Research on taboo

Author: Wang Xinhua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Taboo avoidance is a unique linguistic and cultural phenomenon in feudal Chinese society. In our era of few taboos, re-opening the historical scroll can evoke a sense of awe at its immense role in history and its widespread influence. It makes one reflect on the subtle relationships between people and between people and nature. This may also be the significance of re-examining taboo avoidance. Previous scholars have already done extensive work on taboo avoidance. In terms of detailed materials and meticulous research, Zhou Guangye's Comprehensive Examination of Taboo Avoidance in Classics and Histories and Chen Yuan's Examples of Historical Taboo Avoidance can be considered monumental works. The Study of Taboo Avoidance builds on this foundation, organizing and exploring this culturally unique phenomenon of the Han Chinese, which has greatly influenced surrounding ethnic groups, from an anthropological perspective, hoping to contribute to the study of Chinese culture.
To ensure more effective research, we advocate the following research philosophy: internally within the language, combining vocabulary, grammar, phonetics, and semantics; externally, integrating synchronic and diachronic perspectives, language and speech, and speech and context. In China, ancient traditional linguistics has been closely related to philosophy, literature, and history. In the West, many disciplines focus on linguistic issues, either studying language from the perspective of their own field or borrowing linguistic findings and methods to study other disciplines. Linguistics has had a profound impact on disciplines such as linguistic philosophy, hermeneutics, logic, psychology, and anthropology. At the same time, the research findings and methods of Western linguistic philosophy, hermeneutics, logic, psychology, and anthropology are also relevant theories and knowledge that must be paid attention to in the study of Chinese linguistics and paleography.