Abstract

This thesis analyzes the offensiveness of Afrikaans taboo words gathered from an online survey and cross-compares it to grammatical constructions and functionality as displayed in an Afrikaans corpus. Culturally speaking, Afrikaans has a rich history of taboo terminology, especially in the racial category. The historical importance of taboo terms aids in understanding the evolution of the offensiveness of terms, especially as influenced by factors such as politics, attitude shifts, younger generations, etc. Results from the online survey focused primarily on the White Afrikaans-speaking population, as minimal responses were gathered from other ethnic groups. Additional findings from the survey indicated that various social factors (i.e., gender, Afrikaans, age, occupation, etc.) did not determine what was considered most offensive in both overall and categorical rankings. However, significant findings displayed that context (i.e., church, familiarity, school, university, and work) and where taboo terms were learned determined when taboo terms were most offensive. The level of offensiveness was affected by factors such as country, learning Afrikaans in school, and in the situation of 'offensiveness to you'. Results from the Afrikaans corpus indicated that the frequency of taboo terminology is affected by the terms' offensiveness, grammar constructions and functionality. This study also indicates that the genericness of taboo terms plays a role in determining the functionality and type of grammar constructions a term may have. Further research is needed to examine if genericness remains consistent within other languages and with other Afrikaans taboo terms not examined in this study.

Degree

College and Department

Humanities; Linguistics

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