The way of dealing with taboo topics in a language class: the case of the Department of French at Salahaddin University in Erbil, Iraq

Abstract

Teaching a foreign language in a multi-ethnic oriental society is fraught with a lot of linguistic and cultural difficulties, the most prominent of which is the fact that some expressions and topics are considered taboo for religious and/or cultural reasons. This study aims at highlighting some of the words and topics that both students and professors avoid using in French classes at Salahaddin University. The data is collected from teacher-student interaction in the Department of French in Erbil. The prohibited topics usually appear in some basic classes such as literature, French civilization, conversation and translation. We have put forward, at the end of the research, some effective solutions which were reached during the field study.