5 the context in England at that time. Meanwhile, McEnery 2006 criticizes that the
debate about morality was very ambiguous with vague goal and the cas e’s
contextualization was outdated. McEnery also claims that the state of problem was posed for the sake of those who took advantage from the absence and the presence
of the taboo words in media. In the case of FCC v. Pacifica Foundation, similar scheme is obvious considering the case that the FCC maintains the increasing amount
of fine forfeiture which Levi 2008 claims “as minor costs of doing bussines”.
Here Carlin as well as WBAI FM was accused to be the folk devil while the FCC and the Supreme Court played as the moral entrepreneur.
Are those words so bad that the FCC could be such reactive about the case? Meanwhile, Andersson and Trudgill 1990 say that no words are bad. Since then it is
important to convey the meaning beyond Carlin’s utterances of indecent words. Here semantic and pragmatic analysis of those words plays an important role. Yet, the
discussion about indecent words is always covered by the moral and cultural boundaries context. However, the value which the moral based on cannot as well be
separated from the power dominating certain area, as it is schemed by McEnery. The sure thing is that the indecent words have a strong relation with things which is
claimed as taboo. This thesis will analyze further the taboo words and swear words uttered by Carlin in his monologue to provide semantic and pragmatic understanding
about those words. In the realm of education, the occurrence of taboo words and swear words is
highly restricted. I t is similarly expressed by Fairman 2006 that “public school
6 students do not shed their constitutional right to freedom of speech or expression at
the schoolhouse gate ” p. 61. However, taboo words and swear words are a
phenomenon which is present in daily language across ages, gender, and social class Howe, 2012. Jay 2000 claims that taboo topics are not regarded as a legitimate
topic for scholarly examination due to the nature of the taboo itself, which perpetuates and strengthens the taboo within the culture p. 10. As the future teacher
of English, the ELESP students should be able to teach their ESL students well about taboo, swear words, and their implementation in order to understand that
phenomenon. Some universities, like University of Colorado Denver, have had a curricular subject which discusses “taboo” in particular the syllabus can be seen in
appendix C. By adopting Carlin ’s monologue as a model, this thesis tries to provide
information and analysis about taboo words and swear words which might help make the design. Being taught properly about taboo words and swear words, the ESL
students are expected to be able to use taboo words and swear words appropriately and know the situation in which they have to use them or not.
1.2. Research Problems
This study addresses two research questions: 1.
What are the references or senses of the taboo words and swear words uttered in Carlin
’s monologue? 2.
How are the taboo words and swear words used in Carlin’s monologue?
7
1.3. Problem Limitation
In this research, the writer focuses on analyzing words, phrases, or sentences which contain words with taboo as their origin both taboo words and swear words.
In his monologue Carlin provides the contexts where the taboo words and swear word are uttered. The scope of this research is the semantic and pragmatic aspect which
makes the taboo words and swear words. The other words, phrases, or sentences which do not contain taboo words swear words or do not have a relation with those
words are not going to be analyzed further. Primarily the form of the data is recorded monologue, but for this research the
writer used the verbatim transcription of Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television
monologue in order to be easier for the writer to analyze and present the analysis. The writer uses
only one of Carlin’s monologues due to its abundance of taboo words and swear words which is considered to be sufficient to be analyzed in this thesis.
1.4. Research Objectives
The purposes of this study are: 1.
To figure out the taboo-themed words used in Carlin monologue Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television and their reference or sense. These various taboo
words and swear words will provide different cases in which those usually emerge. These miscellanea might also enrich the historical and linguistic context
8 of the swear words in this study. The writer will describe the historical contexts
from which the swear words originates if necessary. Obviously, the contexts are still related to the existence of taboo.
2. To find out the pragmatic aspect taboo words and swear words uttered. Despite
the cultural contexts, there is also a certain way of using taboo words and swear words in the speech. The writer will determine the pragmatic aspect of the taboo
words or swear words by considering the contexts provided in the utterances in which those words take place.
1.5. Research Benefits
The benefits of this research are as follows: 1.
For scholars: The background knowledge of taboo, taboo words and swear words will help the students understand the context in which taboo words and swear
words are acceptable. The information in this research can improve the understanding about the concept of taboo and the words derived from it which is
least in curricular education material. Although it is somewhat restricted to openly use taboo words or swear words, the scholars might use them for the other
informal contexts which are also valuable in learning English as a second language.
9 2.
For future researchers: As this research contains information about taboo, taboo words, and swear words. The researchers who want to conduct similar research
can use the information in this thesis as a reference. 3.
For those who are interested in the discussion about taboo, taboo words, or swear words: This thesis is expected to be a source of information for those who need to
know about taboo, taboo words, and swear words. Taboo words and swear words might occur in daily conversation. Hopefully, the information within can help the
reader understand the matters of taboo words and swear words.
1.6. Definition of Terms
There are several key words which are better to be understood to deal with the research of this thesis. Here is the definition of those considered important terms:
1. Taboo
Taboo is generally used to describe something which is “unmentionable” in the sense that it is ”ineffably sacred” or “unspeakably vile” Hughes, 2006. In the
context of this research taboo refers to anything or any activity which is considered not appropriate to reveal in front of public.
2. Taboo words
Taboo words are words which refer to things which are considered taboo. The emergence of these words is strictly avoided and their presence is hardly received
10 by the society Hughes, 2006. Taboo words include oath, blasphemy or profanity
hell, damn, bloody Mary, obscenity or vulgarity fuck, shit, piss, pussy, cock, ethnic racial slurs yankee, kaffir, gringo, nigger, and so on.
3. Swear words
Swear words are taboo words which are uttered by involving emotive function and do not refer to its literal meaning Ljung, 2011. The eleventh edition of
Oxford English Dictionary mentions that the emotion carried on in swearing is
merely anger. Whereas, in the context of this research, swear words can also express any other emotions like happiness Scherer Sagarin, 2006.
4. Reference
Reference is the actual object or real world entity picked out by a linguistic expression Frawley, 1992. Reference is also understood as a relation that holds
between speakers and what they are talking about in particular occasions Lyons, 1995, p. 294.
5. Sense
Sense means the idea or other information derived from how the expression is expressed as the product of logic Lyons, 1995. Frawley 1992 also
conceptualizes that sense is all the information which makes a sentence meaningful to someone who may or may not know the referential facts of a word.
From the definitions above it can be synthesized that this research analyzes the meaning of the words, phrases, or sentences as a unit of utterance which contain
words which have taboo reference, whether they are in the form of taboo words or
