A Change in Saudi Attitudes From Use of Euphemism to Taboo: A Sociolinguistic Study

Abstract

—For this paper, we studied the use of linguistic taboo words in Saudi Arabian society. Three main taboo topics were addressed in the current study: the use of taboo words in social contexts, the use of taboo sex words, and the use of taboo swear words. A randomly chosen sample of 253 Saudi females from two different age groups participated in the study. A closed-ended multiple-choice questionnaire was used to collect the data. The findings provided considerable insights into the behavior of Saudi society. Saudi society rarely uses taboo words. The strategy people use to avoid using taboo language is euphemism; sex topics, for instance, which may be overtly discussed in some cultures, are prohibited in Saudi culture. The findings also revealed that Saudi society is too sensitive to the use of swear words because they are culturally and religiously prohibited, though they were occasionally used by younger female participants. In general, this study showed that although the Saudi society is a conservative society, the younger generations of Saudi females are moving slowly toward making linguistic changes in society.