diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/attribute.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/attribute.py
index 8a727a01930..b2e89c7733e 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/attribute.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/attribute.py
@@ -21,12 +21,13 @@ __metaclass__ = type
 
 class Attribute:
 
-    def __init__(self, isa=None, private=False, default=None, required=False):
+    def __init__(self, isa=None, private=False, default=None, required=False, listof=None):
 
        self.isa = isa
        self.private = private
        self.default = default
        self.required = required
+       self.listof = listof
 
 class FieldAttribute(Attribute):
     pass
diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/base.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/base.py
index 2d931748ebb..e33bedf3c86 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/base.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/base.py
@@ -274,6 +274,10 @@ class Base:
                     elif attribute.isa == 'list':
                         if not isinstance(value, list):
                             value = [ value ]
+                        if attribute.listof is not None:
+                            for item in value:
+                                if not isinstance(item, attribute.listof):
+                                    raise AnsibleParserError("the field '%s' should be a list of %s, but the item '%s' is a %s" % (name, attribute.listof, item, type(item)), obj=self.get_ds())
                     elif attribute.isa == 'dict' and not isinstance(value, dict):
                         raise TypeError()
 
diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/taggable.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/taggable.py
index 40e05d1817a..6ddd4b7439a 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/taggable.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/taggable.py
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 from __future__ import (absolute_import, division, print_function)
 __metaclass__ = type
 
+from six import string_types
+
 from ansible.errors import AnsibleError
 from ansible.playbook.attribute import FieldAttribute
 from ansible.template import Templar
@@ -26,7 +28,7 @@ from ansible.template import Templar
 class Taggable:
 
     untagged = set(['untagged'])
-    _tags = FieldAttribute(isa='list', default=[])
+    _tags = FieldAttribute(isa='list', default=[], listof=(string_types,int))
 
     def __init__(self):
         super(Taggable, self).__init__()