GENDERED LANGUAGE IN TABOO WORDS AND EUPHEMISMS: A CROSSCULTURAL STUDY

Abstract

This paper looks at the taboo words and their corresponding euphemisms along gender lines across cultures to depict how language usage by men and women in referring to, or avoiding, taboo subjects differ. From a sociolinguistic perspective, this study examines ways in which social expectations about men's and women's roles in society and cultural norms come to shape linguistic choices pertaining to gender. The proposed research next explored cross-cultural variability by collecting qualitative and quantitative data through ethnographic interviews and media analyses across Western, Asian, and Central Asian countries. Results show that taboo language is generally used in a more direct way among men, while euphemisms are commonly used among women; there are, however, significant cultural differences. The results presented herein add to the current literature on how language is not only a passive product of power and gender roles but also one of the mechanisms through which power and gender are negotiated. The paper also opens routes for further research into the implications of globalized communication for gendered linguistic practices.