The A(ffective) B(ehavioral) C(ognitive) of Taboo Words in Natural Language: The Relationship Between Taboo Words’ Intensity and Frequency

Abstract

We investigated the relationship between the affective component (A: the level of offensiveness/intensity) and the behavioral component (B: the frequency of usage) of taboo words that are part of an individual's natural language (C: the cognitive component). In Study 1, 900 U.S. residents generated the 10 most common taboo words they use in their daily lives (C). In Study 2, 1,000 U.S. residents were presented with the 30 most common taboo words (C) from Study 1 and asked to rate how offensive they perceived the words (A) and how often they used these words (B). This relationship was controlled for self-reported trait affectivity. We found a slight change in which taboo words people use in everyday life. The results suggest that the level of offensiveness of taboo words (A) predicts the usage of the words (B) that are part of a person's natural language (C): the ABC-hypothesis of taboo words.

How “dirty” is the Dark Triad? Dark character profiles, swearing, and sociosexuality

“…In other words, individuals with high levels in these traits might swear and are verbally offensive often because they do not see swearing as offensive (cf. with the attitude-behavior-cognition-hypothesis of taboo words; Rosenberg, Sikström & Garcia, 2017). Moreover, a promiscuous sexual attitude and desire were related to each dark trait only when the other two were low.…”

“…Swear Words' Frequency. The Taboo Words' Usage Inventory (Rosenberg, Sikström & Garcia, 2017) asks participants to rate (1 = rarely or never, 5 = very often) how often they use each one of the 30 frequently used swear words from the Taboo Words' Offensiveness Inventory (e.g., ''fuck'', ''shit'', ''bitch'', ''cunt'', ''damn'', and ''asshole''). A frequency score was computed by simply summarizing the average value of the 30 taboo words (Cronbach's α = .94).…”

“…Hence, it is important to understand the mechanism behind swearing in relation to dark personality traits. In this context, according to the (A)attitude-(B)behavior-(C)cognition-hypothesis of taboo words, the level of offensiveness of swear words predicts how often people swear (Rosenberg, Sikström & Garcia, 2017). Thus, the way the individual perceives how offensive the word is and how often she/he uses the swear word are two separate features that might relate differently to high levels of the dark traits.…”

How Slang Contributes to Euphemism in Communication: A Case Study of Widal Slang Language (WSL) of Sundanese Society in Sukabumi, West Java Indonesia

“…To avoid a dispute is the last contribution of WSL usage to euphemism. People use taboo because of some reasons, one of which is to express emotion [25] causing a dispute. A Dispute could occur when we utter unpleasant words that may make the hearers feel hurt.…”

Kajian Sosiolinguistik Pemakaian Bahasa Indonesia Oleh Penutur Asing Dalam Konten Video Youtube

“…Selain munculnya istilah tertentu bahasa daerah, terkadang dalam bentuk tuturan oleh penutur asing muncul beragam istilah yang sebenarnya termasuk dalam kosakata tabu. Salah satunya penggunaan kosakata yang menunjukkan kelamin manusia, maupun berhubungan dengan seksualitas karena dianggap tabu dan terlarang secara sosial (Rosenberg & Garcia, 2016). Temuan yang berkaitan dengan penggunaan istilah tabu tersebut dapat dilihat pada tabel 5 berikut: Hal ini dapat menyebabkan sebuah simpulan, yaitu penutur SV yang belajar bahasa Indonesia melalui penutur yang tidak bertanggung jawab.…”