The American Heritage Dictionary notes: “The word taboo first appears in English in the journals of Captain James Cook. … In 1777, Cook wrote that the word ‘taboo … has a very comprehensive meaning; but, in general, signifies that a thing is forbidden. … When any thing is forbidden to be eat, or made use of, they say, that it is taboo.’ Cook was in Tonga at the time, and so it is the Tongan form ‘tabu’ that is the source of the English word ‘taboo.’ However, words related to Tongan tabu are found in other Polynesian languages, such as Maori ‘tapu’ and Hawaiian ‘kapu.’ (In the history of Hawaiian, the original Polynesian t-sound has regularly changed to a k-sound.)” We therefore learn that this native Hawaiian word “kapu” would have been the first version of our term “taboo” used in what is now American territory.

Today, linguistic taboos are a central concern of American life in a way they were not a mere decade ago. “Is it time to stop saying ‘aloha’ and other culturally sensitive words out of context?” asked the USA Today’s “entertainment reporter covering diversity and inclusion” David Oliver in January 2023, in an article that, to be honest, felt like more of a 2017 or so vintage. One professor is quoted saying, “What we need is a critical consciousness in our public around language. Language is too critical to our culture, that we can’t just casually use language in ways that might offend and/or even harm, do harm to certain groups of people.” Another one says, “Language is really about power.” There is a link to another article about “how to respectfully visit Hawaii, have an authentic trip.” What can you say to all this, really? I don’t think I am allowed to comment merely “LOL” in a language column. But I will observe that all of these taboos, or kapus, are culturally appropriating native Hawaiian folkways.