Foul language

[TheCalliton]

Hey all, i recently had a discussion over facebook with my next year english teacher about swearing. I dont understand how people can interperate vibrating air or a series of pixels into something offensive. I used the F word, and she said something along the th elines of, i either have nothing to say, or just want to say something. I said its to express how annoyed i was at those stupid kids across the street with that dang bell! I just do not understand how certain words are bad. For all we know, the F word was a name in an ancient culture! :wallbash:

[Lisnpuppy]

In a certain aspect you are correct. They are just words. The have changed in time, are current, are ancient..but words all the same. What makes a word a swear word or otherwise offensive (to me at least) is the connotation and the intent with which the word is spoken. For example...I asked an African-American friend about the use of the "N" word. Why some of her African_American (thought she called herself black) used the word widely about each other. She explained the connotation of the word in general was ugly, but that the use and intent of the word..while with her own ethnic group was as a joke and was accepted as unoffensive in that medium.

 

The F word..yes its a word. No it is not an ancient name. It was once an acronym for fornication under carnal knowledge as I understand. It has become a word itself and a rather unique one in that it can be a noun, verb or adverb. I don't know many other words like that. However you can ALWAYS find another word with which to express your displeasure. I suggest..for every time you say or want to say a certain word...go find the thesaurus or dictionary and look others up. If you really can't find something better...well then belt it out!

[Aurielius]

When one uses profanity to pepper their conversation it loses meaning. I practically never swear but the odd occasion when I do it gains the attention of the recipient because of the very fact that I don't use it except in rare occasions. The English language has so many alternatives that can be used to eloquently express your displeasure that it's a shame to limit it to common invectives. Just my two cents...

[TheCalliton]

@ linspuppy

im not saying it IS an ancient name im just saying that it couldve been. We have no idea

the wrod crap is part of the last name of John Crapper the man who invented the toilet.

[Lisnpuppy]

@ linspuppy

im not saying it IS an ancient name im just saying that it couldve been. We have no idea

the wrod crap is part of the last name of John Crapper the man who invented the toilet.

 

Seriously...that is all you got out of my two paragraph diatribe? :tongue:

[Kendo 2]

Flen flyys circa 1500 AD is the first know literary reference to the word. It is far older than that, dating back in reference to 700 AD in Anglo Saxon land grants, and there are several High German dialects that have the word in one form or another with various spellings, most of which refer to the carnal act it self or plowing fields for crops...go figure. 'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge' and 'Fornication Under Consent of King' are false etymologies for the word.

[Lisnpuppy]

Flen flyys circa 1500 AD is the first know literary reference to the word. It is far older than that, dating back in reference to 700 AD in Anglo Saxon land grants, and there are several High German dialects that have the word in one form or another with various spellings, most of which refer to the carnal act it self or plowing fields for crops...go figure. 'For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge' and 'Fornication Under Consent of King' are false etymologies for the word.

 

I stand corrected on my etymology (interesting though it may be.). However the point I was making was about the connotations and intent of words spoken. Which seems to have been lost unfortunately so I will leave it at that.

[evilneko]

Personally I think it highly depends on the context and setting in which the language is used. In some it's normal and appropriate, for instance in entertainment mediums when it's part of the character (Dexter's sister Deborah), the setting (Fallout 3) or played for laughs (Deb again, and Data in Generations), or just plain refuge in audacity (the Boondock Saints possibly drop more F-bombs than they do bullets, but it just flows seamlessly with the movie). In others it's rude and obnoxious, but words just aren't worth getting all worked up about.

 

Use of a swear word is sometimes seen as showing a lack of intelligence on the part of the person using it, but stop and think about it for a moment. Words have particular connotations and expected reactions associated with them. Dropping an F-bomb in a place it's unexpected is probably an attempt to get exactly that expected reaction in a quick, concise, unambiguous way (and what some might call a Precision F-Strike).

 

Racially-charged words are another matter, with the fact that many "regular" words can also double as epithets making matters even more difficult. "Negro" (or some spelling very similar) is the word for black in most "Romance" languages. "Coon" is southern slang for raccoon, but also a racial slur for black people, and also part of the name for my favorite breed of cat: Maine Coon, which in an example of political correctness gone way too far, was removed from the game World of Warcraft. Also, just about any monkey/ape/banana reference can be taken as a slur against blacks. And did you know "Eskimo" is considered a racial slur in some places as well? Who knew! And I thought "Nappy" just referred to messy, tangled hair, at least until Don Imus taught me it more specifically refers to black people's hair. It's all just insane. To quote Star Trek:

Lincoln (to Uhura): My, what a charming negress.

*Uhura looks at him strangely*

Lincoln: Oh, forgive me, my dear. I know in my time some used that term as a description of property.

Uhura: But why should I object to that term, sir? In our century, we've learned not to fear words.

 

...which I think applies equally well to both swear words and racial epithets. So someone said something rude. So what? The world didn't end. Laugh at the person and move on. We'd all be a lot better off for it.

[Vagrant0]

The words you use are very important for fully conveying what you mean. For instance, regardless how you say it, telling someone to "go F*** themselves", or telling someone to "go have sexual intercourse with themselves", or even "go fly a kite", the reason is the same, but the impact is extremely different. The reason for this difference in impact is due to the socially agreed upon meanings and connotations related with the words which are used. In some cases, such as "These are f***ing good tacos", the meaning of a word is used to elaborate just how f***ing good those tacos are, Furthermore, chaining multiple swears together allows you to combine their emphasis and relate exactly those feelings that you wish to express. For example, if you call someone a "F***ing dips***, ****sucking a**hole, son of a stank a*** c***,", not only are you putting emphasis on what exactly you are meaning, but are relating that meaning in a way which can be properly understood and responded to by the listener. In contrast, calling someone a "Ignoramous, who enjoys putting the penises of others in his mouth, son of a difficult mother who has a cleanliness problem," not only does it take longer (requiring you to spend more effort in finishing the thought), but due to its length it becomes harder to understand what exactly you mean.

 

However, there is an important point, using some other word instead of F*** does not change the intentions behind using that word, but instead switches it out with a word that does not have the same meaning. The problem in both cases is the intention. Sometimes people say F*** just because they have nothing else to say and need to somehow convey their frustration through words. But in this case, not only is using something else, like Fishsticks, less satisfying to use (due to the fact that you have to purposely hold back your frustration in order to change the word), but is also loses its ability to make it clear just what the heck you just said, or why. Such adjustments do not change the reason for the outburst, they just keep it bottled in more, and make you look crazy.

 

Like it or not, foul language is still language. There are still times and places where both the reasons for using the language and the words themselves are not appropriate, but that does not change the fact that they are still perfectly valid words. Much of the contention with these words is not that they're used, but that they're often over-used simply as a habit. In that sense, it's just as awful as using words like "like", "you know", "um", ect. in normal conversation, and quickly becomes rather f***ing annoying and lowers your perceptions of the intelligence of that person.

[grannywils]

Well, I tend to agree with both Aurielius and Vagrant0 on this one. As for me, at one time I used more bad language than I felt was appropriate. However, I have curtailed its use to almost nil, as I feel that I am articulate enough to convey my meaning without resorting to what I consider to be rude and offensive language and/or behavior. It is in fact possible to get one's message across in almost any instance, negative or positive, even when angry, without the use of foul language. And like Aurielius, every now and then I'll drop one in there for emphasis, and it usually has quite an impact, simply due to its rarity. Oh, and by the way, I do not and will not ever use any sort of ethnic pejorative. There is simply no excuse or need for that. It is truly offensive to me, and I would hope to anyone.