual in a manner that can lead to public disgrace or a loss of esteem. For a statement to qualify as slanderous, it must be communicated to third parties and must not be a matter of opinion but rather a false assertion of fact that can be proven untrue.

The other options relate to different concepts. A false written statement damaging to one's reputation aligns with libel rather than slander. True statements, even if damaging, do not fall under slander because they are factual and are not considered defamatory. Lastly, a true statement with negative implications may reflect a negative view but does not qualify as slander since it's based on factual information rather than misinformation.