This thesis examines whether there is a difference in how English swearwords are perceived by Dutch L1 speaking men and women and whether the swearwords are also ranked differently per gender. In...Show moreThis thesis examines whether there is a difference in how English swearwords are perceived by Dutch L1 speaking men and women and whether the swearwords are also ranked differently per gender. In order to collect data to answer the research questions, an online survey was created. The participants were 60 Dutch L1 speakers with a near-native or advanced language proficiency in English. The data was then analyzed with two independent T-tests, a Mann-Whitney test, and a two-way repeated measures ANOVA test in IBM SPSS statistics. The results suggest that gender, as well as swearwords, have an effect on the perceived offensiveness of English swearwords. In general, male participants perceived English swearwords as less offensive than female participants. It was also found that the swearwords were not all perceived as equally offensive. Finally, it was found that the overall scale of offense as well as the scale of offense per gender differed from the native-speakers scale of offense (McEnery, 2006) suggesting that Dutch L1 speakers of English perceive English swearwords differently from native English speakers.Show less
