Taboo language is a fixture of many aspects of contemporary communication and is ubiquitous in popular culture. Yet frank discussions regarding bad language are typically absent from ESL (English Second Language) classrooms. This book argues that this may be a disservice to ESL learners. It describes an ethnographic study exploring the complex interplay of ESL learner identities and power relationships with respect to English taboo language. Bourdieus Theory of Practice and a multiple literacies perspective inform an analysis of the compelling stories of six adult ESL learners....