Hi ! My name is Jihane and I am an ALC Languages profile student. From as far as I can remember, I have always been curious to learn about others and their way of living. Cultures and languages take such a big part in the equation of discovering the other that the interest in such field had been quite unsurprising.

I at first wanted to analyse the concept of taboos and the forbidden in society, such as the reason why some laws came to be and the fundamental beliefs behind these but as it wasn't directly correlated to my program of study, I ended up going with my teacher's suggestion and study on taboo words (slurs, swears, euphemisms, etc.). What defines the taboo is a hard concept to put on words that we yet manage to effortlessly understand.

There are multiple reasons why bad words are considered bad. On the topic, Steven Pink delineated 5 subcategories of swearing:

1. Abusive swearing: created and/or used with the intent to hurt others. Insult, humiliate, objectify and marginalize disfavoured people.

1.1 Supernatural swearing: abusive swearing toward God, mostly taboo during the Victiorian times. Fun fact, it was believed back that that using the Lord's name in vain would physically hurt him, so people had to come up with euphemisms such as ''Zounds!'' and ''Gadzookz!'' which originally meant ''God's wounds''

2. Empathic swearing: the tabooness of bad words becomes quite practical, but when in need to convey a feeling of displeasance or discomfort while also letting the others know you find it as such too. There are also different levels of social acceptability

About thousands of years ago, the english language was divided between the noblety and the peasants, the latter considered to be vulgar and low-class. Our actual swear words date from as far back those times. Culture is an important factor when considering taboo language. It also highlights the cultural values of its speakers. Per example, in Quebec Canada (us), taboo words are mostly anchored in catholicism. Using profanity in the presence of certain individuals show are significant signs that we share a mutual trust. Another psychological effect of taboo language was proven at a research center in the UK when it asked its participants to put their hands in ice-cold water. Those assigned swear hands could handle/bear longer the pain than those assigned neutral words. In other words, swearing heightens pain tolerance and help individuals deal better with anger, frustrations, etc.

Across cultures, similar themes in what is considered taboo are observed:

• Body parts
• Sex
• Excretions
• Death
• Family terms
• Religion
• Race
• Politics

There are variations in these categories too. Per example, looking at religious terms, in some culture naming any dieties is forbidden, while in some, such as Quebec, using church words to swear is common. What seperates swear words from the actual words is the context, meaning and intent behind the word. In japan, one of the worst insult one might have to say to a woman is ''Ama'', which means nun, but in a religious context would by no mean offend anyone as it is an actual profession of a church member. The same goes for ''caliss'' in quebecois that would simply become the chalice of the christ if pronounced in a serious religious context.

The usage of honorifis in certain languages also plays a part in what we consider linguistic taboos. Adressing strangers directly by their first name in languages such as japanese or javanese can be really rude.

The paper explores the many varieties, shapes and forms taboos take in the english language. It explains the reason why such thing such as questions relating to personal matters can be considered taboo due to the value english-speakers put on privacy. Euphemisms in our modern world are briefly explained and many useful exemples are given, such as the terms ''emerging nations'' when referring to ''poor'' countries. Politics will often play around with words to avoid misleading their intentions by their choices of words.

Gao, Chunming. "A Sociolinguistic Study of English Taboo Language" Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 3, No. 12, 2013, pp. 2310-2314, doi:10.4304/tpls.3.12.2310-2314.

This study puts into perspective the usage of taboo words based on genders and levels of education. As the study of socilinguistics suggest, there is an irrefutable relationship between languages and cultures, where both influence the other. and vice-versa Social roles, economical situations, degrees of education, genders and ethnicity are some of the most important factors when analysing the usage of taboo language. This paper interestingly puts into perspective while also explaining the connection between all these factors in the usage of words considered taboo as they push the ''test subjects'' to a state of desired anger.

Hashamdar, Mohammad & Rafi, Fahimeh. "Social Identity and Use of Taboo Words in Angry Mood: A Gender Study" Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 8, No. 6, June 2018, pp. 623-628, doi: dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.0806.11.

1. Slurs have a history of usage dating back thousands of years ago. (Origin, history, etc)

2. Many events lead to the censor of words judged to be derogatory, pejorative, etc. (How bad words become bad)

3. (Usage nowadays, their status in society, in different cultures, etc.)

Hey ! It's been quite a while since i've last update, actually quite a few weeks and there are many things that happened during that time. I have had the time to find MANY new sources and infos on my topic while in the confinment of my home. One thing I'd like to comment on is how wide and vast the topic I picked is, and how coming up with an outline for a 1500 word essay/research paper was quite the challenge. Deciphering the

“TABOO LANGUAGES”

OUTLINE

Thesis statement : Taboo language has a blurry history that goes way back and serves as a great factor when looking at the evolution of a particular culture or language but tracing it back to our modern society it can also be observed as a reflection of actual political climats and ideologies.

PARAGRAPH A

Main idea 1 = The process of defining the idea and concept of the taboo based on its history and theories while taking the concept of context and cultures into consideration is laborious.

A1. The term taboo has a long history and many argue its origins but one of the most common ‘’theory’’ can be traced back to a polynesian origin where it referred to holy facts or objects that one must not speak of or touch.

A2. Taboo can be classified into two categories. One is called verbal taboo; the other is non-verbal taboo or behavioral taboo.

A3. Malinowski divided context into subcategories and this idea of background knowledge shared by a population is important and crucial when analyzing languages.

PARAGRAPH B

Main idea 2 = Euphemisms are important when studying languages and culture and they evolved as a way to save face and appear respectful.

B1. Euphemisms and dysphemisms are important indicators to look at when studying the evolution of languages.

B2. The modern and main functions of euphemisms in the modern society.

B3. Face-work theory and the idea of politeness is behind some of the usage of these key concepts.

PARAGRAPH C

Main idea 3 = Taboo words are not simply forbidden concepts, ideas or words that one shall not speak of as they also provide positive effects in certain situations though often resulting in the uneasiness/uncomfortableness of an individual or group of people.

C1. On the brain and as a second language it gives a certain comfort to people learning a second language (positive effects).

C2. The manipulation, oppression and political incorectness and the negative effets that are encourage by a constant usage of particular racial profiling and ableist words in the medias, society, etc (negative effects).

“TABOO LANGUAGES”

CORRECTED OUTLINE

Thesis statement : The origins of the concept of taboo are unclear. Studying the taboos in societies is an important aspect to look at when looking at the evolution of particular cultures and languages. This aspect is also important when looking at our current political climats and ideologies.

Your ideas as expressed in your thesis and topic sentences are clear, but the sentences are not well formed. Avoid structures that are too wordy and complicated.

PARAGRAPH A

Main idea 1 = The process of defining the idea and concept of the taboo based on its history and theories while taking the concept of context and cultures into consideration wordy! is laborious.

A1. The term taboo has a long history and many argue its origins but one of the most common ‘’theory’’ theories can be traced back to a polynesian origin where it referred to holy facts or objects that one must not speak of or touch.

A2. Taboo can be classified into two categories. One is called verbal taboo; the other is non-verbal taboo or behavioral taboo.

A3. Malinowski divided context into subcategories and this idea of background knowledge shared by a population is important and crucial when analyzing languages.

PARAGRAPH B

Main idea 3 = Taboo words are not simply forbidden concepts, ideas or words that one shall ^{verb form} not speak of as they also provide positive effects ^rephrase in certain situations though often resulting in the uneasiness/uncomfortableness ^discomfort of an individual or group of people.

C1. On the brain and as a second language ^{Awakward phrasing} it = what? gives a certain comfort to people learning a second language (positive effects).

C2. The manipulation, oppression and political incorrectness and the negative effets that are encourage by a constant usage of particular racial profiling and ableist words in the medias ^media , society, etc (negative effects). Not a sentence

PARAGRAPH C

Main idea 2 = Euphemisms are important when studying languages and culture and they evolved as a way to save face and appear respectful.

What is the connection between taboo language and euphemism?

B1. Euphemisms and dysphemisms are important indicators to look at when studying the evolution of languages.

B2. The modern and main functions of euphemisms in the modern society. This is not a sentence

B3. Face-work theory and the idea of politeness is are behind some of the usage of these key concepts.

1. Social and Cognitive Implications of Using Euphemisms in English

International Journal of English Linguistics; Vol. 5, No. 6; 2015 ISSN 1923-869X E-ISSN 1923-8703 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education,

URL:www.researchgate.net/publication/285627889_Social_and_Cognitive_Implications_of_Using_Euphemisms_in_English

Keywords: euphemisms, choice of euphemisms, social implications, cognitive implications, public opinion, political speech, political correctness, discourse, doublespeak

Verdict:

2. Taboo Language on the Internet : An Analysis of Gender Differences in Using Taboo Language

Zhou, Ningjue. “Taboo Language on the Internet : An Analysis of Gender Differences in Using Taboo Language.” (2010).

URL:https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Taboo-Language-on-the-Internet-%3A-An-Analysis-of-in-Zhou/31482a9eabef695aa0ac9d36cbc0a3587f8a4a0a

Verdict: KEPT

3. Contamination and Camouflage in Euphemisms

Matthew S. McGlone, Gary Beck & Abigail Pfiester (2006) Contamination and Camouflage in Euphemisms, Communication Monographs, 73:3, 261-282, DOI: 10.1080/03637750600794296

URL:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03637750600794296?src=recsys&journalCode=rcmm20

Verdict: NO

4. Face and Politeness Theories

Redmond, Mark V., "Face and Politeness Theories" (2015). English Technical Reports and White Papers. 2. http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/engl_reports/2

URL:https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/engl_reports/2/?utm_source=lib.dr.iastate.edu%2Fengl_reports%2F2&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages

Verdict: KEPT

NOTES

• We present a particular face (image) when interacting with another person, and that face can vary depending upon the situation and relationship.
• We have a positive face (the desire to be seen as competent and desire to have our face accepted) and a negative face (a desire for autonomy and to preserve the status quo).
• Face-threatening acts occur which cause a loss of face (damage our positive face) leading to the use of facework strategies to repair and restore our face.

According to Goffman (1955) face is the positive public image you seek to establish in social interactions. In meeting us, the face or image you want us to observe might be that of an intelligent, inquisitive, polite, and articulate student. Now, suppose you are single and unattached and were attending a party where you meet a potential romantic interest.

• What impression would you like that person to have of you?
• What face or image would you hope to establish in that person’s mind?
• Being seen as an inquisitive and articulate student is probably not the image you’re going for; your “romantic” face is going to differ from your “articulate student” face.

5. EUPHEMISTIC STRATEGIES IN POLITENESS AND FACE CONCERNS (may delete*)

Keywords: euphemism, euphemistic discursive strategies, verbal politeness, face, speech act

Verdict: NO

In this paper, euphemisms are argued to be more than terms limited by their lexical nature. ''Clearly, to reduce euphemistic process to a onefor-one lexical substitution would be to lose sight of the discursive euphemistic maneuvers which occur in everyday speech.'' In other words, the author proposes to consider euphemisms as not only a lexical processl but also as a verbal behaviour which florishes in social discourse*

*Social discourse is the open discussion and argumentative discussions regarding the norms and accepted Rights and Wrongs of society. An example of social discourse would be a discussion regarding the acceptability of a subcultural lifestyle, such as drug use, within the whole of society, and its impact on society and the level of personal Liberty, meaning whether such a subcultural lifestyle is illegal within Society.

6. Swearing, Euphemisms, and Linguistic Relativity

Bowers JS, Pleydell-Pearce CW (2011) Swearing, Euphemisms, and Linguistic Relativity. PLoS ONE 6(7): e22341. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0022341

URL:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0022341

Verdict: Source should be kept. Very informative, presents great examples and englobes all major aspects I wish to address when talking about euphemisms.

NOTES

Compared to linguistic relativity, the claim that languages influence world views, beliefs, relatively little studied, and if anything, there is a consensus that it is (trivially) true. For example, Pinker, one of the most outspoken critics of the view that language impacts on non-linguistic thinking, writes: “Whorf was surely wrong when he said that one's language determines how one conceptualizes reality in general. But he was probably correct in a much weaker sense: one's language does determine how one must conceptualize reality when one has to talk about it”

One of the best example one could give about how different language may differ our perceptions in similar contexts are by the usage of the word ''friend'' in English and Spanish. In English, one might refer to any person as friend with no importance linked to gender as it includes everyone while in spanish one has to make a clear distinction between ''amigo'' and ''amiga''.

7. A Study of Euphemisms in the Context of English-speaking Media

International Journal of Linguistics ISSN 1948-5425 2012, Vol. 4, No. 4

URL:http://www.macrothink.org/journal/index.php/ijl/article/view/2933

NOTES

What are euphemisms?

Euphemisms are a roundabout way of addressing topics that aren’t usually socially acceptable in public by minimizing the offensiveness, harm, and general displeasement attached to them.

Euphemisms as means of deception

What are dysphemisms?

Face

Social acceptance is achieved by showcasing ourselves to the others in a certain way, following certain societal rules.

Losing Face

Strategies to keep face

Strategies to make others lose face