Abstract
This chapter deals with how people find ways to talk about a subject, which is still deemed ‘sensitive’ in mainstream society. Although such talk may be difficult for many people, vernacular language, which is the focus of this chapter, is one means of articulating this ‘sensitive’ subject. I shall focus on this language in order to explore how menstrual euphemisms and slang not only provide a conversational way around a difficult topic, but also help to shape, and are shaped by, societal views of menstruation.
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- 1.
Euphemisms are convolutions of speech that convey meaning without being too precise, ‘[a] substitution of mild or vague or roundabout expression for a harsh or blunt or direct one’ (Enright, 1985, p. 13).
- 2.
Joffe stressed that ‘no systematic sampling was made for terminology, as the word lists were a natural outgrowth of the balance of the work’ (Joffe, 1948, p. 181).
- 3.
German: Schweinerei ‘filth, mucky mess’, Sauerei ‘uncleanliness, filthiness’.
- 4.
However, there has been an increase in recent years in using washable, reusable, ‘green’ menstrual products.
- 5.
Website: www.babynames.co.uk . Accessed 13 June 2009. ‘Pamela’ ranked 469th, ‘Maureen’ did not feature, ‘Flo’ ranked 511th, Thomas 5th, and George 50th.
References
Bauer, L., and W. Bauer. 2007. “Playing with Tradition”. Journal of Folklore Research 44: 185–203.
Braun, V., and C. Kitzinger. 2001. “‘Snatch’, ‘Hole’ or ‘Honey-Pot’? Semantic Categories and the Problem of Nonspecificity in Female Genital Slang”. Journal of Sex Research 38(2): 146–158.
Douglas, M. 1966. Purity and Danger: An Analysis of the Concepts of Pollution and Taboo. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Enright, D.J. 1985. Fair of Speech: The Uses of Euphemism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Joffe, N.F. 1948. “The Vernacular of Menstruation”. Word 4: 181–186.
Larsen, V.L. 1963. “Psychological Study of Colloquial Menstrual Expressions”. Northwest Medicine 62: 874–877.
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Newton, V.L. (2016). ‘Auntie’s Come to Tea’: Menstrual Euphemism. In: Everyday Discourses of Menstruation. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-48775-9_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-48775-9_8
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