A comparative study of pashto and english linguistic taboos
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Date
2009
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Publisher
UMT Lahore
Abstract
The present thesis is a comparative study of an ethno-linguistic phenomenon known
as 'taboo' in Pashto and English cultures. It is a custom which consists in avoiding
mentioning certain words and expressions which is a common practice in more than
one society of the world. The stuify has analyzed the nature ofthe approach ofPashto
speakers towards some of the well known taboo-words and expressions and has also
compared them with English speakers. It is based on data collected through
questionnaires, interviews and personal observations. The findings of qualitative data
collected through interviews and observations from Pashto speakers were used in
support of the quantitative data. Quantitative data were analyzed through the
application of statistical software-SPSS. The t-tests revealed that Pashto language is
more prone to linguistic taboos than English. Less or no difference was found on the
basis of area (rural/urban) in the approach of people of both cultures. Further
exploration of the data reveals that almost similar to English, female speakers of
Pashto observe their linguistic taboos more strictly than male speakers. The data also
shows that the observance of taboos is higher in older age-group than the younger
one in Pashto. Due to many reasons the younger generation is less terrified by the
linguistic taboos. The present study also confirms the ideas of the previous
researchers that these taboos are mostly violated in extreme anger as when one is
highly emotional and out of control. On the basis of the pedagogical implications of
the study, a dictionary of taboo words in Pashto is recommended.