Gendered Swearing – deconstruction of Lady's Identity?

Gendered Swearing – deconstruction of Lady's Identity?

SIVRIC, Marijana

Key words: taboo, swearing, gender, identity, equality ABSTRACT According to McEnery (2005) swearing is the use of any word or phrase that is likely to cause offence when used in polite conversation. Trudgill (2000) sees swearing as a part of taboo language, which is something supernaturally forbidden or regarded as immoral or improper. Jay, in his numerous studies (1980-2006), distinguishes several categories of taboo language: obscenities, vulgarisms, curses, expletives, profanities, confirming their presence and use in almost all languages. There has been widespread research into swearing within many disciplines such as linguistics, sociolinguistics, psychology, sexuality, education, sociology, women’s studies, just to name a few. However, one of the most intriguing aspects of the sociolinguistics of swearing is the correlation between swearing and the gender of speakers, because it is strongly tied to gender roles and expectations in society. As ‘women’s language’ is usually considered polite, cooperative, powerless and lady talk, swearing is seen as aggressive and masculine and women who swear are immediately characterized as violating gender norms, which is directly connected to gender identity. Being fully aware of strong swearing frequency among women today, we would like to pay attention to the following questions: When do young people swear? How is their swearing context-based? What is the difference between male and female swearing? Does the use of swear words impact the deconstruction of lady’s identity? An analysis of swearing can offer a deeper insight into social relations among young people today, particularly those referring to gender issues.

Article
PeerReviewed

IBU Publishing

2013-05-03

1844