Taboo Words used by the main characters of Freedom Writers Movie

ABSTRACT

Every human being can express thoughts and feelings to others, no exception say something taboo. Taboo words have always been embarrassing even frightening to utter among almost all human beings. As Wardhaugh (2004: 237) states that taboo is related to the prohibition or avoidance in any society of behavior believed to be harmful to its members in that it would cause them anxiety, embarrassment, or shame.

In this research, the objectives of the study are to identify what taboo words which are produced by white and black people in the characters of Freedom Writers movie. Furthermore, it describes in what context the taboo words produced by white and black people in the Freedom Writers movie.

This research uses descriptive qualitative design to get the information dealing with taboo words. In collecting the data, firstly, the researcher collected the data by watching the movie. Secondly, the researcher found out the transcript then read and understood the transcript. Then the researcher investigated the utterances containing the taboo words produced by the black and white people as the characters. The last is the researcher identified the types of taboo based on Wardhaugh’s theory and found the context of taboo utterances produced by the characters using Hyme’s theory.

After analyzing the data, the researcher concludes that only six of eight types of taboo words which are used in Freedom Writers movie. A type of taboo words, Excretion, is mostly used by the black people in the characters of the movie. The others are one’s mother in law, bodily function, certain game animal, death, and religious matter.

Based on the data analysis, the researcher has some suggestions that are important for the audience to have self-wise and filter control in viewing any movie. The suggestion also rises toward the filmmaker to take account more on the language appreciation, especially dirty or taboo words. Finally, the researcher suggests to the other next researchers to study more on the entertainment field, especially movie in a similar or other themes.