ECSTRA/Taboo

Typical situations to be focussed on:

1. what are taboo topics (= forbidden topics) in a nation if a speaker is not talking to a close friend or relative? E.g.
 * 1.1. sexuality
 * 1.2. religion
 * 1.3. politics
 * 1.4. money
 * 1.5. hobbies

2. what are you not allowed to compliment on? E.g.
 * 2.1. the host's wife
 * 2.2. clothes
 * 2.3. appearance, looks
 * 2.4. possessions
 * 2.5. intellectual abilities
 * 2.6. physical abitilities
 * 2.7. intellectual achievements
 * 2.8. physical achievements
 * 2.9. the lunch/dinner that you were invited for to someone's home

(Please remember our guidelines.)

AT: Austria

 * Vienna, Lower Austria: 1. no real fixed taboos; 2. -- (ECSTRA-Q)
 * informand without indication of region: 1.1, 1.2, death, family problems; 2. the host's wife (ECSTRA-Q)

BE: Belgium

 * Brussels: 1.1, 1.4.; 2. nothing (maybe possessions) (ECSTRA-Q)

CH: Switzerland

 * Lausanne (French-speaking area): 1. topics that are sensitive or not neutral; 2.7, 2.8, allusions to sexual aspects (ECSTRA-Q)

CZ: Czech Republic
Bohemia: 1.1, 1.4; 2.4 (ECSTRA-Q)

DE: Germany

 * Bremen: 1. --; 2. -- (ECSTRA-Q)
 * south: 1. salary, sexuality, disease; 2. sexual allusions, on weight-loss (ECSTRA-Q)
 * Saxony: 1.1, 1.3; 2. no restrictions (ECSTRA-Q)

DK: Denmark
...

EE: Estonia
...

ES: Spain

 * Andalusia: 1.1 (ECSTRA-Q)
 * Castilia y León: 1. Neither money, possessions nor age are good topics (ECSTRA-Q)

FI: Finland

 * West Finland (Swedish-speaking area): 1. income, personal problems, sex, religion, politics; 2. physical appearance, someone's wife's looks (ECSTRA-Q)
 * Finnish-speaking area: 1.1, 1.2, domestic politics, personal income; 2. it's allowed but still not very common to compliment colleagues or employees for good work (ECSTRA-Q)

FR: France

 * Aix-en-Provence: 2.4 (ECSTRA-Q)
 * Indre-et-Loire: 2.1, 2.8 (ECSTRA-Q)
 * Montargis: 2.4 (ECSTRA-Q)
 * Fontainebleau: 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9 (ECSTRA-Q)
 * Paris: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, private/intimate things; 2.1 (but depends on context; definitely no compliments on body-parts and on weight-losses) (ECSTRA-Q)

HR: Croatia
...

HU: Hungary
1.1., 1.4., 2.6., 2.7. (ECSTRA-Q)

IE: Ireland

 * Dublin: 1. suicide, death, money; 2. there are no restrictions placed on the things people can make compliments on

IT: Italy

 * Lombardy: 1.1, personal issues or experiences; 2. too daring compliments about women's looks and body, about possessions and money, your friend's wife (ECSTRA-Q)
 * Sicily: 1.1 (ECSTRA-Q)

LT: Lithuania
1. bribe (ECSTRA-Q)

LU: Luxemburg
1. sexuality, salary, retirement; 2. - (ECSTRA-Q)

LV: Latvia
...

MT: Malta
1.2, 1.3; 2. spouse/partner of other person (ECSTRA-Q)

NL: Netherlands
...

NO: Norway
...

PL: Poland

 * Silesia: 1.1; 2. -- (ECSTRA-Q)
 * informand without regional indication: 1. --; 2.4, 2.5, 2.6 (ECSTRA-Q)

PT: Portugal

 * Alentejo: 1.1; 2. -- (ECSTRA-Q)

SE: Sweden
1. anything bad about women football; 2.-- (ECSTRA-Q)

SI: Slovenia
...

SK: Slovakia
...

UK: United Kingdom

 * Glasgow, Scotland: 1.1, 1.2, for one informand 1.3, for one informand 1.4.; 2. a friend's wife/girlfriend/partner, intellectual or physical abilities or achievements except for children (ECSTRA-Q)
 * Cambridgeshire: 1.1, 1.4, who you voted for; 2. someone else's wife's good looks, inappropriate physical compliments (ECSTRA-Q)

Non-European Nations
Colombia: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4; 2. -- (ECSTRA-Q)

Greece: 1.1 (esp. homosexuality), personal relationships, diseases related with disabilities; 2.1, depends on situation (ECSTRA-Q)

Lebanon: 1. depends on the religion: religion is a taboo topic for small talks between a Lebanese Christian and a Lebanese Muslim; 2. depends on the religion: Christians, in contrast to Muslims, accept almost any compliments (ECSTRA-Q)