Download How Swearing Works

How Swearing Works
by Tracy V. Wilson
We all know what "bad words" are. Unlike
most other language rules, we learn
about swearwords and how to use them
without any real study or classroom
instruction. Even very young children
know which words are naughty, although
they don't always know exactly what
those words mean.
But swearwords aren't quite as simple as they
seem. They're paradoxical -- saying them is
taboo in nearly every culture, but instead of
avoiding them as with other taboos, people
use them. Most associate swearing with being
angry or frustrated, but people swear for a
number of reasons and in a variety of
situations. Swearing also serves multiple
purposes in social interactions. Not only that,
your brain treats swear words differently than
it treats other words.
In this article, we'll explore what makes
words into swearwords, why most Americans
use them and how society responds to
swearing. We'll also look at one of its most
fascinating aspects -- the way it affects your
brain.
Photo courtesy CoinOp.org
Oldskool Swearing: @!#?@! is
the only word Q*bert knows.
The Basics of Swearing
Virtually every language in every culture in the world has its own unique
swearwords. Even different dialects of the same language can have different
expletives. The very first languages probably included swearwords, but since
writing evolved after speaking did, there's no record of who said the first
swearword or what that word was. Because of the taboos surrounding it,
written language histories also include few records of the origins of swearing.
Even today, many dictionaries don't include profanity, and comparatively few
studies have examined swearing.
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According to the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy," the most offensive word in the
universe is "Belgium." The"Firefly" universe,
on the other hand, uses invented swears and
Chinese curses.
Most researchers agree that swearing came from early forms of word magic. Studies
of modern, non-literate cultures suggest that swearwords came from the belief that
spoken words have power. Some cultures, especially ones that have not developed a
written language, believe that spoken words can curse or bless people or can
otherwise affect the world. This leads to the idea that some words are either very
good or very bad.
While spoken swearwords from different languages don't
sound alike, they generally fall into one of two categories.
Most of the time, they are either deistic (related to
religion) or visceral (related to the human body and its
functions). Some expletives also relate to a person's
ancestry or parentage. While some linguists classify racial
slurs and epithets as swearwords, others place them in a
separate category. So the words themselves are similar,
By the second book
but in different cultures people swear at different times
in the series, the
and in different contexts.
world of Harry Potter
had its own racial
In the Western, English-speaking world, people from
epithet -- "mudblood,"
every race, class and level of education swear. In
a repugnant word for
America, 72 percent of men and 58 percent of women
wizards of nonswear in public. The same is true for 74 percent of 18 to
magical parentage.
34 year olds and 48 percent of people who are over age
55. Numerous language researchers report that men swear more than women, but
studies that focus on women's use of language theorize that women's swearing is
simply more context specific.
So why do so many people swear? We'll look at how swearing works in relationships
and social interactions next.
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Swearing in Other Languages
People learning a new language often learn its
swearwords first or learn and use swearwords from a
variety of languages. Anyone who learns through
immersion rather than in a classroom tends to use
more swearwords and colloquialisms. People who
speak more than one language often use swearwords
from different languages, but feel that the words from
their primary language have the most emotional
impact. For this reason, some multilingual speakers
will switch to a second language to express taboo
subjects.
Why People Swear
In early childhood, crying is an acceptable way to
show emotion and relieve stress and anxiety. As
children, (especially boys) grow up, Western society
discourages them from crying, particularly in public.
People still need an outlet for strong emotions, and
that's where swearing often comes in.
A lot of people think of swearing as an instinctive
response to something painful and unexpected (like
hitting your head on an open cabinet door) or something
frustrating and upsetting (like being stuck in traffic on the
Rather than
way to a job interview). This is one of the most common establishing his place
uses for swearing, and many researchers believe that it
in a group, Spock's
helps relieve stress and blow off steam, like crying does
swearing in "Star
for small children.
Trek IV: The Voyage
Home" humorously
Beyond angry or upset words said in the heat of the demonstrates that he
moment, swearing does a lot of work in social
does not belong.
interactions. In the past, researchers have theorized
that men swear to create a masculine identity and women swear to be more
like men. More recent studies, however, theorize that women swear in part
because they are emulating women they admire.
In addition, the use of particular expletives can:
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Establish a group identity
Establish membership in a group and maintain the group's boundaries
Express solidarity with other people
Express trust and intimacy (mostly when women swear in the
presence of other women)
Add humor, emphasis or "shock value"
Attempt to camouflage a person's fear or insecurity
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People also swear because they feel they are expected to or because swearing has
become a habit. But just because swearing plays all these roles doesn't mean it's
socially acceptable, or even legal. In the next sections, we'll look at social and legal
responses to swearing.
Swearing vs. Cursing
A lot of people use the words "swearing" and
"cursing" interchangeably. Some language
experts, however, differentiate between the two.
Swearing involves using profane oaths or
invoking the name of a deity to give a statement
more power or believability. Cursing takes aim
at something specific, wishing for or trying to
cause a target's misfortune.
Social Responses to Swearing
All languages have swearwords, but the
words that are considered expletives and the
social attitudes toward them change over
time. In many languages, words that used to
be taboo are now commonplace and other
words have taken their place as obscenities.
In American English, the words currently
considered to be the most vulgar and
offensive have existed for hundreds of years.
Their designation as obscenities, however,
took place largely during and after the 1800s.
In fact, the use of the word "dirty" to describe
words arose in the 19th century, as did the
word "profanity".
Most languages also have a hierarchy of
How much is too much?
swearwords -- some words are mildly offensive,
One "South Park" episode
while others are nearly unspeakable. This
uses the same expletive 162
hierarchy usually has more to do with a society's
times.
attitude toward the word than what the word
actually means. Some words that describe extremely vulgar acts aren't thought of as
swearwords at all. In English-speaking countries, however, many people avoid using
racial slurs to swear for fear of appearing racist. Women also tend to avoid the use of
expletives that relate to the female sexual anatomy out of the belief that the words
contain an element of sexism.
Western society generally views swearing as more appropriate for men than for
women. Women who swear appear to violate more societal taboos than men who
swear. People also tend to judge women more harshly than men for their use of
obscenities. Society in general can also make moral judgments about women who
swear and use non-standard English. In general, women also believe swearwords are
more powerful and express more guilt about using them than men do.
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A little can go a long way for movies that use
exactly one expletive.
In many English-speaking communities, expletives also carry connotations of lower
classes and lower economic standing. Although people from every economic level
use swearwords, many people associate their use with people of lower income and
education.
Swearing isn't just a social taboo, though. In some cases, it's illegal. Next, we'll look
at expletives and the law.
What to Do When Children Swear
Children mimic words they hear without always
knowing what the words mean. When children
mimic swear words, parents' normal reactions
of shock or amusement often reinforce
children's use of the words.
Instead of laughing or becoming upset if you
hear your child swearing, you should:
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Explain that the word is not acceptable
for children to use. The concept of a
"bad word" can be foreign to children
who are just learning how to speak.
Offer an alternative word to use when
angry or upset.
Use humorous substitutes instead of
swearwords in front of your children.
Remain calm and matter-of-fact. If you
get upset, your child may use the word
again to try to get attention.
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Swearing and the Law
Just as cultures have different attitudes toward
Swearing on the Job
swearing and people who swear, they also have
Swearing makes up 3
different laws governing people's use of expletives. percent of all adult
The Constitution of the United States guarantees
conversation at work
that people have the right to freedom of speech in
and 13 percent of all
the First Amendment. The First Amendment applies adult leisure
specifically to Congress and the federal government, conversation.
including the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC). Courts generally interpret that it also applies to state governments.
So at first glance, it seems like people should be able to swear whenever they want
and wherever they want because of their First Amendment rights. However,
constitutional law can be tricky, and a wealth of court cases has led to a wide variety
of judgments surrounding swearing. Obscenity generally falls into the category of
unprotected speech -- speech that is exempt from to the First Amendment rule.
Other types of unprotected speech include:
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Language that incites people to violence or illegal activity
Libel and defamation
Threats
False advertising
The unprotected speech exclusion is one of the reasons why the FCC can create and
enforce decency rules for broadcast television and radio.
In addition to obscenity, court cases have examined the use of swearing in the
contexts of inciting people to violence, defamation and threats. They have generally
ruled that the government does not have the right to prevent blasphemy against a
specific religion or to prosecute someone solely for the use of an expletive. On the
other hand, they have upheld convictions of people who used profanity to incite riots,
harass people or disturb the peace.
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United States Supreme Court obscenity cases have
involved George Carlin's "Class Clown" and its infamous
"seven words," as well as a stage production of "Hair"
and Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five."
The First Amendment doesn't generally apply to private organizations, and it has
significantly less influence over businesses and schools. Courts frequently rule that
organizations have the right to set and enforce their own standards of behavior and
judgment. In addition, numerous sexual harassment cases have involved reports of
swearing, and some courts have ruled that it creates a hostile environment and
constitutes harassment.
Clearly courts, businesses, and governments think swearing is different from other
speech. Your brain agrees with them. We'll look at swearing and the brain next.
Swearing and the Brain
Your brain is a very complex organ, but there are only a few things you need
to know about it to understand how it approaches swear words differently
from other language:
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In most people, the left hemisphere is in charge of language. The right
hemisphere creates the emotional content of language.
Language processing is a "higher" brain function and takes place in
the cerebral cortex.
Emotion and instinct are "lower" brain functions and take place deep
inside the brain.
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The cerebral cortex has premotor and motor areas that
control speech and writing. Wernicke's area processes
and recognizes spoken words. The prefrontal cortex
controls personality and appropriate social behavior.
Many studies suggest that the brain processes swearing in the lower regions, along
with emotion and instinct. Scientists theorize that instead of processing a swearword
as a series of phonemes, or units of sound that must be combined to form a word, the
brain stores swear words as whole units. So, the brain doesn't need the left
hemisphere's help to process them. Swearing specifically involves:
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The limbic system, which also houses memory, emotion and basic
behavior. The limbic system also seems to govern vocalizations in
primates and other animals, and some researchers have interpreted
some primate vocalizations as swearing.
The basal ganglia, which play a large role in impulse control and
motor functions.
So, you can think of swearing as a motor activity with an emotional component.
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Swearing is connected to the limbic system
and basal ganglia, located in the interior of
the brain.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have shown that the higher
and lower parts of the brain can struggle with each other when a person swears. A
New York Times article cites several other studies that involve how a healthy brain
processes swearing. For example, the brains of people who pride themselves on being
educated respond to slang and "illiterate" phrases the same way they do to
swearwords. In addition, in studies in which people must identify the color a word is
written in (instead of the word itself), swearwords distract the participants from color
recognition. You can also remember swearwords about four times better than other
words.
Swearing around the Office
An informal poll of HSW staff revealed the
following "alternatives" to swearing -- the words
we say when swearing would be inappropriate:
Dagnabit
Darn it
Funky tut
Jebus
Jeep 'n eagle
Jeezy creezy
Mother-scratcher
Oh, biscuits
Oy
Poop
Shang-a-lang
Shoot
Son of a monkey
Sweet cheeses
Tartar sauce
Zip-zap
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