A Pragmatic Study of Linguistic Taboos in Tiv

There are a number of words and expressions in Tiv language that are not talked about openly in conversations for various reasons. Such words and expressions have bad connotations: they can cause shame or embarrassment, and are capable of thwarting the smooth flow of communication. This paper is a pragmatic study of linguistic taboos in Tiv. It examines not only the literal meaning of linguistic taboos but also the meaning that is derived from the norms of formality and politeness (pragmatics) that exist in Tiv society. Conversation with native speakers and participants observations served as the primary source of data collection. Written materials in form of textbooks, journal articles and dissertations were used as secondary sources. The data collected were descriptively analysed bringing out euphemistic or polite expressions. The findings reveal that there are linguistic taboos in Tiv and the adult native speakers observe them more than the younger ones in their conversations. The study also agrees that taboos help to instill morals in members of the society. Finally, the study shows that the euphemistic expressions provide free flow o communication which would have been put to a halt by linguistic taboos. The paper concludes that the problem created by linguistic taboos in communication because of its bad connotations can e overcome if the correct euphemistic expressions for such taboos in the language are identified and correctly used.