Sex-related taboo language (SRTL) is common in everyday English but often absent from English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction due to teacher discomfort, limited training, and perceived inappropriateness (Gale & Fernández, 2016). However, SRTL is important for expressing emotion, building social relationships, and negotiating interpersonal boundaries (Jay, 2009). Without instruction, learners may misinterpret these expressions, causing embarrassment, social challenges, or increased vulnerability in contexts involving consent, discrimination, or safety (Dewaele, 2004). Understanding when and how to use such language is essential but under-addressed in ESL curricula (Kremin, 2017). Limited prior exposure to sex-related language among Chinese ESL learners (Shi et al., 2022) reveals gaps in earlier educational experiences regarding sexual topics. Their perspectives on content, contexts, and prioritized forms (e.g., slang, emotional/relationship-related language) remain underexplored (Ludwig & Summer, 2023). To address these gaps, this ongoing project examines Chinese ESL learners’ perceptions of sex-related taboo language and their support needs. Preliminary data were collected from three Chinese ESL learners through a demographic survey and 40-minute semi-structured interviews conducted in Mandarin and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key patterns in learners’ experiences, attitudes, and instructional needs. Findings show that participants view SRTL as essential for social survival, cultural integration, and safety. They emphasized understanding slang and polysemous terms to avoid misinterpretation. Also, participants were exposed to reproductive health terms (e.g., “pads”), romantic expressions of emotional attachment (e.g., “I fuck with you”), and gendered insults (e.g., “pussy”). Most exposure occurred through media which indicates gaps in formal instruction. Participants emphasized the need for safe, transparent classrooms that minimize embarrassment and encourage open discussion. This study bridges language education and social work by examining Chinese ESL learners’ experiences and identifying how practitioners can support learner safety through validation, coping strategies, interdisciplinary collaboration, and advocacy for responsive curricula that address real-world communication needs.

I am a musician, actress, and woman who has led with my singing voice since I was a child. I have encountered both Patsy Rodenburg and Patsy Cline in my professional career, bringing awareness and growth to my own voice through embodied performance and practice. I am working towards my MFA in Directing in the School of Theatre and Dance and am fortunate enough to encounter opportunities to sing the songs of many women who championed the music industry before me. One who has made repeated encores in my life and career is Patsy Cline. The freedom and power in Patsy Cline’s voice fascinates me. To be able to research and understand why her voice worked that way and then apply it to my own to portray her, is an absolute wonder.

There are many voice practitioners that have helped me further understand an individual’s voice based on personal variation such as life circumstances and trauma. They all speak to the importance of working through those moments and finding deeper presence and awareness in the breath and voice to allow the most freedom and functionality in performance.

Patsy Rodenburg is a world-renowned voice practitioner who focuses on finding power and freedom in the voice by embracing the foundations of breath, body, and voice. Using Rodenburg’s research in The Woman’s Voice and Speaking Shakespeare, I further enhance and develop certain characters while simultaneously understanding my own voice as the vessel. Any tension or effect on a human's emotional and mental development and processes will also affect the development and processes of the voice.

I will discuss and demonstrate how I apply Patsy Rodenburg’s work to the development of the role of Patsy Cline, by singing one of her songs as an embodied example of this research and practice.