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The Oxford Handbook of Taboo Words and Language

Online ISBN:
9780191845871
Print ISBN:
9780198808190
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

The Oxford Handbook of Taboo Words and Language

Keith Allan (ed.)
Keith Allan
(ed.)
Linguistics, Monash University
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Keith Allan, Mlitt, PhD (Edinburgh), FAHA, Emeritus Professor of Linguistics at Monash University and Honorary Aprof at the University of Queensland. Research interests: aspects of meaning in language; the history and philosophy of linguistics. Books include: Linguistic Meaning (1986, 2014); Euphemism and Dysphemism (with Kate Burridge, 1991); Natural Language Semantics (2001); Forbidden Words (with Kate Burridge, 2006); Concise Encyclopaedia of Semantics (2009); Western Classical Tradition in Linguistics (2010); Cambridge Handbook of Pragmatics (with Kasia Jaszczolt, 2012); Oxford Handbook of the History of Linguistics (2013); Routledge Handbook of Linguistics (2016). Many contributions to scholarly books and journals. Email: [email protected]. Homepage: http://profiles.arts.monash.edu.au/keith-allan.

Published online:
11 December 2018
Published in print:
8 November 2018
Online ISBN:
9780191845871
Print ISBN:
9780198808190
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

The Oxford Handbook of Taboo Words and Language defines taboo as a proscription of behaviour for a specifiable community of one or more persons at a specifiable time in specifiable contexts. What is in fact tabooed is the use of those words and language in certain contexts; in short, the taboo applies to instances of language behaviour. For behaviour to be proscribed it must be perceived as in some way harmful to an individual or their community but the degree of harm can fall anywhere on a scale from a breach of etiquette to out-and-out fatality. All tabooed behaviours are deprecated and they lead to social if not legal sanction. Taboos are described and the reasons and beliefs behind them are investigated. Tabooed words are typically dysphemistic, think of insults and swearing; tabooed language is avoided through various kinds of euphemism. In twenty chapters, the volume offers comprehensive coverage of tabooed language as perceived by experts in general linguistics, cultural linguistics, sociolinguistics, anthropological linguistics, psycholinguistics, neurolinguistics, historical linguistics, linguistic philosophy, forensic linguistics, politeness research, publishing, advertising, and theology. Although the principal focus is the English language, reference is occasionally made to linguistic taboos in other languages in order to compare sociocultural attitudes. The existence of taboos and the need to manage taboo lead not only to the censoring of behaviour and the imposition of censorship but also to language change and language development.

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