Bilinguals? Reaction to Taboos: A Case Study on Persian Speaking Azari Natives

Abstract

Abstract

Bilingualism and its characteristics, as well as differences of conveying feelings in first and second language, among bilinguals have long been challenges for sociolinguists. Most bilinguals state that expressing their feelings through first language helps them convey exactly what they intend to, and that saying or hearing taboos in their first language bear more mental reaction. This study aims to briefly review the concept of linguistics taboo as a culture-dependent element and further discuss the differences of revealing feelings regarding taboos in the first and the second languages. In this study 40 female students, BA andMA participated, Turkish-Persian bilingual students, originally from Turkish areas of Iran; such as Tabriz, Zanajn, Ardebil, and Hamedan. This article seeks an answer to this question that whether expressing taboos in first language (Turkish) imposes more mental burden on speaker/hearer compared to second languageor it makes no difference.