‘You taught me language; and my profit on't/Is, I know how to curse’: cursing and swearing in foreign language learning

The Use of Descriptives and Expressives by ESL Learners: Investigating the Relevance of Interpretation and Context.

“…In this regard as Aydemir et al, (2014) the teaching of English, including effective and appropriate use of expressives needs to incorporate cross-cultural awareness. This is also in line with the work of Mercury (1995) and Horan (2013) regarding the value of learning how taboo language and expressives are used in the target culture for increasing native like speech and interpretation by ESL learners.…”

“…Despite their strong role in providing cues to emotion, and intent, understanding the reliability of expressive signals could be challenging for ESL learners, and therefore understanding how to define these may be crucial for effective teaching approaches. However, the area is not very well explored, and focus has generally been on the use of these elements of language, or in expressive writing, rather than identifying whether context plays a part in interpretation (Smith, 2013;Mercury, 1995;Horan, 2013).In this context, as Liyanage et al, (2015) suggest, explicit instruction in expressives, particularly those that are focused on swearing or taboo language would be beneficial to ESL students wishing to achieve a native like speech in English. However, in order to be able to do this, greater understanding of the role of expressives and descriptives as emotive terms is required.…”

Accommodating taboo language in English language teaching: issues of appropriacy and authenticity

“…For a start, language considered appropriate in a classroom might be inappropriate in other settings, and materials used in classrooms are frequently decontextualised, bearing little resemblance to the uses of language encountered in authentic interactions (see Brown, 2013 for a discussion of this aspect in relation to teaching of Korean). One reason for this disjuncture is that violations of ostensible rules are not uncommon, not least because there is no consistency of agreement on rules, and thus neither on appropriateness, across uses and users of a language (Horan, 2013;Winter & Gallon, 2008). In addition, although in some instances violations are arguably unwitting, in others, violation is deliberate in order to achieve a social or pragmatic purpose (Dewaele, 2008;Horan, 2013;Mugford, 2008).…”

“…One reason for this disjuncture is that violations of ostensible rules are not uncommon, not least because there is no consistency of agreement on rules, and thus neither on appropriateness, across uses and users of a language (Horan, 2013;Winter & Gallon, 2008). In addition, although in some instances violations are arguably unwitting, in others, violation is deliberate in order to achieve a social or pragmatic purpose (Dewaele, 2008;Horan, 2013;Mugford, 2008). Such complexities surrounding the question of appropriateness in language use, and in language teaching, are accentuated when it comes to consideration of taboo language.…”

The occurrence of teacher-initiated playful LREs in a Spanish L2 classroom

“…In terms of form focused instruction, this example shows how the instructor is able to bring students' attention to the varied meanings of esperar by using language play to simulate the real life confusion that a polysemous word can create. The next example, Example 4, highlights the usage of a slang word, which are often left out of textbooks but are often sought after by learners (Horan, 2013;Mercury, 1995). In this classroom, the instructor would often use informal words like vale (correct) or guay (cool) when interacting with the students.…”