Common features of english Taboo words - USD Repository

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COMMON FEATURES OF

ENGLISH TABOO WORDS

A Thesis Presented to

the Graduate Program in English Language Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of

Magister Humaniora (M.Hum) in

English Language Studies

by

Shirley Maya Argasetya Student Number: 046332010

THE GRADUATE PROGRAM IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

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A THESIS

COMMON FEATURES OF

ENGLISH TABOO WORDS

by

Shirley Maya Argasetya

Students Number: 046332010

Approved by

Prof. Dr. Soepomo Poedjosoedarmo

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A THESIS

COMMON FEATURES OF

ENGLISH TABOO WORDS

by

Shirley Maya Argasetya

Students Number: 046332010

was Defended before the Thesis Committee

and Declared Acceptable

Thesis Committee

Chairperson : Drs. F.X. Mukarto, M.S., Ph.D. ...……….

Secretary : Dr. B.B. Dwijatmoko, M.A. ...……….

Member : Dr. J. Bismoko …...……….

Member : Prof. Dr. Soepomo Poedjosoedarmo …...……….

Yogyakarta, September 28, 2009

The Graduate Program Director

Sanata Dharma University

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STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

This is to certify that all the ideas, phrases, and sentences, unless otherwise stated, are the ideas, phrases, and sentences of the thesis writer. The writer understands the full consequences including degree cancellation if she took somebody else’s ideas, phrases, or sentences without a proper references.

Yogyakarta, August 22, 2009

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LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN

PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS

Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma :

Nama : Shirley Maya Argasetya

Nomor Mahasiswa : 046332010

Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul :

Common Features of English Taboo Words

beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, me-ngalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.

Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta

Pada tanggal : 28 September, 2009

Yang menyatakan

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank Jesus, for the spirit, the love, the strength and the live He gives, for His unconditional support for enabling me to complete this thesis.

I would like to give my great honor and respect to Prof. Dr. Soepomo Poedjosoedarmo. This thesis would not have been completed without his guidance, assistance, support and suggestion. My deep gratitude goes to Dr. B.B.Dwijatmoko, M.A., who always motivated and supported me to finish this thesis. My great appreciation goes to all of the English lecturers at the Graduate Program of Sanata Dharma University.

The same appreciation goes to those who work in the secretariat, especially to Mbak Lely in the secretariat, those who work in the computer laboratory and in the library. Lastly, I am grateful to my friends in the English Language Studies for the friendship they have given to me.

My great thanks goes to my big family and the great angel of Mikael Dylan Shantpillar, for giving me the new world I have not visited before. I love you.

Yogyakarta, August 20, 2009

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LIST OF TABLES

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ABSTRACT

Shirley Maya Argasetya. 2009. Common Features of English Taboo Words.

Yogyakarta: English Language Studies. Graduate Program. Sanata Dharma University.

This thesis is focused on the sociolinguistic study limited to the 221 forms of taboo words. The kind of study is a qualitative research with detail of the samples taken from three dictionaries as the corpus-based lexicography. This research also used internet as the additional support.

This study is aimed at answering two questions. The first question is how taboo words can be classified according to the degree of offensiveness and their semantic features and the second question is what motivate the use of taboo words. To answer these questions, the writer started with some of the most common taboo words in English, such asfuck,shit,ass, and expands those words by searching in the internet and looking for the words in the dictionaries. The writer also tried to find the synonym of each of the taboo words in the dictionaries. Then, the writer analyzed the context of the words, based on their meanings in the dictionaries and their usage in the sentences, as cited in the appendices section.

The writer searched and collected the taboo words found in the internet and dictionaries. All the data found then were checked in the dictionaries to get valid descriptions of them. By doing this process there are 221 words classified as taboo words in this thesis, taken from Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and Concise Oxford Dictionary. Those 221 taboo words functions as the source data in this thesis.

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ABSTRAK

Shirley Maya Argasetya. 2009. Common Features of English Taboo Words.

Yogyakarta: Kajian Bahasa Inggeris, Program Pasca Sarjana, Universitas Sanata Dharma.

Tesis ini menekankan pada studi sosiolinguistik, dengan meneliti sebanyak 221 kata-kata tabu bahasa Inggris. Jenis studi dalam penelitian ini adalah penelitian kualitatif dengan menggunakan data yang diambil dari tiga kamus, sebagaicorpus-based lexicography.

Studi ini bertujuan untuk menjawab dua pertanyaan. Pertanyaan pertama adalah bagaimana kata-kata tabu dapat digolongkan sesuai dengan tingkat penghinaan dan ciri-ciri semantic kata-kata tersebut, dan pertanyaan kedua ialah apa yang memotivasi penggunaan kata-kata tabu bahasa Inggris. Untuk menjawab pertanyaan-pertanyaan ini, penulis memulai dengan sejumlah kata-kata tabu yang paling sering ditemui dalam bahasa Inggris, misalnya fuck, shit, ass, dan memperbanyak kata-kata tabu dengan menelusuri internet dan mencari di dalam kamus. Penulis juga berusaha mencari sinonim kata-kata tabu yang sudah ditemui sebelumnya di dalam kamus. Kemudian, penulis menganalisa konteks kata tabu, berdasarkan arti yang terdapat di dalam kamus dan penggunaan kata-kata tersebut dalam contoh kalimat yang ada di dalam bagian lampiran pada tesis ini.

Penulis berusaha mencari dan mengumpulkan kata-kata tabu dengan menelusuri internet dan kamus. Semua kata yang didapat kemudian diperiksa artinya di dalam kamus, untuk mendapatkan deskripsi valid pada kata-kata tersebut. Dengan melalui proses ini didapatkan 221 kata yang digolongkan sebagai kata-kata tabu di dalam tesis ini, yang diperoleh dariMerriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and Concise Oxford Dictionary. 221 kata tabu tersebut berfungsi sebagai data sumber di dalam tesis ini.

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COMMON FEATURES OF ENGLISH TABOO WORDS

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Language and culture are two sides of one coin. With that so close relationship, both of them affect each other and, in certain forms, the existence of them is inseparable. Culture shapes the mind frame of society, their daily activities, how they view the world around them, other people and their environment. From such a culture, the society or the individual living in that culture domain adds color or pattern to the style of language used by them.

Talking activity shows what we want to say and what we want to say is lied in our mind. Then, what is in our mind, mostly, is infuenced by our culture. As said by Lehtonen (2000: 5), cultural symbols are omnipresent precisely for the reason that they are essential for our survival. Culture is the survival kit of humankind. Being biologically defective, humans must resort to their reflective resources for survival. Then, language and its meanings indeed mark the terrain of human beings, interpreting the reality and producing identities. They are an essential part of our common history, the making of us and our societies.

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society, to name just a few. As explained by Blot ( 2003:3), whenever we open our mouths to speak we provide those who hear us, chosen interlocutors and mere bystanders alike, with a wealth of data, a congeries of linguistic clues others use to position us within a specific social stratum. Our particular uses of language may situate us geographically, physically (by sex or age), ethnically, nationally, and, especially in stratified societies, according to class or caste.

Language as one of the media in society to communicate, utter ideas, emotions and make relationship with other people, contains cultural values living and developing in the environment where the language is used. Language, it can be said, is a result or a product of culture, however, language also affects the existence and the continuity of that culture.

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context and the emotion indicated by a word, a phrase or a sentence relate to the culture where they live.

The language that lives and exists among the society has various functions, purposes and forms which are delivered by a variety of speakers, listened by a variety of hearers and uttered in various situation, environment and many other factors. There are some purposes underlying the coming out of language from someone’s mouth, thereby, often, not only one sentence, even just one word may have meanings which sometimes go a bit further from the basic meaning of that word.

Thus, as a result, the use of those words may also appear in a different situation to the hearers, according to what effects appear or what purposes the speakers know dealing with those words. As stated by Lyons (Lyons, :249), language can be used by speakers to ask questions, issue commands and make promises; to threaten, insult and cajole.

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language of religious or magical rites can only be used by certain members of the society, like priests or shamans (Montagu, 2001: 306). Thus, it should be kept in mind that what counts as taboo language is something defined by culture, and not by anything inherent in the language itself.

A taboo word is one type of word that can be said marginal, typically spoken to express someone’s feeling about something. It relates to the sensitiveness of society toward certain subjects. Thus, this situation supports what is explained by Fromkin (1974: 289), in line with how words considered as taboo may picture, in part, the culture in one society.

In all societies certain acts or behaviors are frowned on, forbidden, or considered taboo. The words or expressions referring to these taboo acts are then also avoided or considered “dirty.” Language itself cannot be obscene or clean; the rejection of specific words or linguistic expressions only reflects the culture of a given society.

This explanation pictures how the value contained in the use of a language is closely determined by the culture exists in certain society. Culture affects how a speaker sees the world and how s/he thinks about it. It is the culture that determines whether one word is a taboo word or not, or how taboo a word is. Besides, the curse words and insults the speakers use reflect how they think about society around them (Akmajian, 2001:94).

For example, the word ‘bag’ has two meanings. The first meaning of this word is:

(1) bag

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spherical or conical projectile; also projectiles used in firearms; (d) a roundish protuberant anatomical structure (as near the tip of a human finger or toe or at the base of a thumb), especially : the part of the sole of the human foot between the toes and arch on which the main weight of the body rests in normal walking (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary).

The word bag used in the meaning (1) neither hurts the feeling of any of the hearers nor appeals to any triggered emotions. This word is widely used in the society. On the contrary, let us pay attention to the word bag in the second meaning below:

(1.b) often vulgar: TESTIS; (b) plural (1) often vulgar: NONSENSE — often used interjectionally (2) often vulgar: NERVE 3

(Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary)

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The use of a taboo word is certainly limited and not promoted almost in every normal conversation, especially in the formal situation, in academic or in every day’s life. As stated by Keith Allan (2006: 27), the inappropriate use of it in normal conversations will deal with any other formal or informal sanctions. It gives the immediate impact for the hearer. Being able to violate a taboo has shock value and displays the semblance of power, which is often effective.

The same thing is also explained by Battistella (2005: 75)

what is evident from the various objections to coarse language and epithets is the idea that certain words are not used in polite speech – that public language should be suitable for all possible groups of listeners, from one’s children and grandparents to worldly adults and working folks. Language falling outside this range is often characterized as impolite, inappropriate, disruptive, disrespectful, immoral, injurious, or dangerous, and as such is constrained by etiquette, workplace rules, and law.

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Most societies consider that actions related to coition, certain parts of the body whose function to excrete the waste of digestion system, as things that are improper to be shown or said publicly. Thus, those actions or parts of the body become something taboo in society’s eyes and minds. Moreover, that tabooness widens to the saying of those words, and finally those words become taboo words. For example, the meaning ofpissinMerriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary:

(2) piss

Main Entry : a. piss (verb)

intransitive verb - sometimes vulgar : URINATE transitive verb - sometimes vulgar : to urinate in or on

Main Entry : b (noun)

-. sometimes vulgar : URINE

-. sometimes vulgar : an act of urinating — often used with take

Then, as written in the dictionary above, pissbecomes a taboo word because that word shows the meaning of discarding urine. This action is not an activity that is proper to be done publicly, this action is a taboo action that is prohibited if done publicly, it is a private thing. To do it publicly means to do an action against the rule in the society. Thus, this word, in effect, becomes a taboo word, improper to be said publicly. So does the wordlayin the meaning (3.a):

(3) lay

(3.a) put down, especially gently or carefully meanwhile in the meaning (3.b),

(3.b) have sexual intercourse with

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The wordlayin the meaning (3.a) is a normal activity undertaken in daily life, thus, it turns to be a taboo word in the meaning (3.b), because it refers to a sexual activity. As indicated by the word piss above, a sexual activity is not an activity normally done publicly, without any borders. Breaking this rule means breaking the norm or rule already stated in the society.

Therefore, a word cannot be considered as bad or good, polite or impolite, however, the values underlying way of thinking and the view of the hearer, and the speaker, should be also considered. Showing indifferent attitude to this fact may cause the improper using of certain terms, in the sense that the speaker may use certain words, accidentally or on purpose, that actually are improper to be used in the situation faced by the speaker. The choice between alternative expressions depends entirely on the context, the meaning of the word and their associations vary continuously in response to different situational factors; for example, the relationship between speakers and their audience, the setting, the subject matter and so on – change on one factor and the language may change to suit (Schmid, 1998: 71).

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Fromkin’s explanation about how a language may reflect the view of that language user, it may be understood that behind the meaning of a taboo word and the use of that word in society, there are things that encourage someone to use taboo words in the conversation he or she involved.

For example, when someone says or denotes the word “chink” to other people who have physical features which belong to a Chinese descendant individual, the speaker does not only say the word “chink” without any intention or tendencies.

(4) chink

Function : noun or adjective usually offensive: CHINESE

(Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary)

Behind that pronunciation, there is a feeling of superiority felt by the speaker to the intended hearer. Besides, an intention of signalizing one self may also occur from the use of certain taboo words by someone, as indicated by the example above.

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taboo word for certain people. In some aspects, the use of a taboo word might be related to the freedom of speech and one of the unique ways to show up oneself. Thus, it obviously clears, to understand, though not ever using it, a taboo word according to its contexts, people should rely on the certain values in society.

Regardless of the differentiation of values in each society, what is considered a taboo word in one society might be different from a taboo word in another society since every society has its own uniqueness, rules, which in certain extent is different from one another. Similarly, the emotion behind the use of a taboo word, the contexts denoted by the speaker while saying the taboo word and the feature constructing the taboo word also contain the possibility of differentiation in each society. Nevertheless, the prominent emphasis on a taboo word is basically on the external factor or the unacceptable factor. How such a word is not allowed to be spoken depends on certain contexts. Yet, the internal structure of the word itself is sometimes forgotten.

However, a word considered taboo does not only relate to sexual activity or parts of the body, but also, as mentioned in the previous paragraphs, the society’s view that underlies whether one word taboo. How the society views a class, belief, occupation, even a place, can make one word becomes taboo. Take an example from the meaning ofbubba, as the following:

(5) bubba

(5.a) a form of address to a brother.

(5.b) an uneducated conservative white male of the southern US.

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In the meaning (5.a), this word is not considered taboo, as long as it is spoken by a member of one group to the other member of that group, in this situation, this word becomes a signal of intimacy. However, the word turns to be a taboo word, in the meaning (5.b), if it is spoken by an educated person to an uneducated person who comes from southern America. The word categorized as an intimacy calling to a friend may turn to be a word that is considered an insulting tendency by the speaker. Take a look at the word ‘pig’, which has three different meanings.

(6) pig

(6.a) an omnivorous domesticated hoofed mammal with sparse bristly hair and a flat snout, kept for its meat. [Sus domesticus.] ฀ a wild animal related to this; a hog. [Family Suidae.

(6.b) informal a greedy, dirty, or unpleasant person. Brit. informal an unpleasant or difficult task.

(6.c) informal, derogatory a police officer.

(Concise Oxford Dictionary)

This word in the meaning (6.a) refers to one type of animal, and in the meaning (6.b) it refers to someone unpleasant or an occupation, however, it becomes a taboo word if it is spoken with insulting tone, referred to police officer, as in the meaning (6.c). Besides some factors above, one word may also be considered a taboo word by the society if that word relates to an ethnic background, or where someone comes from. For example the word ‘gook’.

(7) gook



n.a foreigner, especially a person of SE Asian descent.

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This word is considered a taboo word if it is spoken by someone whose background is not a descendant of South East Asian, to someone whose background is South East Asian.

The characteristic or whether one word becomes taboo or not can be influenced by, among others, someone’s physical appearance, which is perhaps considered beyond the normal size, for example ‘fatso’.

(8) fatso

n. (pl. fatsoes) informal, derogatory a fat person.

(Concise Oxford Dictionary)

The same situation is also happened in a calling or name-calling to a man or a woman, based on their sexual orientation, such as bent (homosexual) and dyke (lesbian). These two words become taboo words since they degrade the sex orientation of someone.

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According to the subject of this proposal thesis, that is taboo word, the writer aims to find out the common features of English taboo words and why a word becomes taboo and what is the contexts covering such taboo words. Based on that evidence, this paper aims to elaborate the internal structure and to examine English taboo words.

1.2 Problem Limitation

There are various writings, arguments, debates dealing with taboo words such as the sacred taboo, curse word, epithet, sexist, homophobic, the social context in taboo words, taboo words in certain societies, and so forth. The taboo word itself, for example, can be classified into taboo in terms of racism, name-calling and occupations. Therefore, the study of taboo words must be limited in certain borders, to avoid widened scopes of the problem.

This research only focuses on the features of taboo words and their characteristics as cited in the table at the appendix section. To limit the scope of this research, the researcher here only studies 221 taboo words, and the taboo words studied in this thesis are those classified under the term of offensive, derogatory, vulgar, obscene and disparaging, as indicated by the dictionaries.

1.3 Formulation

1. How can taboo words be classified according to their offensiveness and semantic features?

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The answers of these two questions are based on the analysis of the taboo words cited in the table and their usage in sentence examples. Thus, the answer of the first question is based on the analysis of the features of those taboo words, such as racial term, sexist, homophobic, swearword. Furthermore, the answer of the second question is based on the analysis of the characteristics of the taboo words. These two questions have a close relationship with one another.

1.4 Research Objective

The purpose of this paper is to find out the features of taboo words and from those features the researcher tries to reveal the common characteristics of English taboo words, and to evaluate those characteristics and to determine the results between them in relation to their features and contexts.

1.5 Research Benefit

1. This thesis aims to provide a contribution in the understanding of a marginal word.

2. For English learners and non-native English speakers, or media, advertising, it is hoped that they can avoid the use of improper words, to know the contexts of taboo words.

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4. This thesis aims to develop a better understanding in some parts of English culture.

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CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

This chapter contains three sections. The first section is Theoretical Review, the second one is Review of Related Research, and the last section is about Theoretical Framework. The first section, Theoretical Review, discusses four general topics, which are register and semantic features, language, society and taboo words. Thus, this section is divided into four topics, which are register and semantic features, interrelation between language and society, attitudes behind the tabooness of words and the characteristics and meanings of taboo words, which then contains two subsections. These subsections are function and the effects of taboo words.

2.1 Theoretical Review

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A taboo word is a part of language and a product of society. Thus, since the term of taboo, either in language, action or view, usually relates to something unacceptable or intolerable in society, either in the form of action, view or belief, taboo words also have close relationship to the value in the society. As explained by Lehtonen (2000: 10):

meanings, values and views find their concrete forms in institutions, social relations, belief systems, custom and habits, and the usage of the material world and its objects. Together all these things form cultures. Cultures contain map of meanings…these maps of meanings are not located only in people’s head but also gain tangible material forms in those activity and behavioral models, the adoption of which we can prove as belonging to a certain culture. It is precisely through the networks of different maps of meanings and symbols that we enjoy, suffer, love, hate, know, evaluate and understand.

Furthermore, Lehtonen (2000:19) describes that language can be a very important factor in group identification, group solidarity and the signaling of difference. Thus, language is much more fundamental than solely a means to communicate messages concerning ‘reality.’ Language is not a mere tool used when a message needs to be sent to a recipient, but is an inseparable part of being human. It is born within the interaction of people. It is practical and inter-subjective consciousness. Language and its meanings are seizing reality, a changing but relatively clear-cutpresenceof the world.

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them. In contrast, these may deepen and widen the gap among them. In daily communication, people reveal what is in their mind and, sometimes unconsciously, it shows how strong their culture or environment is so as affect to them.

Based on their nature, each society has its own uniqueness in how to see the world and rules applied to certain things or actions. However, undoubtedly, all of these have limitations in which actions should or should not be done by its members and which rules apply to what situations. Violation to any of those values or belief, indirectly or not, will result in unpleasant sanctions to the performers.

And according to Allan (2006: 9), taboo is more than ritual prohibition and avoidance. Taboos normally arise out of social constraints on the individual’s behavior. They arise in cases where the individual’s acts can cause discomfort, harm or injury to him/herself and to others. The constraint on behavior is imposed by someone or some physical or metaphysical forces that the individual believes has authority or power over them – the law, the gods, the society in which one lives, even proprioception.

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acceptable in another. As stated by Fromkin (1974: 279), two or more words or expressions can have the same linguistic meaning, with one acceptable and the others the cause of embarrassment or horror. For example, let us see the meaning of the word ‘hooter’.

(9) hooter

hooters - plural noun US SLANG – the breasts

a woman's breasts. This word is considered offensive.

(Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary)

The termsbreastandhooter have the same meaning, a woman’s body part on the upper front of her body, however, these two words create a different effect if uttered publicly. People do not give any shock feeling when they hear the word breast spoken by someone, however, the situation changes if they hear the word hooteris said publicly.

The example of when one word creates a different effect if it is said in different context is the wordshit.

(10) shit

(10.a) usually vulgar : FECES

(10.b) usually vulgar : an act of defecation (10.c) usually vulgar : NONSENSE, CRAP

(10.d) usually vulgar : any of several intoxicating or narcotic drugs; especially: HEROIN

(10.e) usually vulgar : DAMN (10.f) usually vulgar : DAMN 2

(10.g) usually vulgar : a worthless, offensive, or detestable person

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(Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary) This word has some meanings and all of them are considered vulgar words if uttered in a formal context, to older hearer or someone that should be respected. However, this word becomes a normal, general word, if it is uttered among a group or between peers. Thus, one word may become an improper or impolite word to be spoken (in the sense of taboo), if that word is spoken to a wrong person, in an inappropriate context and place.

Fromkin (1974: 279) describes these phenomena in an explanation:

Certain words in all societies are considered taboo. It means that they are not to be used, or at least not in the “polite company”. 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. What acts or words are forbidden reflect the particular customs and views of the society. Some words may be used in certain circumstances and not in others.

2.1.1 The Importance of Style, Register in Utterances and Semantic

Features

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Thereby, user of that language should pay attention to the factors of register, style and context in communication.

Meanwhile according to Spolsky (1998: 34), a register is a variety of language most likely to be used in a specific situation and with particular roles and statuses involved. However, sometimes a style can be used to generate an emotional reaction of the hearer and in choosing certain styles it is necessary to recognize how the speaker’s feeling or view to the hearer is.

For example, style used in the conversation between two colleagues in an office. It will be different if one of them speaks to his wife at home. In the office perhaps they choose to use more polite styles of language, and at home they use more relaxed style of language. Here there is a cross-varietal synonymy, that is, words that have one similar meaning as other words will create different connotations when used in different contexts. For instance, the words pooh,shit andfaecesdenote the same thing (the meaning of three of them is excrement) but have different connotations, which mark different styles used in different circumstances (Allan, 2006: 29).

In his book, An Introduction to Language and Society, Montgomery (1986: 101) explains that language varies not just according to who we are, but also according to the situation in which we find ourselves. This latter type of variation is traditionally approached through the concept of register, sometimes also being referred to as stylistic variation.

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excrement, whereas shit may be used in the conservation between two young people with the same age, and the termfaeces is used in a polite context, such as in a formal discussion between two scientists, which is happened in the formal place. In this case, taboo words mostly concerned with the connotation meanings of words. Described by Allan (2006: 31), connotations of a word or a longer expression are semantic effects (nuances of meaning) that arise from encyclopaedic knowledge about the word’s denotation and also from experience, beliefs and prejudices about the contexts in which the word is typically used.

The chosen of certain words is not only determined by the speaker itself and the situation where the conservation took place. As explained by Mukarto in his dissertation ‘The Patterns of Semantic Mapping Developments at English Verbs Acquired by Indonesian EFL Learners’(2005: 25), a word has a form and meaning boundary and inside the meaning boundary there are semantic components or features which constitute the meaning of the word. Outside the meaning boundary, there are also semantic components, but they make up the meanings of other words within the respective language. Furthermore, he explains that the degree of similarity in meaning is determined by their commonly shared conceptual features while the degree of constrast is determined by the distinctive semantic or conceptual features of each word within the lexical set.

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and the culture, it makes one of the two words with similar meanings becomes taboo word, while another one is still acceptable in polite conversation.

2.1.2 Interrelation Between Language and Society

Language lives and develops in the society, and the society uses it as a tool to communicate to each other in their daily lives and to identify themselves. This is one of the prominent functions the language has. However, behind that language function which can easily be seen, there is a deeper dimension behind the use of language in our daily life. A deeper dimension affects the mind frame of the user of that language and word chosen which is said in conversation, in the society, it is culture.

According to Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis (Trudgill, 1983: 24):

A speaker’s native language sets up a series of categories which act as a kind of grid through which he perceives the world, and which constrain the way in which he categorizes and conceptualizes different phenomena.

Thereby, a kind of language they use can be dependent to where they live or which culture affects them and on the contrary, language they use can affect their way of thinking. As explained by Liliweri, our identity is a strong border to evaluate the present of ourselves with other people (Liliweri, 2005:38).

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even self-identity cannot be obtained. And that self-identity attaches many rules in the individual, the rules which are formed through the identity they have. The same thing is also explained by Blot (2003: 8), that is, the identity is always and everywhere formed in the dialogue with others, symbolic or real, who are different, whose difference from you and yours from them is made manifest in the claim for identity.

In more detail, Kramsch (1998: 3) describes that language shows three connections with culture. First, language expresses cultural reality in which people express facts, ideas or events that are communicable because they refer to a stock of knowledge about the world that other people share, words also reflect their authors’ attitudes and beliefs, their points of view, that are also those of others. Second, language embodies cultural reality. In this case, members of a community or social group give meaning to language through the medium they choose to communicate with one another and the way in which people use those media themselves to create meanings that are understandable to the group they belong to. And the last, speakers identify themselves and other through their use of language; they view their language as a symbol of their social identity, language is a system of signs that is seen as having itself a cultural value. It means that language symbolizes cultural reality.

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affect and be affected by language based on the physical environment, social environment and values of a society. As a self-identity has its own uniqueness, each social identity belonged by one group or society also has their own uniqueness that is different from one another. It makes every social identity different from one another and they have their own uniqueness.

The speech community is likely to be composed of different groups, groups which may operate with differing versions of the same language or even with discrete and separate languages. In this sense different varieties are ‘owned’ by different groups, and speech will vary according to the primary group affiliation of the speaker around crucial reference points such as class, region, ethnicity, gender and also age. Such reference points heavily shape our speech so that we inevitably signal much about our social identity in producing even (or specially) the most banal utterance (Montgomery, 1986: 101).

2.1.3 Attitudes Behind the Tabooness of Word

As stated in previous paragraphs, a taboo word has a close relationship with the society-hold values. Where something physical or metaphysical is said to be tabooed, what is in fact tabooed is its interaction with an individual, a specified group of persons or, perhaps, the whole community. In short, a taboo applies to behavior (Allan, 2006: 11).

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words, breaking the rules may have connotations of strength or freedom that they find desirable. One word can also become taboo because the word itself has a power; the word itself is felt to be wrong and therefore it is powerful and because of that, that word is forbidden to say. Dirty words and swearwords, some forms of taboo words, can also become taboo that they denote things or parts of the body, which are normally not to be said openly. Taboo words might give a shocking feeling to the hearer and to avoid the utterance of taboo words, people use the euphemism and the connotation.

The use of epithets for people of different religions, nationalities, or skin colors tells us something about the users of these words. The word boy has an additional meaning; it reflects the racist attitude of the speaker. These words express racist and chauvinist views of society. If racial and national and religious bigotry and oppression did not exist, then in time these words would either die out or lose their racist connotations (Fromkin, 1974: 281).

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Generally, it can be summarized that the prejudice between races or ethnic is a negative attitude aimed to point out specific races or ethnic groups and only focused on negative features. That attitude, according to Liliweri (2005: 203), may retard the relation between races and ethnics, between the dominant and subdominant groups, between the superior and inferior ones, between out-group and in-group, between lower and higher strata.

2.1.4 The Characteristics and Meaning of Taboo Words

The choice of one word in a conversation may create different reactions, such as surprise, shock, gladness, anger, and sadness. A group of society will consider one word as taboo if that word breaks the values they hold. According to Trudgill (1983: 29), taboo can be characterized as being concerned with behavior that is believed to be supernaturally forbidden, or regarded as immoral or improper; it deals with behavior, which is prohibited or inhibited in an apparently irrational manner. In language, taboo is associated with things that are not said, and in particular, with words and expressions which are not used.

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reveal the action that society forbids, the action that contains the meaning in those taboo words.

One word is also considered taboo if that word is directed to someone or groups solely based on the background or originality factors, such as place of birth, skin colors, something which cannot be changed or has already clung in someone’s identity since the day s/he was born. Picking on persons because of their ethnicity, class, religion, gender, or race is essentially taboo behavior (Unks, 1995:3). Besides, one word can also become taboo if it is used to degrade someone’s preferences or attributes, such as occupation, belief, sexual preference and appearance.

Dysphemism, another term used to describe taboo words, is identified with emotional release, aggression, lack of control, intemperance, and intolerance – the pleasurable effect of an expletive used to release pent-up anger against a person, or to insult and wound another reveals the animal side of human beings, the side that euphemism so often strives to conceal (Schmid, 1998: 70).

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about the denotatum and/or to people addressed or overhearing the utterance (Allan, 2006: 31).

The choice of taboo words in a conversation or a sentence may sometimes also be found in a slang style. Though it, as one type of jargons in linguistic varieties, does not always use taboo words, it opens the wide room for the entering of taboo words. In addition, as regularly happened in the use of slang words, the use of taboo words may function as a symbol of solidarity. As explained by Spolsky (1998: 16), slang regularly transgresses other social norms, making free use of taboo expressions. The use of words like ‘fuck’ and ‘shit’ in public media has become a mark of liberation or a sign of revolt, depending on one’s point of view. These words also set up their own norms, the norms of the in-group. Slang thus serves social functions, setting and proclaiming social boundaries and permitting speakers to assert or claim membership of identity or solidarity groups.

Taboo words can be easily heard when someone is angry, therefore, taboo words may be identified as hate speech that people use to show their anger. Fasold inThe Politics of Language(2006: 397) explains, hate speech is generally defined as speech that is intimidating towards people on the basis of social characteristics such as race, national origin, religion, sex, or, sexual orientation.

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in fact the sexual and excremental areas. In order to be obscene, such a reference must be made by an explicit expression that is itself subject to the same inhibitions as the thing it describes. Thus, to utter one of the numerous words, to be found in any language, which openly (non-euphemistically) describe the tabooed organs or actions tantamount to exposing what should be hidden.

Taboo words can be found in name-calling or terms of address. Most people have strong feelings about their given names, ranging from pride to acceptance to dislike and rejection; they may try to take control over them by adopting nicknames or completely different names (Frank, 1983: 12). Name-calling that is not compatible with the expectation of the hearer will only offend the feeling of the hearer. Offensive name calling and labeling can produce solidarity between friends when directed at out-group members. Names will also work to alienate the insulted out-group members (Akmajian, 2001:93).

Valentine, in the article of Naming the Other: Power, Politeness and the Inflation of Euphemisms (1998), explains that naming others is an indispensable contrastive resource for proclaiming identity – establishing who one is and who one is not. By giving certain terms of address to others, either individual, groups, one group, as the speaker, draws a line with out-group members, between in-group and out-in-group members, between us and them.

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one of them feels more superior or better than the other. It is the factor of inter-personal intimacy that makes the speaker calls the hearer with nickname or name-calling. As explained by Allan (2001: 152), if the speaker is superior in status to Hearer-or-Named, s/he can choose either to maintain the status difference or choose to be less formal and show solidarity by using in-group markers that demonstrate a concern to enhance Hearer-or-Named’s positive face by seeking to make or-Named feel good about themselves. Where Speaker and Hearer-or-Named are of similar social status and there is little social distance between them, the informal in-group language found in ‘casual’ and ‘intimate’ styles is the regular mark of solidarity. These styles are marked by contractions, ellipsis, diminutives, colloquialisms, and perhaps slang and swearing.

The connotations of names and terms of address have serious social consequences. Context – both the situation of utterance, the world and the time it is spoken of, but particularly the former – is important. According to Allan (2001: 149), the style of naming and addressing depends on two considerations:

1. The role Speaker perceives Hearer and/or the person or thing named to have (adopted) relative to Speaker in the situation of utterance.

2. Speaker’s attitude towards Hearer-or-Named at the time of utterance.

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1. Acts that suggest that the speaker has a negative opinion of some aspect(s) of the Hearer’s positive face:

a. expressions of disapproval, criticism, ridicule, complaints, reprimands, accusations, insults;

b. contradictions, disagreements, challenges.

2. Acts that suggest that the speaker doesn’t care about the hearer’s positive face:

a. expressions of violent emotions; b. irreverence, mention of taboo subjects;

c. bringing bad news about the hearer or good news about the speaker; d. raising dangerously emotional or divisive topics;

e. blatant non-cooperation; f. misused of terms of address.

Allan (2001: 163) furthermore divides dysphemistic terms of insult into some categorizations, as shown below:

1. Comparisons of people with animals that are conventionally ascribed certain behaviors, e.g. calling someone abitch,chicken,dog,galah,louse, mule,rat, etc.

2. Epithets derived from tabooed bodily organs (e.g. asshole, prick), bodily effluvia (e.g.shit), and sexual behaviors (e.g.wanker,whore).

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4. Sexist, racist, ageist, and other –IST dysphemism.

5. Terms of insult or disrespect, some of which invoke slurs on the target’s character, such asbag,codger,crank,crone,fogy,galoot.

Meanwhile, according to Battistella (2005: 72), offensive language falls into several categories: epithets, profanity, vulgarity, and obscenity. Epithets are various types of slurs, such aswop, raghead, bitch, orfag. Usually these refer to race, ethnicity, gender, or sexuality, but they may also refer to appearance, disabilities, or other characteristics (as for example with the epithetsmidget, gimp, andretard). Profanity is religious cursing.

These words range from a mildhellordamnto a more emphaticgoddamn, and they involve the coarse use of what is taken to be sacred. Vulgarity and obscenity refer to words or expressions which characterize sex-differentiating anatomy or sexual and excretory functions in a crude way, such asshit and fuck, with the distinction between vulgarity and obscenity being primarily a matter of degree and prurience. The categories of epithet, profanity, and vulgarity/obscenity are not exclusive and compound expressions may belong to more than one category, as in the exclamationGod fucking dammit.

2.1.4.1 Function

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one of the common circumstances in which people find obscene language used is amongst good friends. What is more, taboo words can play a role in defining a social group, a quality they share, incidentally, with items of slang, with which obscenity might usefully be compared (Robson, 2006: 81).

The use of taboo slang can simultaneously mark one out as different or rebellious by breaking social norms or showing disrespect for authority, and can be used to reinforce group membership through verbal displays of shared knowledge and interests (Bloomer, 2005: 113). The use of taboo words in this way may tighten the relationship between the members of one group. The feeling that the members of this group have the same characteristics and the same interests. By using taboo words, among other signs, they tighten the relation between them.

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Swearing itself is the process by means of which one seeks to use the power of something to chastise the object of one’s swearing. The power of the thing is always intended to overcome the victim, is always to his disadvantage. The power may be a good, evil, or indifferent one (Levy, 1995: 15). Using taboo words in swearing is one way to release the pent-up anger. This way is considered, in some way, as the safer way to release the anger, compared to, for example, hitting someone or something or throwing things. By swearing, people do not directly hurt someone or something, they release their anger in safety ways. Words do not hurt physically. However, they will hurt indirectly.

The use or nonuse of offensive language is not a simple matter of propriety or impropriety but rather involves effects, intentions, rights, and identity. Arguments for the tolerance of offensive language may focus on any of several themes: the importance of coming to grips with the ideas underlying offensive language; the rights of those who wish to be vulgar; the way in which people actually speak; the potential for realistic language in the arts to create authenticity; and the social value of flouting convention. Arguments against the offensive language, in turn, emphasize the desire for public language to be suitable to all listeners, and the possibility of some language being impolite, immoral, injurious, disruptive, or dangerous (Battistella, 2005: 78).

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in all these functions resides in its ability to uncover what is forbidden, and thus to shock, anger or amusement. The pleasure afforded by obscenity lies in our enjoyment at exposing someone else or seeing someone else exposed without having to effect the exposure physically. Here Henderson plausibly suggests that whilst obscene language can act as an indicator that special attention is demanded for speech in which it is included, it finds use primarily as a kind of verbal violence. He proposes that the major use of obscenity in a civilized society is as a replacement for physical aggression, either hostile or libidinous.

2.1.4.2 The Effect of Taboo Word

Tabooed subjects can be death, sex, excretion, bodily functions, religious matters and politics. To avoid the use of taboo word, people commonly use euphemistic words to talk about unpleasant things and supernatural things in order to neutralize the unpleasantness and spell out the supernatural or sacred things in a common way. As stated by Crystal (1995: 172), taboo language is items which people avoid using in polite society, either because they believe them harmful or feel them embarrassing or offensive…or because society is sensitive to them.

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party. The euphemisms show that a word or phrase not only has a linguistic denotative meaning but also has a connotative meaning, reflecting attitudes, emotions, value judgments, and so on (Fromkin, 1974: 281). People use euphemism to smoothen the roughness of certain word, and still keep the meaning of that word.

Behind the use of taboo words hides attitudes showing that the hearer is in a lower position than the speaker. One of the uses of taboo words can be found in sexist language. According to Allan (2001: 154), sexist language displays just one type of –ist dysphemism, others include racist, ageist, speciesist, and classist putdowns. All of these have the same dysphemistic pivot: they fail to demonstrate respect for some personal characteristics which are important to hearer-or-Named’s self-image. For instance, racist dysphemisms occur when speakers refer to or implicate Hearer-or-Named’s race, ethnicity, or nationality in such terms as to cause, whether deliberate or unpredictated, a face affront to members of an out-group.

Connotation in calling and terms of address can be seen clearly in some terms of address such as bastard,bitch,bubbaandnigger. For example, the word ‘bastard’, inMerriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, this word means:

(11) bastard

an offensive or disagreeable person — used as a generalized term of abuse b : MAN, FELLOW

Meanwhile in Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, this word means:

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an unpleasant person:

Directing this word to someone shows that the speaker treats the hearer as an inferior individual, unpleasant, and this word if uttered in harsh, command manners, might also be a swearing word, as shown in the example below:

He was a bastard to his wife.; You lied to me, you bastard!

However, in different contexts, this word shows familiarity between the hearer and the speaker. As the example You won again? You lucky bastard!. Thereby, in these examples it appears that some words considered impolite word can be categorized into words that contain expressive meanings. As said by Cruse (1986: 274), expressed meaning most characteristically conveys some sort of emotion or attitude – doubt, certainty, hope, expectation, surprise, contempt, disappointment, admiration, flippancy, seriousness, and so on.

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Cursing serves the emotional needs of the speaker and cursing affects listeners emotionally. Cursing permits a speaker to express strong emotions and/or to produce an emotional impact on a listener. The impact can be positive, as in joking and sexual enticement, or it can be negative, as in name-calling and sexual harassment (Akmajian, 2001: 10). The example of cursing word in the form of joking can be seen in the sentence example below:

HUMOROUS You won again? You lucky bastard (= I don't think you deserve it)!;This crossword's a bastard(= very difficult).

Because of prevailing attitudes amongst speakers of the English language, using the wordshit may lead the hearer to make a number of inferences about the speaker. They may infer something about the speaker’s emotional state, social class or religious beliefs, for example. They may even infer something about the speaker’s educational achievement (McEnery, 2006: 1). As mentioned in the previous sections, language and culture have closely relationship among them. Other people might understand what is on the speaker’s mind from the word chosen the speaker prefers to say.

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words uttered certainly will shock them, and certainly, they will not use those words in any conditions. However, if they think that certain words are not taboo, even those words are considered taboo by others, hearing those words will not shock them, or at least they are more tolerate to these words.

To summarize, an individual may find the use of obscenity from an acceptable intimacy, but not from a stranger. In a social situation an individual’s tolerance or use of obscenity can gain him access into, or affirm his membership of a group. Obscenity can affect a non-violent and non-libidinous ‘exposure’ of an individual and can act as a social leveller amongst those who use or tolerate it. Obscenity can cause the world and those who populate it to be seen in a ‘degraded’ state: each man is seen not as an intellect or elevated soul but as a body that shits and fucks (Robson, 2006: 82).

2.2 Review of Related Research

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data presented here and the analysis of characteristics of taboo words based on those words.

2.3 Theoretical Framework

From the explanation in chapter one, language and culture are closely intertwined to each other. The factors determine which words are taboo or not are based on whether the society decides certain actions or views dealing with the meaning of the taboo words. Taboo words do not only refer to objects or activities that are improper if spoken openly, but they also refer to something that is not allowed to be spoken because it has a power or it is treated as something sacred by the society.

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CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This research focuses on sociolinguistic study and the semantic study. The method used is descriptive research. In relation with the problem formulation described in the first chapter, this study will explain the forms of English taboo words, the classification of English taboo words and their semantic features.

Another important tool of this research is research methodology, involving research data, data collection and data analysis. The following three sub-chapters are discussed in the following paragraphs.

3.1 Research Data

As pointed out previously, this study discusses 221 words grouped in English taboo words. The researcher uses the corpus-based lexicography since this corpus can be used to investigate and study the ways in which words are used. In obtaining the words, the researcher used three dictionaries such as Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionaryand Concise Oxford Dictionary. The words were crosschecked to each of the dictionaries to complete and provide additional information of the words that were not found or might provide additional meaning of the words in the two other dictionaries.Thus, each of the dictionaries functioned to support the whole data and to provide or to add other taboo words.

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disparaging, obsolete). These words can be seen in the table of words in the end of this chapter.

3.2 Data Collection

The process of collecting the data has some steps. The first step was to find the words in the internet. Second step was to check the words in the dictionaries. The third step was to find the synonyms of the words in the data. The fourth step was to find out the usage of the words, based on their meanings in the dictionaries used in this thesis.

The first step was as follows. Based on some of the most common taboo words such asfuck, shit, cunt, bitch,the researcher searched in the internet to find other taboo words by using the search engine in Google website. The researcher also searched in the internet by using the keyword of taboo words, and the results of them were collected and, later, their meanings were searched in the dictionaries to get valid descriptions.

For example, since some of the most common taboo words are fuck and shit, then the researcher started to search those two words in the internet, mostly by using the Google. The results of those two words were numerous, some sites provided the explanation, etymology, history, example of the words, and also there were some sites that also included some other taboo words relating to the meaning of those two words or the tabooness of a word. In this way, the number of taboo words collected could be extended.

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process was to find the meaning of those words, then to find out the tabooness of them, whether they were stated under the term taboo, vulgar, insulting, obscene and derogatory. Dictionary provides information of each word, from those information, information about definition to represent one or two meaning(s) of a word, parts of speech, noun, verb, adverb and etymology or history of the word and whether the word was classified as slang, vulgar or obsolete (Fromkin, 1974).

Then, the third step was to look for the synonym of those words, if there were any, to find out more words, and collect as many taboo words as possible. For example, as in the process of searching in the internet, the first searching was based on the most common taboo words such asfuck, shit, ass.From some of the common taboo words, the results were extended into many taboo words. This was also the process of finding the words, which became the first step.

One of the source dictionaries, Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, had one section that listed words under certain characteristics in its computer-program dictionary. For example, after running that dictionary in the computer, and a word ‘chopper’ was typed, then that word appeared under the column of ‘informal words for the sexual organ’.

(12) chopper (PENIS) noun [C]

UK SLANG FOR penis – informal words for the sexual organs

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(13) cock

(PENIS) noun [C] OFFENSIVE – informal words for the sexual organ a penis

All of the output words then were written, and, the same methodology here was repeated in two other dictionaries. During that process, there were many taboo words that appeared in those three dictionaries.

The meaning of those taboo words found in the internet had to be researched in the dictionaries, to analyze the quality and accuracy of that information, since not all the information found in the internet were the valid one. Thus the function of the internet, in this sense, was just to broaden the list of taboo words.

To limit the research, this study used five offensive qualities of taboo words, which were disparaging, offensive, vulgar, derogatory and obscene. The reason of this usage was that these five offensive qualities showed the negative quality of meanings and the three dictionaries used as references in this thesis used these types of offensiveness to denote words that are categorized as taboo words, words whose usage were in very limited context.

Disparaging represents as being of little worth; scorn (Concise Oxford Dictionary). The word abo, for example, is a disparaging word if it is used to denote a woman, especially an elderly woman.

(14) abo

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Offensive shows aggressiveness, causing displeasure or resentment (Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary). That is why the word moron, which denotes to people who is handicap and disabled, is considered as a rude word.

(15) moron

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary

1 usually offensive : a mildly mentally retarded person 2 : a very stupid person

Vulgarity lacks sophistication or good taste: coarse; morally crude, undeveloped or ungenerate; offensive in language. For example, it is considered as vulgar word if people use the wordbubby to refer to breast.

(16) bubby

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary sometimes vulgar : BREAST 1

Meanwhile, derogatory expressions show a critical or disrespectful attitude and obscenity contains in the language is regarded as taboo in polite usage. The word chithas a derogatory characteristic when it is used as a term of address to a girl.

(17) chit

Concise Oxford Dictionary chit1

n. derogatory an impudent or arrogant young woman:a chit of a girl.

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process is the fourth process, finding the usage of the data. Sometimes, one word may be categorized in two different types of offensiveness. For example, ass is categorized as a vulgar word in Merriam Webster dictionary while in Cambridge dictionary this word is considered as an offensive word.

(18) ass

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary

(n) sometimes vulgar : a stupid, obstinate, or perverse person *made an ass of himself* — often compounded with a preceding adjective *don't be a smart-ass*

Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary ass (BOTTOM) noun

1 [C] MAINLY US OFFENSIVE arse (= the part of the body that you sit on) – the buttocks

2 [U] US OFFENSIVE used by men to refer to sexual activity, or to women considered only as sex objects – sexual activity in general:

Words that were listed under this five category had very limited usage, such as it only should be spoken to in-group members, or between close friends. Another usage such as in polite or formal contexts will lead to or cause something uncomfortable both to the speaker or the hearer. There will be direct or indirect sanction if it is spoken to any people and in any situation or place. For example, the speaker will be regarded as a rough person, impolite, whereas the hearer’s feeling will be hurt.

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in proportion to the number and diversity of the ‘contexts’ they cite for words. Then besides the meaning, the emphasis is also put on the appropriate usage of a word. For example, the wordbollock.

(19) bollock

Concise Oxford Dictionary (also ballocks) Brit. vulgar slang a. the testicles.

b. [treated asSING.] nonsense; rubbish (used to express contempt or

disagreement, or as an exclamation of annoyance).

Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary a. (BODY PART) plural noun

b. OFFENSIVE FOR testicles – informal words for the sexual organ (NONSENSE0 noun [U] UK OFFENSIVE

From those two dictionaries (except for Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary), the meaning of this word is testicles and nonsense, one is used for the body part and another for expressing contempt or disagreement, or annoyance, and the usage of this word is considered as vulgar and offensive. Thus, the word bollock can be included as one of the taboo words. The whole process of collecting the data was undertaken in this way.

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3.3 Data Analysis

After all of the data were collected, and the meaning and the usage of the words had been found in the dictionaries, then the next steps were to list the words and categorize them by looking to their specification and put them into a table. Based on the data collection process this research found 221 taboo words.

These 221 words are considered as taboo words based on their five offensiveness, which are vulgar, disparaging, obscene, offensive and derogatory. The words then were arranged methodically in a table as the example below, after the writer analyzed the meaning of the words in the dictionaries and their usage in sentences. Based on the analyzes on this process there are 13 semantic features found on these taboo words

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50

Te rm of address

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CHAPTER 4

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF TABOO WORDS

To utter a taboo word is to link a word with a person or a certain action. The use of taboo words directed to the hearer often evokes deep, primal emotions. It draws its power and symbolic meaning largely from the fact that they are not supposed to be said. Various terms are often embedded to this type of word, such as hard language, swearword, rough language, verbal abuse and bad language, all of them can be grouped together as one form of taboo words. Listening taboo words uttered openly in daily conversations, or in formal situations, directly make the speaker regarded as a coarse person, impolite, indifferent, and undetermined to the norm and rule, situation, or other people’s feeling. What can be seen directly on the surface that there are other specific deeper matters that underlie the reason of why taboo words are uttered by people.

4.1 Some Examples of Taboo Words

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Examples of taboo words in sentences

Table 4.2 Examples of Taboo Words in Sentence

No. Features Sentences

1 racial slurs Aborigine - “Look at that dirty gin picking her nose and

eating it.”

- "I’m not going there, too many boongs." Asian “The grocery store, the dry cleaners, and the

liquor shop are all owned by those damn Gooks.”

White man “Go back to the mainland you fucking haoles!.” (referring to white man in Hawai)

Black person

- Honkies are all assholes.

- “I went to the R&B disco at DeNiro's last night and I was the only white person in there. It was full of coons.”

- “Look at those jigs”

- “That kaffir broke the iron again” - “Yo sambo, pick some corn.”

- "This spade just waltzes between us and starts beakin’ off about my jacket."

central European

- “Greasy bohunks are taking all our jobs away!”

- “That Hunky sure is stupid and greasy”. Chinese

person

Justin: “I hate those damn chinks .. They're everywhere”.

Cyle: “Justin, your a racist. Not cool man….NOT cool!”

Italy/Spa-nish person

- “These God damn ginzos are so dark you would think they work in a coal mine”

- “If you call an Italian dago, he just might kick your lily white ass”

Jewish Joe Pesci: “Let's make Lethal Weapon 5.”

Mel Gibson: “Shut the fuck up you dumb fucking hebe”

"We've got a ton of kikes off the boat today, don't we?"

white person

“Akira doesn't wanna be your bro … and I don't blame him now get your ofay paddy ass down the road.” (ofay)

French person

“I went to Barcelona this past weekend, and I could smell the frogs from there”

non-Jewish person

Common features of english Taboo words - USD Repository

COMMON FEATURES OF

ENGLISH TABOO WORDS

A THESIS

COMMON FEATURES OF

ENGLISH TABOO WORDS

A THESIS

COMMON FEATURES OF

ENGLISH TABOO WORDS

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES

ABSTRACT

ABSTRAK