
Contents
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
20.1 A question of terminology 20.1 A question of terminology
-
20.2 Joking relationships 20.2 Joking relationships
-
20.3 Joking relationships and community social structure 20.3 Joking relationships and community social structure
-
20.4 Joking relationships and ethnic boundaries 20.4 Joking relationships and ethnic boundaries
-
20.5 Avoiding taboo language through euphemisms 20.5 Avoiding taboo language through euphemisms
-
20.6 The importance of social context 20.6 The importance of social context
-
20.7 Verbal dueling, or taboo as art 20.7 Verbal dueling, or taboo as art
-
20.8 The anthropological approach 20.8 The anthropological approach
-
-
-
20 An anthropological approach to taboo words and language
Get accessStanley H. Brandes holds a doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley, where he has taught for over forty years. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in the Iberian Peninsula, Mexico, and the United States. His current research areas include animal–human relations, the history of anthropology in Europe, visual anthropology, ritual and religion, and food and drink. Brandes is the author of six books and numerous articles, book chapters, and reviews and communications. His interest in taboo language emerges most prominently in Metaphors of Masculinity (1980); Staying Sober in Mexico City (2002); and Skulls to the Living, Bread to the Dead (2006). Email: brandes@berkeley.edu.
-
Published:11 December 2018
Cite
Abstract
The anthropological approach to taboo words and language begins with an understanding and acceptance of cultural relativity. Anthropologists are keenly aware that everyday speech that might be perfectly decorous in one society is often laughable or, in extreme cases, scandalous in another. Anthropologists also identify taboo words and language by popular responses to their utterance. According to anthropological definitions, tabooed behavior—be it verbal or otherwise—must be negatively sanctioned. Sometimes sanctions take the form of public rebuke. At other times they are expressed through collective scorn or ostracism. This essay explores these ideas with ethnographic examples chosen from the closely related fields of cultural anthropology and folklore. Supporting material comes from a variety of societies located in sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Latin America, and—within the United States—Native America and African America. The author analyses nicknaming, verbal dueling, and various types of joking relationships, among other speech forms, as anthropologically prominent forms of tabooed language.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 4 |
November 2022 | 6 |
December 2022 | 4 |
January 2023 | 8 |
February 2023 | 6 |
March 2023 | 5 |
April 2023 | 11 |
May 2023 | 5 |
June 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 5 |
August 2023 | 7 |
September 2023 | 13 |
October 2023 | 6 |
November 2023 | 13 |
December 2023 | 4 |
January 2024 | 3 |
February 2024 | 10 |
March 2024 | 16 |
April 2024 | 7 |
May 2024 | 13 |
June 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 4 |
September 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 40 |
November 2024 | 12 |
December 2024 | 7 |
January 2025 | 4 |
February 2025 | 9 |
March 2025 | 6 |
April 2025 | 2 |
May 2025 | 1 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.