Akademik Dil ve Edebiyat Dergisi

Öz

Proverbs, which are structured with expressions enriched by wisdom, common sense, and intuitive insight, consist of effective, reinforcing, and meaning-complementing linguistic units that reflect collective reasoning, preferences and social acceptance. In addition to their functions of conveying judgments and offering advice, they also possess the power to teach critical thinking by presenting problems alongside their solutions. Some of these ancestral sayings, which have been embraced by society, have—under the influence of colloquial speech—taken on coarse or offensive words and meanings, becoming fixed in this form. The standardized form of language, known as written language, is considered an upper register, while expressions that lack politeness and appear in everyday speech are classified as lower registers of language usages. This study is structured around proverbs containing coarse and vulgar expressions, compiled from dialects in which they are still actively used. Emphasizing the importance of analyzing societal language dynamics, this research seeks to highlight the appearances of offensive words within the linguistic system, particularly those perceived as disturbing in usage, thereby raising awareness of lower register vocabulary in the language. To achieve this, selected improper words from orally transmitted proverbs have been examined through interpretations focusing on their etymology and meaning. The implicit connotations or references, metaphors, and exaggerated emphases were analyzed based on their associative strength. Morphological units classified as coarse language have been described through semantic analysis within their linguistic context and categorized thematically. Furthermore, the study traces phonetic and morphological changes in selected offensive words by incorporating key perspectives on their etymological origins. During the semantic analysis process, proverbs were identified that include expressions targeting individual value judgments—such as contempt, gender, physical or social flaws, ethnocentrism, and material or moral values (family values, wealth, poverty). Additionally, proverbs featuring animal-based metaphors and sexual innuendos as prominent linguistic features were examined.

As the fundamental link between thought, perception, and understanding, words serve as the vocalized form of existential attributes such as beauty, aesthetics, ugliness, and improperness, thereby encompassing all expressive possibilities and capabilities of language. Therefore, language, as the origin of words, functions as a valuable repository where linguistic data -whether from upper or lower registers, in oral and written forms—are preserved and deemed worthy of examination in every form and context. Studies that document the full spectrum of sounds in communication, allowing for the observation of their relationships with standardized language, are particularly valuable in concretizing the connection between language and thought.