A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Taboo Words in Bad Teacher Movie

Abstract

The researcher  investigated taboo words uttered by the characters in Bad Teacher  movie using the sociolinguistics approach. The objective of this research was to identify the types  and functions  of  taboo  words  uttered  by  the  characters  in  the  movie.  This  research  is  descriptive qualitative. In addition, this research also used the quantitative method to support the interpretation of data by presenting fixed percentages in the numerical form. The data were collected  by  selecting  dialogues  containing  taboo  words  after  watching  the  movie  and matching the transcript with the video carefully. The primary instrument of this research was the researcher, while the secondary instrument was a data sheet. The results of the research were stated as follows. There were four types of taboo words found in the movie. They were obscenity, profanity, vulgarity, and epithet. In addition, the characters in Bad Teacher movie employed taboo words for four functions in their utterances. They were to draw attention to oneself, to show contempt, to be provocative, and to mock authority.

Keywords: sociolinguistics, taboo words, Bad Teacher movie