A Comparison of Balinese and Swiss German Swear Words Based on Their Referents
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32493/ljlal.v8i2.60911Keywords:
Sociolinguistics, references, swear words, Balinese, Swiss GermanAbstract
The use of swear words is common worldwide and often leads to misunderstandings in cross-cultural communication, especially between native Balinese speakers and Swiss German speakers who frequently interact in Bali’s tourism sector. This study aims to compare the similarities and differences in the references of swear words in the Balinese and Swiss German languages. The research uses a qualitative method using descriptive comparative design theory with a Naturalistic Inquiry approach. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with six native informants and document analysis of relevant theses. The results show that the references of swear words in both languages share several similarities, such as the use of themes (1) religion, (2) sex gender terms, (3) excrement, (4) animal terms, (5) personal background, (6) mental illness, and (7) sexual activity. Notable differences were also found, with the Balinese language exhibiting a diverse set of contextual terms strongly influenced by local culture, mythology, and social classification. Swiss German wear words tend to be more direct, vulgar, and rooted in a more universal Western social perspective. This study recommends implementing culturally sensitive language communication training for tourism practitioners and further research into cross-cultural sociolinguistic studies.
References
Afrilya, T., Suastini, N. W., & Jendra, I. M. I. I. (2021). An analysis types and function of swear words used in PewDiePie’s video. Elysian Journal: English Literature, Linguistics and Translation Studies, 1(1), 61–70. https://doi.org/10.36733/elysian.v1i1.1589
Artajaya, M., & Yanti, K. N. K. (2020). Persepsi wisatawan Jerman terhadap kualitas pelayanan pramuwisata berbahasa Jerman di Denpasar. Jurnal Kepariwisataan, 19(2), 132–144. https://doi.org/10.52352/jpar.v19i2.429
Ayu, P., & Sudana, P. (2016). Perbandingan komunikasi nonverbal penutur asli dan penutur asing bahasa Inggris dalam public. Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Humaniora (JISH), 5(1), 691–704. https://ejournal.undiksha.ac.id/index.php/JISH
Bali Hotels Association. (2023). Monthly passengers statistic 2023. https://www.balihotelsassociation.com/monthly-passengers-statistic/2023/
Beers Fägersten, K. (2007). A sociolinguistic analysis of swear word offensiveness [Doctoral dissertation, Universität des Saarlandes].
Chaer, A., & Agustina, L. (2010). Sosiolinguistik: Perkenalan awal. Rineka Cipta.
Cooper, S. D. (2019). An assessment of emotional-force and cultural sensitivity: The usage of English swearwords by L1 German speakers [Master’s thesis, West Virginia University].
Dewi, M. I. K., Budasi, I. G., & Ramendra, D. P. (2017). An analysis of Balinese swear words used in Cempaga Village. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Undiksha, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v5i2.14961
Dewipayani, N. P. A. S., Suarnajaya, I. W., & Suprianti, G. A. P. (2017). Swear words used by the teenagers in Nusa Penida a descriptive qualitative study. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Undiksha, 5(2), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v5i2.15254
Eder, E., Krieg-Holz, U., & Hahn, U. (2019). At the lower end of language—Exploring the vulgar and obscene side of German. In Proceedings of the Third Workshop on Abusive Language Online (pp. 119–128). https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/w19-3513
Hagen, S. H. (2013). Swearwords and attitude change: A sociolinguistic study. [Master’s thesis, University of Bergen].
Harismayanti, I., Budasi, I. G., & Ramendra, D. P. (2017). An analysis of swear words used by the teenagers in Singaraja. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Undiksha, 5(2), 9. https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v5i2.11566
Holmes, J., & Wilson, N. (2022). An introduction to sociolinguistics (6th ed.). Routledge.
Jay, T. (2009). The utility and ubiquity of taboo words. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4(2), 153–161. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6924.2009.01115.x
Khansir, A. A., & Pakdel, F. (2019). No contrastive analysis hypothesis and second language learning. Journal of ELT Research: The Academic Journal of Studies in English Language Teaching and Learning, 4(1), 35–43. https://doi.org/10.22236/JER_Vol4Issue1pp35-43
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage Publications.
Saniada, K. N., Ramendra, D. P., & Mahendrayana, G. (2023). The analysis of swear words used by the children in Poh Bergong Village. International Journal of Language and Literature, 7(2), 75–82. https://doi.org/10.23887/ijll.v7i2.32271
Sarnika, C. (2018). Types and functions of swear words used in American sitcom How I Met Your Mother season one. Journal of Language and Literature, 6(2), 84–90. https://doi.org/10.35760/jll.2018.v6i2.2486
Sayer, I. M. (2013). Misunderstanding and language comprehension. Procedia—Social and Behavioral Sciences, 70, 738–748. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.01.118
Stapleton, K., Beers Fägersten, K., Stephens, R., & Loveday, C. (2022). The power of swearing: What we know and what we don’t. Lingua, 277, Article 103406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2022.103406
Suwija, I. N., Suarta, I. M., Suparsa, I. N., Geria, A. A. G. A., & Suryasa, W. (2019). Balinese speech system towards speaker social behavior. Humanities & Social Sciences Reviews, 7(5), 32–40. https://mgesjournals.com/hssr/article/view/hssr.2019.754
Wijana, I. D. P. (2004). Makian dalam bahasa Indonesia: Studi tentang bentuk dan referensinya. Humaniora, 16(3), 242–251. https://doi.org/10.22146/jh.1304
Wisudayanti, K. H. O. (2020). An analysis of Balinese swearwords of English private course students in Buleleng Regency. The Art of Teaching English as a Foreign Language, 1(2), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.36663/tatefl.v1i2.43
Wiyasa, M. A. P., Budasi, I. G., & Swandana, I. W. (2017). An analysis of swear word used by Bali Aga people in Sidetapa Village. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Undiksha, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v5i2.18878
Yani, K. T., Budasi, I. G., & Ramendra, D. P. (2017). A comparative study of American and Balinese swearwords. Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Undiksha, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.23887/jpbi.v5i2.13612
Yanti, P. N. P. (2025). Swear words used by German [Undergraduate thesis, Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha]. Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha Repository. https://repo.undiksha.ac.id/26069/
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 I Gede Abiyudha Widyadhana , I Gede Budasi, Rima Andriani Sari
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
