Taboo Words in Expressive Language: Do Sex and Primary Language Matter?

In the present study, we examined whether sex differences exist in the number and categories of taboo word expressions used by college students when the intended recipient is defined by sexual affiliation and the medium is either one’s primary or secondary language. English-Spanish bilingual participants reported the taboo words that they or their friends use to refer to men and women. Across both sexes, taboo words referring to deviance of a social, psychological or physical nature were most frequent, followed by taboo words involving sexual references. Spanish references to deviance were more likely to be attributed to men than to women, whereas English taboo words were evenly ascribed to both sexes. Neither differences in age of acquisition nor subjective knowledge accounted for the more numerous Spanish deviations attributed to men.

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