本論文旨在探討台灣國語中禁忌語及其相關的委婉語的發展歷程。在本論文裡，筆者討論了以下四類的禁忌語及其相關的委婉語：(1)與性器官或性行為相關的詞語，(2)與排泄物相關的詞語，(3)與命名和稱謂相關的詞語，以及(4)與死亡相關的詞語。
本論文在不同類別的禁忌語和委婉語中，分別討論了幾個特定禁忌語的發展過程及其相關的委婉語。首先，在「性器官或性行為」這個類別的詞語中，我們探討了三個特定的詞語及其相關的委婉語的發展歷程：(1)幹，(2)雞掰，及(3)爛/濫、白爛/濫。在「排泄物」這個類別的詞語中，我們探討了兩個特定的詞語及其相關的委婉語的發展歷程：(1)洨，及(2)與肛門的排泄物有關的詞語。在「命名和稱謂」這個類別的詞語中，我們探討了兩組特定的詞語及其相關的委婉語的發展歷程：(1)同性戀，及(2)台灣原住民。最後，在「死亡」這個類別的詞語中，我們探討了與死及喪禮/喪事有關的禁忌語及其委婉語。
雖然在文獻中已經有許多學者探討過中文裡的禁忌語及其相關的委婉語，然而其發展過程卻較少被提及(Sung 1979, H. Chen 1987, Huang and Tian 1990, Shen 1996, Y. Chang. 1997, Tsao and Liu 2003, Y. Liu 2006 等)。所以，此論文主要探討不同類別禁忌語及其相關的委婉語的發展過程。希望透過此論文的研究可以使我們對禁忌語與委婉語的使用有全面性的了解。
綜合本篇論文的研究結果，我們有以下五個發現：第一，根據禮貌理論(Politeness Theory)，使用委婉語取代禁忌語是表現禮貌行為的主要方式之一。第二，在台灣國語中禁忌語及其相關的委婉語的發展歷程中，有些詞語的轉變可以被視為語意與詞彙改變(semantic and lexical change)的範例。第三，有些用來迴避使用禁忌語的詞語會產生幽默效應(humorous effect)。第四，台灣國語中為了迴避使用禁忌語，會使用以下幾種策略：(1)替代(substitution)，(2)刪略(omission)，(3)含糊(ambiguity)，(4)暗示(implication)，及(5)比喻(metaphor)等。第五，有些台灣國語中的詞語被認定為禁忌語主要是因為與他們相關的詞語在台語（或英語）中為禁忌語。

This thesis aims to examine the development of taboo expressions and their euphemisms in Taiwan Mandarin. Various categories of taboo expressions and their related euphemisms in Taiwan Mandarin are discussed: (1) expressions related to organs and acts of sex; (2) expressions related to bodily effluvia; (3) expressions related to naming and addressing; (4) expressions related to death.
Specific case studies of different categories of taboo expressions and their eupheumisms are presented in this thesis. First, three cases related to expressions of organs and acts of sex are discussed: (1) 幹 gàn; (2) 雞掰 ji-bai; (3) 爛/濫 làn and 白爛/濫 bái-làn. Second, two cases related to expressions of bodily effluvia are analyzed: (1) 洨 xiáo; and (2) expressions related to effluvia from anus. Third, two cases related to expressions of naming and addressing are examined: (1) homosexuality; (2) Taiwanese aborigines. Finally, expressions related to death and funerals and their related euphemisms are discussed.
A number of scholars have dealt with the interaction between Chinese culture and (the types of) taboo expressions and their related euphemisms in Chinese languages (e.g. Sung 1979, H. Chen 1987, Huang and Tian 1990, Shen 1996, Y. Chang 1997, Tsao and Liu 2003, Y. Liu 2006, and so on). However, they have barely touched upon issues related to the development of taboo expressions and their euphemisms. Thus, this study focuses on the development of taboo expressions and their euphemisms in Taiwan Mandarin in order to bridge the gap in the literature.
By studying the development of taboo expressions and their euphemisms in Taiwan Mandarin, some observations can be made. First, according to Politeness Theory, the use of euphemisms to replace taboo expressions is a main verbal play of politeness. Second, the development of some taboo expressions and their euphemisms in Taiwan Mandarin can be considered as instances of semantic and lexical change. Third, some expressions used for taboo avoidance may bring about a humorous effect. Fourth, various kinds of strategies are employed in order to avoid the use of taboo expressions, e.g. substitution, ambiguity, omission, implication, metaphor, and so on. Fifth, some words in Taiwan Mandarin are considered as taboo expressions because of the taboo status of their related words in Southern Min (or in English).

A dictionary of slang, riddles, and jargon (俚語隱語行話詞典). 1996. Shanghai: Shanghai Lexicographical Publishing House (上海辭書出版社). [in Chinese]
Allan, Keith, and Kate Burridge. 1991. Euphemism & dysphemism: Language used as shield and weapon. New York: Oxford University Press.
Allan, Keith, and Kate Burridge. 2006. Forbidden words: Taboo and the censoring of language. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Ayto, John. 1994. Euphemisms. London: Federal Publications.
Bacon, Elizabeth E. 2008. Taboo. In Encyclopedia Americana. GrolierOnline. Dec. 8, 2008. http://ea.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0377610-00.
Basaw, Watan (娃丹•巴色爾). 1997. We chose to adopt the name ‘yuán-zhù-mín (Indigenous Peoples of Taiwan)’ (我們選擇採用「台灣原住民」的名稱). In Owners who request a name (要求名字的主人), ed. by Mei-kuan Hsia (夏美寬), 9-16. Tainan: Ren-guang (人光). [in Chinese]
Birx, H. James, ed. 2005. Encyclopedia of anthropology. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications.
Bloomfield, Leonard. 1933. Language. New York: Henry Holt.
Blust, Robert. 2009. Austronesian languages. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.
Brown, Penelope, and Stephen C. Levinson. 1987. Politeness: Some universals in language usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Burchfield, Robert. 1985. Fair of speech: The uses of euphemism. New York: Oxford University Press.
Campbell, Lyle. 2004. Historical linguistics: An introduction, 2nd ed. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
Chang, Yen-shan. (張彥珊). 1997. A study of modern euphemisms (現代委婉語研究). MA thesis, National Kaohsiung Normal University. [in Chinese]
Chang, Kung-kui (張拱貴), ed. 1996. A dictionary of euphemisms in Mandarin (漢語委婉語詞典). Beijing: Beijing Language and Culture University (北京語言文化大學). [in Chinese]
Chen, Hui-zhu (陳慧珠). 1987. A study of Chinese lucky words and taboos. MA thesis, Fu Jen University.
Chen, Shiou. 2000. Taiwanese dictionary (台灣話大詞典). Taipei: Yuan-liou (遠流). [in Chinese]
Chen, Yen-ling. 2006. Taboo words: From Southern Min into Mandarin. Ms.
Chi, Ta-wei. 1997. Queer archipelago: A reader of the queer discourses in Taiwan (酷兒啟示錄). Taipei: Yuan-zun (元尊文化). [in Chinese]
Claire, Elizabeth. 1990. An indispensable guide to dangerous English!: For language learners and others. Dundee: Delta Systems.
Crowley, Terry. 1997. An introduction to historical linguistics, 3rd ed. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
Dong, Zhongsi. 2001. Taiwanese Southern Min dictionary (台灣閩南語詞典). Taipei: Wu-nan (五南). [in Chinese]
Douglas, Carstairs. 1873. Chinese-English dictionary of the vernacular or spoken language of Amoy. London: Trubner.
Fishman, Joshua A., ed. 1968. Readings in the sociology of language. The Hague: Mouton.
Frazer, James G., ed. 1950. The Golden Bough: The roots of religion and folklore. New York: Collier Books.
Freud, Sigmund. 1950. Totem and taboo. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
Goffman, Erving. 1967. On facework: An analysis of ritual elements in social interaction. In The discourse reader, ed. by Adam Jaworski and Nikolas Coupland, 306-321. London: Routledge.
Hinsch, Bret. 1990. Passions of the cut sleeve: The male homosexual tradition in China. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Hock, H. Henrich. 1986. Principles of historical linguistics. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Hong, Ying-sheng (洪英聖). 1993. Taiwan early inhabitants’ footstep: The culture & legend about ten minority tribes (台灣先住民腳印：十族文化傳奇). Taipei: China Times (時報文化). [in Chinese]
Hsieh, Shih-chung (謝世忠). 1987. Stigma of identification: Changes in indigenous people of Taiwan (認同的污名：台灣原住民的族群變遷). Taipei: Independent Evening News (自立晚報). [in Chinese]
Huang, Hongxu, and Guisen Tian. 1990. A sociolinguistic view of linguistic taboo in Chinese. International Journal of Sociology of Language 81: 63-85.
Huang, Jui-lien. 2006. A study on the taboo words of Taiwanese Hailu Hakka dialect (台灣海陸客語禁忌語的研究). MA thesis, National Hsinchu University of Education. [in Chinese]
Hung, Shui-hsien (紅水鮮), Hsiao-wei Chi (紀小尾), and Tang-mo Tan (蛋糖饃). 1997. Little encyclopedia for queer (小小酷兒百科). In Queer archipelago: A reader of the queer discourses in Taiwan (酷兒啟示錄), ed. by Ta-wei Chi, 27-61. Taipei: Yuan-zun (元尊文化). [in Chinese]
Jackson, Peter A. 2004. Gay adaptation, Tom-Dee resistance, and Kathoey indifference: Thailand’s gender/sex minorities and the episodic allure of queer English. In Speaking in queer tongues: Globalization and gay language, ed. by William L. Leap and Tom Boellstorff, 202-230. Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois Press.
Jespersen, Otto. 1922. Language: Its nature, development and origin. London: Allen and Unwin.
Lee, Amy Pei-jung. 2008. Euphemisms in Taiwan Mandarin. Journal of Chinese Sociolinguistics 2.
Li, Yin-he (李銀河), and Xiao-bo Wang (王小波). 1992. Their world: A study of homosexuality in China (他們的世界：中國男同性戀群落透視). Taiyuan (太原巿): Shanxi People’s Press (山西人民出版社). [in Chinese]
Liu, Yi-chun. 2006. Euphemistic speech of Mandarin in Taiwan─ Pragmatic strategies and linguistic structure (現代漢語委婉言語之語用策略及語言形式─以臺灣地區為例). MA thesis, National Taiwan Normal University. [in Chinese]
Longman dictionary of the English language, 2nd ed. 1991. London: Longman.
Mandzhiev, Baatr. 2008. A comparative study of taboos and euphemisms in Chinese and Kalmyk languages. MA thesis, Fu Jen University.
Matthews, Peter H. 1997. Oxford concise dictionary of linguistics. New York: Oxford University Press.
Millar, Robert McColl. 2007. Trask’s historical linguistics, 2nd ed. London: Hodder Arnold.
Minning, Heidi. 2004. Qwir-English code-mixing in Germany: Constructing a rainbow of identities. In Speaking in queer tongues: Globalization and gay language, ed. by William L. Leap and Tom Boellstorff, 46-71. Urbana-Champaign: University of Illinois Press.
NTU Gay Chat. 1994. A union of homosexuals (同性戀邦聯). Taipei: Hau-jiao (號角). [in Chinese]
O’Grady, William and John Archibald. 2008. Contemporary linguistic Analysis, 6th ed. Toronto: Pearson/Longman.
Pan, Ying (潘英). 1996. A history of plains groups in Taiwan (台灣平埔族史). Taipei: Nan-tian (南天). [in Chinese]
Parod, Icyang (夷將 拔路兒), ed. 2008. Documentary collection on the indigenous movement in Taiwan, Vol. 1 (台灣原住民族運動史料彙編（上）). Taipei: Academia Historica and Council of Indigenous Peoples, Executive Yuan, Taiwan. [in Chinese]
Provencher. 2002. Vague English creole: (Gay English) Cooperative discourse in the French gay press. Contemporary French Civilization 26(1): 86-110.
Radcliffe-Brown, Alfred R. 1939. Taboo. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Shen, Xi-lun (沈錫倫). 1996. Expressions of linguistic avoidance, taboo, and euphemism (語言文字的避諱、禁忌語委婉表現). Taipei: Yuan-liou (遠流). [in Chinese]
Shih, Cheng-Feng (施正峰). 1997. Ethnic politics in Taiwan (台灣族群政治). In Ethnic politics and policies (族群政治與政策), ed. by Cheng-Feng Shih, 73-108. Taipei: Qian-wei (前衛). [in Chinese]
Shih, Hsiang-heng (石湘恆). 1984. Memorandum for the planning of the Alliance of Taiwan Aborigines (原住民權利促進會籌備紀事). Ms. [in Chinese]
Smith, William R. 1889. Lectures on the religion of the Semites. London: Adam & Charles Black.
Steiner, Franz. 1956. Taboo. London: Cohen and West.
Sung, Margaret M. Y. 1979. Chinese language & culture: A study of homonyms, lucky words and taboos. Journal of Chinese Linguistics 7(1): 15-28.
Takiwatan, Alice (亞磊絲•泰吉華坦), and Daxiwulawan Bima (達西烏拉彎•畢馬). 2006. Why do we need to understand indigenous peoples in Taiwan: An introduction (為什麼要認識台灣原住民族 : 總論). Taipei: Taiwan Indigenous Cultural Enterprise Development Association (TICEDA) (原產會). [in Chinese]
Trask, R. L. 2000. The dictionary of historical and comparative linguistics. Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn.
Traugott, Elizabeth C., and Richard B. Dasher. 2002. Regularity in semantic change. Cambridge: Cambridge Universicty Press.
Tsao, Feng-fu (曹逢甫), and Hsiu-ying Liu (劉秀瑩). 2003. Removal of taboo: Alternative expressions for tabooed body parts—A comparative study of vocabulary in Mandarin and English II (解除禁忌：身體部位禁忌的另類說法－漢英詞匯比較研究之二). Contemporary Research in Modern Chinese 5: 111-130. [in Chinese]
Wang, You-hua (王幼華). 2005. An exposition and historical introspection on ethnicity (族群論述與歷史反思). Miaoli: Culture Bureau of Miaoli County. [in Chinese]
Wundt, William. 1906. Mythus und religion. Leipzig: Sonnenschein.
Yang, Qing-chu. 1998. Taiwanese-Mandarin/Mandarin-Taiwanese dictionary (台華雙語辭典/國台雙語辭典). Kaohsiung: Dun-Li (敦理). [in Chinese]

Websites
Georgia Secretary of State. http://sos.georgia.gov/Securities/preneed_sales_agents.htm
Ministry of Education, Taiwan, compiler. 1994. The revised Mandarin dictionary (教育部重編國語辭典修訂本). http://dict.revised.moe.edu.tw/index.html
Ministry of Education, Taiwan, compiler. 2005. Dictionary of Chinese idioms (教育部成語典). http://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/
United Knowledge Archives (聯合知識庫). http://udndata.com/library
Wikipedia. http://wikipedia.org/