Article published in:
Pragmatics
Vol. 31:2 (2021) ► pp. 250–277

Taboo vocatives in the language of London teenagers

| University of Santiago de Compostela
This study focusses on the use and functions of so-called taboo vocatives (e.g. dickhead, you bastard, bitch) in the language of London teenagers, based on the analysis of over 500 examples extracted from COLT (The Bergen Corpus of London Teenage Language) and LEC (London English Corpus). Findings illustrate a wide variety of items in this category, and show that these cannot be regarded as mere insults, since they often serve to reinforce the bonds between young speakers as well, and indeed can even carry affectionate connotations. The majority of these items are nouns and denote some kind of sexual reference, an abnormal or strange human condition, or a pejorative, animal-related allusion. There does not seem to have been any major changes in the use of these forms from the 1990s to the first decades of the current century, although many of them have broadened their meaning and can now be used with either male or female speakers.
Keywords: vocatives, address terms, teenage language, taboo word, London English
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Taboo vocatives
  • 3.Literature review
  • 4.Aims and methodology
  • 5.Findings
    • 5.1Frequency
    • 5.2Evolution over time
    • 5.3Meaning
    • 5.4Referents of taboo vocatives
    • 5.5Teenagers versus adults
    • 5.6Taboo vocatives: Further features
    • 5.7Taboo Vocatives Position
  • 6.Pragmatics
    • 6.1Interpersonal relationships
      • 6.1.1Offensive
      • 6.1.2Arguments and disagreements
      • 6.1.3To reinforce bonds and create solidarity and comradeship
      • 6.1.4To express affection
      • 6.1.5Expression of contempt and envy
      • 6.1.6Badinage (humorous and witty)
    • 6.2Organise discourse
  • 7.Conclusions
  • Note
  • References
  • Dictionaries and corpora
Available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC) 4.0 license.
Published online: 18 November 2020
https://doi.org/10.1075/prag.19028.pal
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Taboo vocatives in the language of London teenagers