Taboo ritual in Spanish: A study of pragmatic strategies

Abstract

"The aim of the present paper is to analyse the pragmatic structures that constitute the taboo ritual in Spanish colloquial conversations. The analysis is based on the assumption that, in the modern Spanish society, some of the topics are considered taboo and while speaking about them, a special ritual is required. I claim that this ritual is based on some pragmatic strategies that present important meanings and interactive functions. In order to confirm my hypothesis, a number of Spanish colloquial conversations are examined. By identifying the taboo topics and observing how they are introduced to the conversation, I present the pragmatic mechanisms that create the taboo ritual in modern Spanish."