Ewe Verbal Taboos: A Study in Indirection
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Date
2009
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Issues in Intercultural Communication 2(2): 193-211
Abstract
In all languages, there are certain words and expressions that are regarded as unsuitable for general use either because they deserve particular reverence or because they are felt to be ‘unclean’ or vulgar. The word taboo derives from the Polynesian word tabu which referred to a prohibition forbidding certain actions, contacts, relationships or words (Todd & Hancock 1986). This paper looks at the linguistic aspect of taboos in Ewe. There are verbal and behavioral taboos. The latter involves certain acts that are prohibited in a particular community, for example incest is a taboo act, but the expression for it is not forbidden. The other type of taboo has to do with words and expressions relating to certain phenomena that are prohibited. This paper’s focus is on verbal taboos, and discusses the types of expressions used in place of the taboo expressions. It is noted that taboo avoidance expressions involve euphemisms, which take forms such as metaphor, circumlocution and apologetic expressions.
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Keywords
Taboo, euphemism, metaphor, circumlocution, apologetic expressions