Taboo in Japanese: Verbal Classification and Social Context
Keywords:
verbal taboo, Japanese language, social context, sociopragmatics, classificationAbstract
This paper examines the classification of verbal taboos in Japanese and the role of social context in determining the taboo status of an utterance from a sociopragmatic perspective. A qualitative, descriptive-analytical approach was used, drawing on Hymes’ (1972) communication ethnography. Primary data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and questionnaires with ten native Japanese speakers residing in Japan and Indonesia. Data analysis followed the Interactive Model of Miles, Huberman, and Saldana (2014) using source, technique, and time triangulation techniques to ensure data validity. The results of the study identified four main categories of verbal taboos, namely (1) existential taboos (death and misfortune, such as shinu, jisatsu, kiru), (2) scatological taboos (feces and bodily functions, such as kuso, oshikko, unchi), (3) sexual and gender taboos (sexual organs, identity, stereotypes, such as okama, chinpo, onna nan dakara), and (4) social-interpersonal taboos (insults and abuse, such as baka, aho, urusai). A total of 48 taboo expressions were identified across these categories. While the qualitative findings from ten participants provide in-depth sociopragmatic insights, they represent specific contextual patterns rather than absolute generalizations for the entirety of Japanese society. The findings show that the taboo status of a word is not intrinsic, but is determined by three pillars of social context: hierarchy and power relations between participants, the level of familiarity reflected in the uchi-soto (inside-outside) dichotomy, and the level of formality of the situation. The word baka, for example, can be a fatal insult in hierarchical relationships but functions as a marker of solidarity in intimate relationships. The word kuso undergoes semantic bleaching.
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