Why the f*** do we swear?
Maybe the question is how do we swear...
I did a little research with the help of Professor Wikipedia, and the gist of what I got out of it was this: that it depends.
This much is clear, though—cursing in general is considered socially coarse behavior, being a sign of disrespect to the listener as much as it is the subject of the conversation.
At the most basic level, the word profanity derives from the word profane, which you no doubt know that, as a verb, means to debase something. In modern language, this could be used in any instance, whether it's saying something like "Damn you!" or "F*** you!" The meaning is similar—you're shouting at someone all the same, and telling them that your feelings about them are... strong. Hell, in the past, saying Damn you was probably worse than most things, due to the stronger religious ties then.
This brings up a different point. How do we figure out which words are more severe than others? I like to call this the "Grandpa test." If you could imagine your grandpa sitting on the porch yelling at kids, what kind of things would he say? Chances are, he wouldn't be telling the kids to get off his f****** lawn. He'd be saying something like "You damn brats get the hell off my lawn!" To me, this gives a lot of latitude to use these simple words, and I find they're often just as effective when used sparingly.
On the other hand, think of a war zone. The contrast between a sweet, serene suburban picture with your grandpa is a far cry from the middle of a firefight. Therefore, the type of language—using words like f*** and shit are going to be more common, because they're a harsher word. Those are my two primary tests.
As for the others, most of them are in the Bible, so they're okay, right?
This makes me think about the social acceptability (or the lack thereof) of this kind of language. In the workplace, it's generally expected that one doesn't use profanity, but around friends, tongues loosen up. But why is that? Seriously, I'm asking. If anyone has an idea, please leave it in the notes at the bottom.
But this brings me back to the title of the post: why do we swear? I know a lot (if not most) is done in anger. Some is done because of a good feeling. Some is done during a cathartic episode. Other rare cases are when it pops out from a person with Tourette's syndrome.
Overall, I think this is just another way for people to paint the canvas of their language. We all have our own unique set of brushes, and although someone might not like what you're doing with yours, it doesn't mean it's wrong, per se. It just means you're using your brush in a different pattern.
Thanks for f****** wreading!
Jeff
I did a little research with the help of Professor Wikipedia, and the gist of what I got out of it was this: that it depends.
This much is clear, though—cursing in general is considered socially coarse behavior, being a sign of disrespect to the listener as much as it is the subject of the conversation.
At the most basic level, the word profanity derives from the word profane, which you no doubt know that, as a verb, means to debase something. In modern language, this could be used in any instance, whether it's saying something like "Damn you!" or "F*** you!" The meaning is similar—you're shouting at someone all the same, and telling them that your feelings about them are... strong. Hell, in the past, saying Damn you was probably worse than most things, due to the stronger religious ties then.
This brings up a different point. How do we figure out which words are more severe than others? I like to call this the "Grandpa test." If you could imagine your grandpa sitting on the porch yelling at kids, what kind of things would he say? Chances are, he wouldn't be telling the kids to get off his f****** lawn. He'd be saying something like "You damn brats get the hell off my lawn!" To me, this gives a lot of latitude to use these simple words, and I find they're often just as effective when used sparingly.
On the other hand, think of a war zone. The contrast between a sweet, serene suburban picture with your grandpa is a far cry from the middle of a firefight. Therefore, the type of language—using words like f*** and shit are going to be more common, because they're a harsher word. Those are my two primary tests.
As for the others, most of them are in the Bible, so they're okay, right?
This makes me think about the social acceptability (or the lack thereof) of this kind of language. In the workplace, it's generally expected that one doesn't use profanity, but around friends, tongues loosen up. But why is that? Seriously, I'm asking. If anyone has an idea, please leave it in the notes at the bottom.
But this brings me back to the title of the post: why do we swear? I know a lot (if not most) is done in anger. Some is done because of a good feeling. Some is done during a cathartic episode. Other rare cases are when it pops out from a person with Tourette's syndrome.
Overall, I think this is just another way for people to paint the canvas of their language. We all have our own unique set of brushes, and although someone might not like what you're doing with yours, it doesn't mean it's wrong, per se. It just means you're using your brush in a different pattern.
Thanks for f****** wreading!
Jeff
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