Very, very small study on swearing, emotion, gender and age

My research consisted of the two parts 1) self-analysis surveys of 15 minute, informal conversations and 2) face-to-face personal interviews.


Self-analysis surveys

The self-analysis surveys were completed by 23 participants. Because my research goal was to focus on spoken language in same gender/same generation groups and because younger generations codeswitch around older generations, and because younger people, both males and females, are less likely to use taboo words in front of those they perceive to be adults , I controlled the self-surveys by requiring participants to indicate their age group and gender. As the attached form indicates, data was collected on taboo word use as well as narrative content. This approach enabled me to analyze both points simultaneously and to seek a connection between the two.

Face-to-face personal interviews

The face-to-face interviews consisted of 12 individual 10-15 minute interviews—2 interviews with each identified group (2 15-35 males, 2 15-35 females, 2 35-55 males, etc).

The data gathered from personal interviews was not numerically substantial enough to be quantified or used for generalization. Instead of tabulating the data, I used it as a point of reference for my analysis and reflection; I compared it to the data from the self-surveys and information gathered from the literature review to arrive at my conclusions.