The Word Taboo in Languages and Cultures: The Case of Proto-Indo-European “Left”

This paper deals with the word taboo and seeks to investigate such a concept from a view point of theoretical and cognitive linguistics and through the lens of linguistic anthropology. As for a case study, the article focuses on the meaning of the taboo behind the concept and words for “left” in Proto-Indo-European. Next to the most common idea of [WORSE, IMPURE] then [DEFECATION], clearly stated in some texts and even in present-day superstition practices and habits of several world civilizations, ancient Indo-European texts do reveal some hints for another taboo. This taboo exhibits a meaning in the sphere of manhood and masculinity, involving male characterizations, such as the genitals and homoerotic intercourse. The study is carried out in the frame of linguistic anthropology, because all the imperfect phonological matches between Indo-European “left”-words and types find an explanation in the substitution or neutralization processes of word taboo.