Language taboo in Africa with regard to in-law relationships is a classical topic in anthropological linguistics. This has often been discussed with regard to so-called avoidance languages, where women use a special linguistic register to avoid their in-laws’ names and similar sounding words. This short contribution aims to add to this thematic by reflecting on other communicative practices, in particular silence, ritual and non-verbal communication. The focus is on women in Zimbabwe, with particular regard to practices and ideologies among the maShona.