Euphemism and Taboo Language in Nigerian English: A Study of Undergraduate Students at the University of Benin

This study investigates the use of euphemism and taboo language in the Nigerian English variety as practised by undergraduate students at the University of Benin in Edo State, South South Nigeria. Euphemism, the substitution of a mild or indirect expression for one that might cause offence, and taboo language, speech constrained by social, cultural, or religious prohibition, are rich sites of sociolinguistic inquiry that reveal the values, anxieties, and social negotiations of a speech community. While Nigerian English has received substantial scholarly attention as a variety, the specific lexical strategies used by young educated Nigerians to navigate topics including death, sexuality, body functions, and money remain underexplored at the undergraduate level in South South contexts. The study employs a qualitative sociolinguistic approach, combining a structured questionnaire with focus group discussions among 60 undergraduate students stratified by faculty and gender. Data analysis reveals a rich inventory of euphemistic strategies including lexical replacement, semantic bleaching, foreign language borrowing, and circumlocution. Participants demonstrate heightened euphemistic behaviour around topics of death, sexual intimacy, and financial failure, with religious affiliation emerging as a significant variable shaping taboo avoidance patterns. Male and female students show distinct patterns of taboo language tolerance in peer interaction contexts. The study argues that Nigerian English euphemism reflects the complex interplay of Yoruba, Edo, and Igbo cultural norms with Christian and Islamic religious values within a broadly shared national speech community. Keywords: euphemism, taboo language, Nigerian English, sociolinguistics, University of Benin.