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80600-01 - Seminar: Taboo Language, Linguistic Avoidance and Self-Censorship (3 KP)
| Semester | Herbstsemester 2026 |
| Angebotsmuster | unregelmässig |
| Dozierende | Merle Willenberg (merle.willenberg@unibas.ch, BeurteilerIn) |
| Inhalt | In linguistics, we naturally consider language that is there, both in its spoken and written forms. But what about language that is not there, or not supposed to be there? This seminar explores the linguistic realisation and contestation of social and cultural taboos in everyday language use, which may take the form of self-censorship or avoidance strategies. A particular focus of the course will be on the interplay between taboo language, appropriacy and politeness in English. Students will examine how norms of sayability shape (and are shaped by) interpersonal relationships, language ideology, and cultural dimensions. In this course, we will consider - terminology and concepts to describe taboo language - what makes linguistic expressions taboo and how they are subsequently avoided (or not) - the functions of euphemistic and offensive language - how meaning is made through (and despite of) self-/censorship - the role that taboo language and linguistic avoidance play in identity construction - how social taboos are metapragmatically evaluated in communication Using lexicological, semantic, pragmatic, and discourse-analytic approaches, the course equips students with the skills to identify taboo language and self-/censorship in naturally occurring English language data while critically reflecting on the methodological challenges of studying the unsaid. |
| Lernziele | Upon completing this course, students will be able to - critically assess social and cultural taboos in their linguistic realisations - apply relevant terminology and theoretical concepts to empirical data - reflect on methodological concerns in studying taboo language |
| Literatur | All course materials, including all the required reading, will be made available on ADAM. |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Teilnahmevoraussetzungen | This course is open to students of English who have passed all three BA introductory modules and to MA students of English and MSG Sprache und Kommunikation. |
| Anmeldung zur Lehrveranstaltung | Please register for this course on services unibas. In order to ensure a good learning environment, we aim at no more than 20 students per linguistics seminar. We ask you to sign up for classes via the ADAM registration surveys, which will open on 1 August 2026, 10am (CEST), and close on 18 September 2026, 2pm (CEST): https://adam.unibas.ch/goto_adam_crs_1623802.html **Please only register for a maximum of TWO seminars and only for more than one if you really intend to take both courses.** Should you have not made it into one of the courses and you are only able to register on the list in a position higher than 20, we guarantee that we will take you in the course with the least student numbers. |
| Unterrichtssprache | Englisch |
| Einsatz digitaler Medien | Online-Angebot obligatorisch |
| Intervall | Wochentag | Zeit | Raum |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Dienstag | 08.15-10.00 | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
Einzeltermine
| Datum | Zeit | Raum |
|---|---|---|
| Dienstag 15.09.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Dienstag 22.09.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Dienstag 29.09.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Dienstag 06.10.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Dienstag 13.10.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Dienstag 20.10.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Dienstag 27.10.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Dienstag 03.11.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Dienstag 10.11.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Dienstag 17.11.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Dienstag 24.11.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Dienstag 01.12.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Dienstag 08.12.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Dienstag 15.12.2026 | 08.15-10.00 Uhr | Nadelberg 6, Grosser Hörsaal |
| Module |
Modul: Advanced English Linguistics (Bachelor Studienfach: Englisch) Modul: English Linguistics (Master Studienfach: Englisch) Modul: Forschungspraxis und Vertiefung (Master Studiengang: Sprache und Kommunikation) Modul: Sprache und Gesellschaft (Master Studiengang: Sprache und Kommunikation) |
| Prüfung | Lehrveranst.-begleitend |
| Hinweise zur Prüfung | Active participation, leading a discussion (individual or in pairs) and short written assignment(s) based on the discussions. |
| An-/Abmeldung zur Prüfung | Anmelden: Belegen; Abmelden: nicht erforderlich |
| Wiederholungsprüfung | keine Wiederholungsprüfung |
| Skala | Pass / Fail |
| Belegen bei Nichtbestehen | beliebig wiederholbar |
| Zuständige Fakultät | Philosophisch-Historische Fakultät, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Anbietende Organisationseinheit | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |