Abstract
As taboo language among women and men becomes more common, an understanding of how taboo language is used is necessary. Unfortunately, studies have returned mixed results at once finding taboo language is associated with negative emotions while also finding taboo language is associated with positive emotions. What is understood, however, is the inequity between the genders in relation to taboo language usage. Taboo words and expressions are given weight by cultural norms that have long been established by the patriarchal standards in the United States. These standards trace their roots back to the Puritan and Victorian eras when society dictated that men held more power than women. This chapter explores the literature on taboo language while examining the dyadic representations of the patriarchal norms that punish women for using taboo speech while ignoring taboo language usage by men.
TopIntroduction
When I was seven-years-old, my two-year-old male cousin called our grandmother a “witch.” My family, including my parents, laughed at my cousin’s expletive. Ever the one to be the center of attention, I proceeded to call my mother a witch. To my complete dismay, my remark did not elicit the same amused response from my family members. It would be the only time in childhood that I would suffer corporal punishment at the hand of my father. In that moment, I could not understand the difference between my cousin’s playful insult and my own. My cousin, in his cherubic masculinity, was embraced and covered in kisses, while I, with my less-than-ladylike language, was covered in tears and red welts. Little did I know that the patriarchal society I was born into earned me that punishment. Though my seven-year-old self could not identify it at the time, the cognitive dissonance I experienced trying to reconcile being told I could be anything or do anything I wanted when I grew up, while my language, body, and behaviors were policed based solely on my gender, was considerable.
Taboo words and expressions are given weight by the cultural norms that have long been established by the patriarchal standards in the United States. These patriarchal standards trace their roots back to the Puritan and Victorian eras when society dictated that men had more power than women by the virtue of men being male. Given this inequity between the genders, men were and continue to be permitted to use taboo language with little-to-no ramifications. While these social norms excuse taboo speech in men, they, sadly, do not excuse taboo language usage in women. On this subject, Hughes (2015) demonstrates that “American English is now the variety showing the most innovation in swearing and foul language…[but] within this speech community there has developed the censoring force of political correctness” (p. xxi). The political correctness that is associated with taboo words and expressions in the United States is due in part to the patriarchal society’s objective in marginalizing women and placing higher value on men. Taboo language is not taboo due to its intrinsic value. At their core, taboo words and expressions are considered taboo primarily because society has deemed them as such, highlighting the division between genders, age, social positions, and class ranks (Hughes, 2015).
Though taboo language is an integral part of language and language development, not all taboo language is created equally. Within taboo speech there are different levels and types of taboo words and expressions. For example, “darn” and “damn” just like “shoot” and “shit” express the same general emotions. However, darn and shoot are considered less offensive and are often used by individuals who do not wish to be considered coarse. While darn and shoot might be considered taboo based on the speaker’s age or gender, for example, a two-year-old who yells shoot might be reprimanded by their parent, damn and shit are considered taboo regardless of the speaker’s age or gender.
Types of taboo language include blasphemy (i.e., goddamn, Jesus Christ); sexual and ancestral references (i.e., cunt, bastard); excretion and scatology (i.e., piss, shit); and ethnic, racial, and gender slurs (i.e., bitch). Slurs are words that are utilized in an effort to incense subsets of a population of marginalized individuals. The purpose of a slur is to act as an instrument of division which aims to stigmatize individuals by treating them as less than human. Slurs can cause a significant amount of not only emotional but also mental damage. According to Bergen (2016), slurs are given the most power due to their ability to impart the most harm. While a deep understanding of slurs and their usage is important, particularly given their substantial social impact and connotations, slurs will not be referenced, nor will the weight of these words be taken into consideration in this chapter.
In an effort to examine taboo language usage in the United States, this chapter aims to explore the literature on taboo language. More specifically, this chapter will examine the dyadic representations of the patriarchal norms that punish women for using taboo speech while ignoring its usage in men. This chapter will examine the definitions and roots of taboo language, provide a short history of taboo speech in the United States, consider why and how taboo language is utilized, reflect on the normative barriers that impact taboo speech usage, before finally providing several examples of instances in which women have been criticized for their utilization of taboo language.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Taboo Language: Language that is restricted by society due to its subject matter or perceived offensiveness.
Norms: Sets of social standards that dictate the expectations on how a group should behave.
Women’s Liberation Movement: A political movement in the United States that occurred between the late 1960s and the early 1980s that called for equality for women.
Puritanism: A religious movement that occurred between the 16th and 17th centuries in response to the ostentatiousness that accompanied Roman Catholicism. Puritans believed in strict moral austerity regarding individual conduct and religious matters.
Fuck: Believed to date back to the 1400s, with its first appearance in a dictionary occurring in 1598. Fuck is considered a powerfully offensive word and one of the most commonly used taboo words in the English language. In the literal sense, fuck refers to the act of having sex. However, fuck is also utilized as an expletive which expresses intense emotions, including anger, fear, displeasure, happiness, etc.
Victorian Era: The period between 1837 and 1901 in which Queen Victoria reigned over England. During this period, gender norms, including those in which men work and women child rear, would be introduced and defined as would austere morality in the United States.
Patriarchy: A social structure in which men are the dominant gender and hold the primary power.
Comstock Act: Drafted by anti-vice activist Anthony Comstock and passed by the United States Congress on March 3, 1873, made it illegal to send, sell, lend, give away, possess, exhibit, or publish any material that was deemed illicit, including information on contraception and abortion. Individuals found in violation of the law could be sentenced to six months to five years of hard labor in a penitentiary or fined $100 to $2,000.