Introduction
What is this all about?

What is a taboo word?  And what can we use instead?

Many Taboo Words
Is there more than one kind? Where did they come from?

New Words
The beginning of new taboo words. 

 Using Taboo Terms
How, when and why taboos are used in everyday language.

 To Sum It Up
What was this site on?

Terms & Explanations

Bibliography

Taboos, the forbidden topics in dialogue situations. But just what exactly are taboo words, where do they come from and why do they change? 
This site will analyze taboo words and taboo issues and shed some light on the main aspects when dealing with taboos as an element of language. We will study taboos in general, find examples of the development of taboo words in the English language and define the elements of these words. We will see just what the term taboo itself means and how to distinguish taboo terms, replacement techniques and taboo words from taboos and taboo issues. One of the most important ways to deal with taboos today, the replacement technique of euphemizing will be explained. We will show some differences between the 19^th and the 20^th century, to show the development over time. We will see that taboo words and topics can emerge suddenly, or slowly, according to changes that take place in the historical evolution of social structures, and that the status of a taboo within society is revealed in the way euphemisms concerning this specific taboo are handled.