The History Behind the Obscene Words We’ve Come to Recognize as Profanity
I’m annoyed. Why? In the 21st century, not a day goes by that you don’t hear one form of profanity or another, whether it’s on the radio, on the television, or in real life. Since when has our society stooped to such low and primitive levels of vocabulary?
The following article contains mature subject matter. All offensive words have been censored out for the viewing audience and myself as well, since I personally could not fully write them out in good conscience. Viewer discretion is advised.
When I attended high school for the past 4 years, I couldn’t walk 10 feet down the hallway without hearing someone say, “F*** you.” What was I supposed to do? Place earplugs in my ears on a daily basis to block out these obscene phrases? It gets quite sickening having to listen to other people use swear words on a consistent basis. Now, unfortunately, this doesn’t just happen in high schools. It also happens in the workplace, and it happens often.
The other day, Dr. Phil showcased a couple that had been arguing non-stop in their living room for over an hour. In that time, the “F” word had been yelled over 115 times by both the wife and her husband.
Now, you may find this odd, but to date, I’ve never said out loud any real swear word. In the past, I used to use the words “h***” and “d***”, but nowadays, I find myself more often saying “darn” or “dang.” In addition, I may mentally think about the other swear words, but before I actually say them out loud, my inner voice seems to convey to my brain to impede my speech patterns prior to my mouth opening.
In any case, I’m just sick and tired of hearing profanity. Wherever I go, whatever I do, there always seems to be at least one person who enjoys using the “F” word in every sentence he/she speaks. Whether it’s a construction site, office building or high school, don’t you agree that it’s getting pretty tiresome hearing this obscene vocabulary in our lives? Originally, I thought that profanity didn’t exist prior to the 20th century, but take a look at what I found.
Interesting Facts
- In his famous writings of Hamlet, Henry V and Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare often implied the word “cu**,” making reference to “country matters” and writing lines such as “These be her very c’s, her u’s, and her t’s…”
- Many words now declared as “profanity” were originally designed to insult a particular group of society.
- In books such as “Into Thin Air” (a Grade 12 English non-fiction novel regarding the story of a group of people climbing Mt. Everest), the “F” word is written uncensored over 100 times.
- In a recent British survey regarding offensive words, 32% of respondents stated that the word “cu**” was not profanity, only 16% said that the “S” word was offensive, and a measly 10% thought that “cr**” was very severe.
Now that’s when you know there’s a problem – when only 16% of the surveyed people regarded the “S” word (a word that I personally consider highly offensive) as completely vulgar.
Categorized Profanity
In Steven Pinker’s book about profanity entitled “The Stuff of Thought,” he separates profanity into five different categories, explaining that saying a swear word out loud may not actually be offensive, depending on the context of how it’s said. Here are the five categories and Steven’s interpretation of them.
- Abusive Swearing
- Cathartic Swearing
- Dysphemistic Swearing
- Emphatic Swearing
- Idiomatic Swearing
Abusive Swearing involves being offensive to intimidate or insult others. Example: “F*** you.”
Cathartic Swearing involves stating a swear word in reference to a negative emotion. Example: “F*** this coffee.”
Dysphemistic Swearing involves forcing the listener to think about provocative subject material, often sexually-based content. Example: “He f**** her.”
Emphatic Swearing involves emphasizing an adjective with a swear word, though I’m not sure why you couldn’t just use another word for emphasis. Example: “The building is so f****** big.”
Idiomatic Swearing involves swearing for really no purpose at all. Some people do this in an attempt to arouse interest in an informal setting. Example: “F*** that.”
Closing Remarks
In my opinion, I don’t really care what type of category the swearing falls into. The words themselves are the problem – not the context in which they are used. Instead of using the “F” word in reference to sex, just use the word “sex” itself. An alternative to saying, “I’m going to f*** my girlfriend tonight,” would be simply, “I’m going to have sex with my girlfriend tonight.” Both phrases have the same meaning, but one uses an offensive word, whilst the other does not.
I tend to think of profanity as a drug, except not a physical drug but a mental one instead. Of all the people I’ve known since elementary school, as soon as they began swearing, they couldn’t stop. The “F” word would come out of their mouths every sentence or two – it just became a habit; an addiction. And the worst part is that they’ve swore so many times that it just comes naturally to them, and as such, they don’t view profanity as offensive. I had many good friends in my elementary school days, but as soon as they hit Grade 9, out came the “F” and “S” words left, right and center. Bad choice of friends? Swearing parents? Whatever the case, I didn’t like their change in lifestyle.
Do you ever swear? Do you find it offensive? Do you think society in general is slowly degrading because of profanity? And why do you think people become involved in using profanity on a daily basis?
Read More:
- Safe-Haven Law: Method of Psychological Abuse to Children of Complete Awareness of Their Surroundings
- Does Age Play a Factor in the Value of a Person’s Life?
- Word Abbreviations: Learning the Online Language
- A Complete Failure of the “No Fail” High School Policy
- Respecting a Teacher: It DOES Have an Impact on Your Life
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User Comments
cardy
On January 29, 2009 at 6:39 am
Oh you are so right this article has hit the nail on the head, I just dont see the point of putting the f word in any context. Good work.
Betty Carew
On January 29, 2009 at 7:05 am
You have put into words what I have thought for a long time. There is really no need of using language like that and it sounds disgusting coming from anyones mouth expecailly the mouths of children. Great article dialga!
Glynis Smy
On January 29, 2009 at 7:42 am
Now I read Philip Larkin and he uses the f word. For a poet of his time I find it strange but not offensive, however when I hear it being used in every sentence, I …well yawn and avoid that person the next time around.
Good article.
Glynis Smy
On January 29, 2009 at 8:39 am
Well would you believe it a BBC news story just in about a landlord of a public house calling time on those who swear!!!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/7858051.stm
Lost in Arizona
On January 29, 2009 at 10:21 am
I will admit, that in my younger years I used to swear like a sailor… too much time hanging out with frat boys. But now that I have children, my mouth has cleaned up substantially. Now I come up with crazy words that make my girls laugh because they think their mommy is being “crazy.” Now when I hear other people swearing up a storm, I often wonder what the appeal was of talking in such a way. It isn’t attractive, and it makes me cringe if my kids are within earshot. It isn’t fun trying to explain to them what’s okay to say, and what isn’t. But I suppose that’s our society.. You should go to Europe sometime… Now there’s a culture shock in profanity..lol!
Maria Blazz
On January 29, 2009 at 10:59 am
In Spanish we called them “bad words” instead of the “good words” but I don’t agree with those terms. I think language is something alive that receive the influence of different cultures and generations. I’m not an expert in profanity words in English, but in Spanish, some words are obscene in one country while they have a complete different meaning in other places (I wrote about that in one of my articles, “Cinco palabras peligrosas entre argentinos y mexicanos”, “Five dangerous words between Argentinian and Mexican people”, http://www.autorneto.com/Literatura/Humor/Cinco-palabras-peligrosas-entre-mexicanos-y-argentinos.433311).
I think that beyond the words, the most important thing is respect. You can speak correctly and be offensive anyway.
Rask Balavoine
On January 29, 2009 at 11:05 am
I take perverse delight in letting people swear like troopers in converstaion before revealing my occupation. They invariably blush when the truth comes out.
Bren Parks
On January 29, 2009 at 3:33 pm
LOL Great read….
F**K used to stand for:
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
It was a charge that could be brought against someone in Victorian times I believe….
nutuba
On January 29, 2009 at 7:49 pm
This is an interesting article. You’re absolutely right — profanity gets old in a hurry and often it seems like a “cop out” … the utterer is too lazy to find a better term. Ah Bren, thanks for the information on where “that word” came from. I’ve always wondered that.
Dialga
On January 30, 2009 at 7:47 am
oh my god i never relised how much of a jerk i am dude no way hahaha jus playin kids its ur man joe agen fffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuukkkkkkkkkkkkkk
joe
On January 30, 2009 at 7:55 am
come on comment back you boring oldeys i want summet to laff at
Drew Diligence
On January 30, 2009 at 10:33 pm
A brief perusal of your own dross should give you “summet to laff at”.
God knows I’ve been “laffin” at it.
denus
On January 31, 2009 at 1:41 am
Interesting article, and drew for once I’m impressed with who you’ve fired your comments at.
eddiego65
On January 31, 2009 at 6:40 am
Great read! Foul language should have no part in a civilized society.
C Jordan
On January 31, 2009 at 10:20 am
A very well considered and expressed article. As further information – I believe the original meaning of “to f***”, comes from the Old English use, meaning “to plough a furrow”, hence its sexual connotation.
For your amusement: I have heard its use in a context of being virtually the only word used to make up a sentence!
On a constructoion site the Foreman came to me to report that he wasn’t happy because a couple of men had broken a brand new chisel point on a road breaker.
“F***! The f***ing f***ers have f***ed the f***ing f***er!”
Oh, and Joe: “It’s better to keep you mouth shut and be thought to be an idiot rather than to open it and remove all doubt.”
joe
On February 4, 2009 at 8:45 am
Im being deadly serious now im not tryin to insult any one or anything and i wont swear either haha. All im tryin to say is that your taking foul language to seriously, ye it is a bit of a decay on society if you know what i mean. for example i hate when people swear in front of women and children, i aleays like squirm and look away cause it embarrasing. but the way your making it out it seems like some kind terrorist organisation plotting to kill santa clause (parden the metaphor) or summet. But i think as the world goes on and on human beings just find more and more ways to worsen them selfs, thats just life. I dont think swearing is one of the things you should be worring about, you all have good opinions and this is a great article, but i just have a different opinion than you lot. P.s sorry for being a wanker to you all i respect you opinions so sorry ( i am actually being serious) but just one thing fffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuukkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
thestickman
On February 8, 2009 at 7:53 pm
joe, -yer the load yer momma should have swallowed, -okay
FOREVER POETRY
On February 25, 2009 at 10:54 pm
WORDS ONLY HAVE AS MUCH POWER AS YOU GIVE THEM. I PERSONALLY THINK WHEN A WOMAN SAYS ” I JUST WANT TO BE FRIENDS”, I TAKE THAT AS HIGLY OFFENSIVE. I WOULD RATHER HEAR HER SAY “F@#% OFF” INSTEAD, AT LEAST THEN SHE WOULD BE HONEST.
Graham Biscuit
On March 20, 2009 at 4:04 pm
“for unlawful carnal knowledge” is a myth.
Savanna Bailey
On April 9, 2009 at 10:32 am
I beleive that using these words are appropriate (well, funnier and more artistic) if you use them in a original way…
such as.. oh s***fish, That crotch smelled like a skunkf***.
Otherwise, cursing is pretty much boring.
Savanna Bailey
On April 9, 2009 at 10:41 am
by the way, eddie, there is no way that any country or society in the world is fully “civilized.” Things like this will always be a part of our lives.. I just wish people weren’t so serious and censor everything that happens. As long as you aren’t endangering other people or anything worth-while, why not do what pleases us?
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