Ostra jazda bez trzymanki, czyli seks w werbalizacjach licealistów

Abstract

The author’s aim of the analysis presented in this article is an attempt at answering two questions: how high school students verbalize the lexeme sex, and whether it is possible to discern quantitative and qualitative differences in understanding and evaluating this notion by girls and boys. High school students were faced with three tasks concerning: 1. giving associations connected with the word sex; 2. listing adjectives collocating with the analyzed category; 3. constructing their own definitions of the noun. Both associations and collocations listed by the students appeared to be extremely varied and rich. They confirmed the opinion according to which every man treats sex differently and proved that young people are not afraid of their needs, desires or sexual dreams. Sex is not a taboo subject for them. Contrary to the associations, which abounded with an extremely large number of vulgar expressions, the definitions of the analyzed lexeme were, in fact, deprived of such attributes. Apart from a tendency to convey the word’s semantics precisely, the descriptions constructed by the high school students revealed emotionality. On the other hand, however, they showed changes in awareness, habits and social conduct of young users of the Polish language.