Taboo or Not Taboo?
99420895 鄭珮琳
How can a language be clean/filthy?
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Whether the language is clean or filthy is in
the ear of the listener.
A foreign swear-word is practically
inoffensive except to the person who has
learned it and knows its social limits.
How can a language be clean/filthy?
(Cont.)
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I pricked my finger when sewing. (clean)

My professor is a prick. (dirty)
Taboo
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Certain words are considered Taboo in
some society.
They are not used or not in “polite company.”
The word Taboo itself is borrowed from
Tongan (東加語)
Taboo (Cont.)

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When an act is taboo, reference to this act
may also become taboo.
That is, first you are forbidden to do
something, then you are forbidden to talk
about it.
We are taught not to mention
certain words.
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Forbidden acts or words reflect the
particular customs and view of the society.
In certain societies, words that have
religious connotations are considered
profane if used outside of formal religious
ceremonies.
We are taught not to mention
certain words. (Cont.)

Example: In the world of Harry Potter, the
evil Voldemort is not to be named, but is
referred to as “You-Know-Who.”
We are taught not to mention
certain words. (Cont.)

Example: It is forbidden to “take the Lord’s
name in vain,” and this prohibition also
extends to the use of curses. Thus, we have
“hell → heck” and “damn → darn.”
Some words were tatoo in America
but not in England.
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Example: women (designates lower or lessrefined classes of female human-kind) →
lady
Example: bloody (considered in the mouths
of the lowest classes) → usually printed in
the newspapers as ”b____y”
Sex and taboo words
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Words relating to sex, sex organ make up a set
of taboo words of many cultures.
Some languages have no native words to mean
“sexual intercourse” but have to borrow from
neighboring (country) people.
In this case, Two or more words or expressions
can have the same linguistic meaning, with one
acceptable and the others embarrassing.
Sex and taboo words (Cont.)

Example: In English, words borrowed from
Latin sound “scientific” and therefore
appear to be technical and “clean,” whereas
native Anglo-Saxon counterparts are taboo.
Sex and taboo words (Cont.)

Anglo-Saxon Taboo
Words
cunt
Latinate Acceptable
Words
vagina
cock
penis
prick
penis
tits
mammary gland
shit
feces
Sex and taboo words (Cont.)
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This fact reflects that the vocabulary used
by the upper classes was superior to that
used by the lower classes. (???)
There is no grammatical reason why the
word “vagina” is clean whereas “cunt” is
dirty, but sociolinguistic reasons.
Euphemisms (委婉、含蓄用語)
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The existence of taboo words motivates the
creation of euphemisms.
A euphemism is a word or phrase that
replaces a taboo word to avoid unpleasant
subject.
Euphemisms (Cont.)
Less acceptable
words
die
More acceptable
words
pass on / pass away
urinate
water the horse
squeeze the lemon
have intercourse
play cars and garages
hide the sausage
Euphemisms (Cont.)
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These euphemisms show that a word has
not only a linguistic denotative meaning
but also connotative meaning.
In learning a language, children learn which
words are taboo words depending on the
value system accepted in the family or
group in which the child grows up.