F*CK YEAH
 Frequent in informal language. Firstly lets look at a few common terms:
 TABOOS
Words and phrases that are generally considered inappropriate in certain contexts.
In 1966, social anthropologist Edmund Leach identified three major categories of such
words and phrases:
1. "Dirty" words that are concerned with sex and excretion, such as "bugger," "shit."
2. Words that have to do with the Christian religion, such as "Christ" and "Jesus."
3. Words which are used in "animal abuse" (calling a person by the name of an
animal), such as "bitch," "cow."
2. Quickly in your books write down as many taboo topics you can think of:
 http://propensityforcuriosity.com/eight-modern-cultural-taboos/
 Expletives:
 noun 1. an interjectory word or expression, frequently profane; an exclamatory
oath.
 2. a syllable, word, or phrase serving to fill out.
 3. Grammar. a word considered as regularly filling the syntactic position of another,
as it in It is his duty to go, or there in There is nothing here.
 adjective 4. Also, expletory
 [ek-spli-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˈɛk splɪˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/ (Show IPA). added merely to fill
out a sentence or line, give emphasis, etc.: Expletive remarks padded the speech.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HshNFIHsoA
 Only recently was taboo and swearing part of linguistic literature.
 This is a result of liberalism and colloquialism
 The internet
 Creative Writing
 Spontaneous speech
 Private conversation
 According to Allan and Burridge: NB- Like many things in
lang these overlap!
 Expletive function (letting off steam)
 Abuse and insult
 Social solidarity
 Stylistic choice
 We will look at these further

Most common-
 This is a reaction- to frustration, something unexpected (usually
unwelcome but not always) , or in anger.
 Imagine hitting your toe
 There are also euphemistic dysphemism
 OH BOLLOCKS, OH FIDDLE STICKS
 This is an abusive function. Including name calling, derogatory
comments or insults directed to another person.
 Speakers may also use expletives to talk about things that frustrate
them or things they wish to disparage or humiliate.
 “Boo you whore”
 “Fuck you Mum”
 “I can’t believe this shit, why is the school making us..”
 Usually this is intended to wound or bring someone into disrepute.
 This is usually focused on a person’s physical appearance,
stupidness, perceived physical defects, undesirable elements.
 This can be an ‘in-group’ solidarity marker (if directed at outsiders)
 Very common also
 Tends to diminish non swearers
 Shared swearing patterns indicates group membership and acknowledgement of
that context
 Can express matship ‘you silly bugger’
 It is very Australian to be abusive if you’re affectionate (also common in N.Z)
 Go to page 39 of Living Lingo for examples
 Look at this as ‘spicing up’ what is being said
 “FUCK YEAH SPRING BREAK”
 To make things more visable and memorable
 Can be used by advertisers
 http://www.myprofe.com/wiki/index.php?title=Expletives_Transcript
 What is the function of this text?
 What is the intended audience?
 What is the purpose of expletives?
 What is the mode?
 If these were taken out how would this interaction differ?
 How is this different from a spoken conversation?
 Is swearing and taboo becoming more/less
acceptable. Why/Why not? Use examples to
support.
 500 words
 Due. Friday 6,7
 The substitution of a disagreeable, offensive, or disparaging expression for an
agreeable or inoffensive one; also : an expression so substituted.
 Cancer stick in reference to a cigarette.
 Egghead for genius.
 Pig for policeman.
 Dead tree edition for the paper version of a publication that can be found online
 Fag for homosexual man
 When analysing texts- Could this have been said in a more polite/less
taboo/insulting manner? YES. Most likely they’re being dysphemistic
 To persuade
 To show disdain
 When an extreme word is used it amplifies the meaning and thus grabs attention. It
says 'this is important, please listen!'
 The use of swear words is common in dysphemism and it is often a signal that the
person using it is emotional.
 Mild, vague, indirect ways of expressing something that, due to social
conventions are taboo.
 Intimacy (instead of sex)
 Pass away (die)
 We will go into this more later in formal language.
 Avoidance language. A verbal escape from speaking about taboo
subjects