Sargaĺk: Taboo Lexemes

A number of lexemes in Sargaĺk have taboos over them. Unlike most similar taboos, however, the main type of lexeme to be subject to such taboos are verbs. These include verbs like

• give birth
• die
• bury
• bless
• curse
• breast-feed
• care for (the sick)
• hunt
• trap
• rowing, sailing and navigating
• any verb relating to rites of transition
• marry

Curiously enough, verbs related to sexual activities are not taboos. The taboos tend not to be absolute - using the "main" verbs for these things when talking about giving birth is considered acceptable for a while after the birth has been carried through. Likewise, from death to burial, speaking about the dead person dying is permissible. Similarly, the burial can be mentioned using that verb for about a forthnight after  the actual death. Blessing and cursing are only mentioned by those verbs when blessing or cursing. The "actual" verb for Breast-feeding is only mentioned by women, and only while having infants to nurse. Caring for the sick is only mentioned while not in the presence of someone who is sick, but also only when someone is sick. Hunting and trapping are only talked about using the "real" lexeme once the hunt or trapping has succeeded. Rowing, sailing and navigating are only talked about when participating in such navigatory activities.

The idea seems to be that talking about these activities with their "real" designation will attract the attention of malevolent spirits – they'll cause deaths so you will have to bury someone, they'll put madness in the minds of the bride or the groom, they'll kill whoever is approaching a rite of transition, they'll bring storms or sickness, they'll make the mother's milk run dry, they'll turn curses into blessings or vice versa, and they'll seal the womb so the baby remains there forever, and they'll scary off the prey. However, these spirits are slow and inefficient, whereas good spirits who are awakened by the actions will be strengthened by hearing the right words.

The words are replaced by more generic verbs:

bury: cover, with a reduced noun meaning 'ground' somewhere in the NP
give birth: cause to go forth
bless, curse: say, with a reduced noun meaning 'strength' somewhere in the NP
care for: to carry drink to
hunt, trap: to tame, with a reduced noun meaning 'food'
rowing: to pull wood
sailing: to catch wind
breast-feed: to

Over time, the reduced nouns tend to get assimilated into the verb, and as that form over time gets more common, it too can become taboo, causing a need for a new, non-taboo construction. The hamster wheel of taboo words keeps rolling.