Brilliannisa S. Syahidna, Ni G. A. Roselani | Taboo Words | 39 https://jurnal.ugm.ac.id/lexicon Volume 10, Number 1 (April 2023) Pages 39-49 https://doi.org/10.22146/lexicon.v10i1.81484 “What the F—”: Taboo Words in the TV series Sex Education Brilliannisa Syahri Syahidna, Ni Gusti Ayu Roselani* English Department, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia *Corresponding Author: roselani@ugm.ac.id This study investigates the functions of taboo words used by male and female characters in the first season of the TV series Sex Education. Azzaro’s (2005) and Allan & Burridge’s (2009) functions of taboo words were employed to identify and classify the use of taboo words in the TV series. There were 114 utterances of taboo words in the TV series. The most common function is swearing, or expletive expression (53.51%), followed by insults or abusive expression (29.82%), and the least used functions are the expression of social solidarity (11.40%) and stylistic choice (5.26 %). In regards to gender, both males and females use taboo words at nearly the same frequency. In fact, 58 out of 114 taboo words and expressions were used by female characters and 56 by male characters. Moreover, with respect to age group, young characters or teenagers in Sex Education appear to use taboo words more frequently than adult characters. Overall, 83 out of 114 taboo words and expressions were used by teenage characters and 31 by adult characters. In addition, there are frequency differences in the use of taboo words in four specific gender and age groups. Those groups are young males, adult males, young females, and adult females. The findings of this research provide valuable insights into the various functions of taboo words in the TV series. Keywords: age, functions, gender, taboo words, TV series. Language is an essential tool for human beings. People use language to deliver information, ideas, and feelings. As stated by Allan and Burridge (2006), language is used as a weapon against enemies and as a release valve when we are angry, frustrated, or hurt. Some people may use utterances or expressions that are related to taboo words to express their emotions, like fear, anger, hate, jealousy, excitement, and so forth. Taboo words convey negative emotions and promote social harmony (Jay, 2009). These days, the use of taboo words to express offensive and explicit references to people is becoming more common in society. In 2021, the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification, 2021) reported that the use of strong language has increased among people in the UK over the last five years. People are increasingly using taboo words related to vulgarity, profanity, and derogatory language in both private and public settings. Jay (2009) argues that both speaker gender and age affect taboo word choice and frequency. Men use taboo words more frequently in public and tend to use more offensive terms than women (Jay, 2009). However, Eckert and McConnell-Ginet (2013) claim that women are increasingly using more taboo words today than before. In addition, according to a study ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION