Wikipedia

Profanity

(Redirected from Swearwords)
This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 18 September 2024.
For the religious concept, see Profane (religion). For the software, see Profanity (instant messaging client). Not to be confused with hate speech. "Abusive language" redirects here. Not to be confused with Abusive language (law). "Swearing" redirects here. For the action of swearing an oath, see Oath. "Strong language" redirects here. For the 2000 film, see Strong Language (film). "Cursing" redirects here. For the supernatural invocation, see Curse.

Profanity, also known as swearing, cursing, or cussing, involves the use of notionally offensive words for a variety of purposes, including to demonstrate disrespect or negativity, to relieve pain, to express a strong emotion, as a grammatical intensifier or emphasis, or to express informality or conversational intimacy. In many formal or polite social situations, it is considered impolite (a violation of social norms), and in some religious groups it is considered a sin.[1] Profanity includes slurs, but there are many insults that do not use swear words.

In cartoons and comics, profanity is often depicted by substituting symbols for words ("Grawlixes" in the lexicon of cartoonist Mort Walker).

Swear words can be discussed or even sometimes used for the same purpose without causing offense or being considered impolite if they are obscured (e.g. "fuck" becomes "f***" or "the f-word") or substituted with a minced oath like "flip".

Etymology and definitions

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Profanity may be described as offensive language, dirty words, or taboo words, among other descriptors.[2] The term profane originates from classical Latin profanus, literally 'before (outside) the temple', pro meaning 'outside' and fanum meaning 'temple, sanctuary'.[3][4][better source needed] This further developed in Middle English with the meaning to desecrate a temple.[5] In English, swearing is a catch-all linguistic term for the use of profanities, even if it does not involve taking an oath.[6] The only other languages that use the same term for both profanities and oaths are French (jurer), Canadian French (sacrer), and Swedish (svära).[7]

English uses cursing in a similar manner to swearing, especially in the United States. Cursing originally referred specifically to the use of language to cast a curse on someone,[8] and in American English it is still commonly associated with wishing harm on another.[9] Equivalents to cursing are used similarly in Danish (bande), Italian (imprecare), and Norwegian (banne).[10] The terms swearing and cursing have strong associations with the use of profanity in anger.[11] Various efforts have been made to classify different types of profanity, but there is no widely accepted typology and terms are used interchangeably.[12]

Blasphemy and obscenity are used similarly to profanity, though blasphemy has retained its religious connotation.[5] Expletive is another English term for the use of profanity, derived from its original meaning of adding words to change a sentence's length without changing its meaning.[13] The use of expletive sometimes refers specifically to profanity as an interjection.[14][15] Epithet is used to describe profanities directed at a specific person.[16] Some languages do not have a general term for the use of profanities, instead describing it with the phrase "using bad language". These include Mandarin (zang hua), Portuguese (palavrao), Spanish (decir pala brotas), and Turkish (küfur etmek).[10]

History and study

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Historical profanity is difficult to reconstruct, as written records may not reflect spoken language.[17] Despite being relatively well known compared to other linguistic mechanisms,[18] profanity has historically been understudied because of its taboo nature.[19] Profanity may be studied as an aspect of linguistics and sociology, or it can be a psychological and neurological subject.[20] Besides interpersonal communication, understanding of profanity has legal implications and related to theories of language learning.[21][18]

In modern European languages, swearing developed from early Christianity, primarily through restrictions on taking God's name in vain in the Old Testament.[22] Invocations of God were seen as attempts to call upon his power, willing something to be true or leveling a curse.[23] Other mentions of God were seen as placing oneself over him, with the person uttering a name implying power over the name's owner.[24]

Modern study of profanity as its own subject of inquiry had started by 1901.[2] Sigmund Freud influenced study of the topic by positing that swearing reflects the subconscious, including feelings of aggression, antisocial inclinations, and the broaching of taboos.[25] Significant activity began in the 1960s with writings on the subject by Ashley Montagu and Edward Sagarin, followed by increased study the following decade.[20] Specific types of discriminatory profanity, such as ethnophaulism and homophobia, came to be described as part of a broader type of profanity, hate speech, toward the end of the 20th century.[26] Another increase in the study of profanity took place with the onset of the 21st century.[19]

Subjects

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Profanities have literal meanings, but they are invoked to indicate a state of mind, making them dependent almost entirely on connotation and emotional associations with the word, as opposed to literal denotation.[27][28] The connotative function of profanity allows the denotative meaning to shift more easily,[29] causing the word to shift until its meaning is unrelated to its origin or to lose meaning and impact altogether.[30]

Literal meanings in modern profanity typically relate to religion, sex, or the human body, which creates a dichotomy between the use of highbrow religious swears and lowbrow anatomical swears.[31][32] Languages and cultures place different emphasis on the subjects of profanity. Anatomical profanity is common in Polish, for example, while swearing in Dutch is more commonly in reference to disease.[33] Words for excrement and for the buttocks have profane variants across most cultures.[34] Though religious swears were historically more severe, modern society across much of the world has come to see sexual and anatomical swears to be more vulgar.[31][35] Common profane phrases sometimes incorporate more than one category of profanity for increased effect. The Spanish phrase me cago en Dios y en la Puta Virgen (transl. I shit on God and on the prostitute Virgin) invokes scatological, religious, and sexual profanity.[36] Other swear words do not refer to any subject, such as the English word bloody when used in its profane sense.[37]

Not all taboo words are used in swearing, with many only being used in a literal sense.[38] Clinical or academic terminology for bodily functions and sexual activity are distinct from profanity. This includes words such as excrement and copulate in English, which are not typically invoked as swears.[38] Academics who study profanity disagree on whether literal use of a vulgar word can constitute a swear word.[39] Conversely, words with greater connotative senses are not always used profanely. Bastard and son of a bitch are more readily used as general term of abuse in English compared to terrorist and rapist, despite the latter two being terms being associated with strongly immoral behavior.[40]

Some profane phrases are used metaphorically in a way that still retains elements of the original meaning, such as the English phrases all hell broke loose or shit happens, which carry the negative associations of hell and shit as undesirable places and things.[41] Others are nonsensical when interpreted literally, like take a flying fuck in English as well as putain de merde (whore of shit) in French and porca Madonna (the sow of Madonna) in Italian.[42]

Religion

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A distinction is sometimes made between religious profanity, which is casual, versus blasphemy, which is intentionally leveled against a religious concept.[43] It was commonly believed among early civilizations that speaking about certain things can invoke them or bring about curses.[23] Many cultures have taboos about speaking the names of evil creatures such as Satan because of these historical fears.[22]

Religions commonly develop derogatory words for those who are not among their members. Medieval Christianity developed terms like heathen and infidel to describe outsiders.[44] Secularization in the Western world has seen exclamations such as God! divorced from their religious connotations.[45] Religious profanity is not inherent to all languages, being absent from Japanese, indigenous languages of the Americas, and most Polynesian languages.[46]

European languages historically used the crucifixion of Jesus as a focal point for profane interjections. Phrases meaning "death of God" were used in languages like English ('Sdeath), French (Mort de Dieu), and Swedish (Guds död)[47] Christian profanity encompasses both appeals to the divine, such as God or heaven, and to the diabolic, such as the Devil or hell. While the impact of religious swearing has declined in the Christian world, diabolic swearing remains profane in Germany and the Nordic countries. Islamic profanity lacks a diabolic element, referring only to divine concepts like Muhammad or holy places.[48]

The Book of Leviticus indicates that blasphemous language warrants death, while the Gospel of Matthew implies condemnation of all swearing, though only the Quakers have imposed such a ban.[49] Islam, Judaism, and Brahmanism forbid mention of God's name entirely.[50] In some countries, profanity words often have pagan roots that after Christian influence were turned from names of deities and spirits to profanity and used as such, like perkele in Finnish, which was believed to be an original name of the thunder god Ukko, the chief god of the Finnish pagan pantheon.[51][52][53][54]

Anatomy and sexuality

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Profanity related to sexual activity, including insults related to genitals, exists across cultures.[55] The specific aspects invoked are sensitive to a given culture, with differences in how much they emphasize ideas like incest or adultery.[56] Certain types of sex acts, such as oral sex, anal sex, or masturbation, may receive particular attention.[57] Verbs describing sexual activity are frequently profane, like fuck in English, foutre in French, fottere in Italian, jodido in Spanish, and ebátʹ in Russian.[58] Words describing a person as one who masturbates are often used as terms of abuse, such as the English use of jerk-off and wanker.[59][57] Terms for sexually promiscuous women can be used as profanity, such English terms like hussy and slut.[60] Reference to prostitution brings its own set of profanities. Many profane words exist to refer to a prostitute, such as whore in English, putain in French, puttana in Italian, kurwa in Polish, bljad in Russian, and puta in Spanish.[61] Some languages, including German and Swedish, do not see significant use of sexual terms as profanity.[58]

Profanities for the penis and vulva are often used as interjections. Penile interjections are often used in Italian (cazzo), Russian (xúj), and Spanish (carajo). Vulvar interjections are often used in Dutch (kut), Hungarian (pisca), Russian (pizdá), Spanish (coño), and Swedish (fitta).[62] Such terms, especially those relating to the vulva, may also be used as terms of abuse.[63] Profanities related to testicles are less common and their function varies across languages. They may be used as interjections, such as in English (balls or bollocks), Italian (coglione), and Spanish (cojones). Danish uses testicles as a term of abuse with klotzaak.[58]

Words for the buttocks are used as a term of disapproval in many language, including English (ass or arse), French (cul), Polish (dupa), Russian (ẑopa), and Spanish (culo). Similar words for the anus appear in languages like Danish (røvhul), English (asshole or arsehole), German (Arschloch), Icelandic (rassgat), Norwegian (rasshøl), and Polish (dupek).[62] Excrement and related concepts are commonly invoked in profanity.[48] European examples include shit in English, merde in French, scheiss in German, and stronzo in Italian.[64]

Other subjects

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Illness has historically been used to swear by wishing a plague on others.[65] The names of various diseases are used as profane words in some languages; Pokkers (transl. pox) appears in both Danish and Norwegian as an exclamation and an intensifier.[66] Death is another common theme in Asian languages such as Cantonese.[47] Terminology of mental illness has become more prominent as profanity in the Western world, with terms such as idiot and retard challenging one's mental competency.[34]

Profane phrases directed at the listener's mother exist across numerous major languages, though it is absent from Germanic languages with the exception of English. These phrases often include terms of abuse that implicate the subject's mother, such as son of a bitch in English or wáng bā dàn (transl. child of a cuckolded man) in Mandarin.[57] Russian profanity places heavy emphasis on the sexual conduct of the listener's female relatives, either by describing sexual activity involving them or suggesting that the listener engage in activities with them.[10] Aboriginal Australian languages sometimes invoke one's deceased ancestors in profanity.[47]

The names of political ideologies are sometimes invoked as swear words by their opponents. Fascist is commonly used as an epithet in the modern era, replacing historical use of radical.[67] Far-left groups have historically used words like capitalist and imperialist as terms of abuse, while Western speakers use communist in the same manner.[68] The use of political terms in a profane sense often leads to the term becoming less impactful or losing relevance as a political descriptor entirely.[69]

Words for animals can be used as terms of abuse despite not being inherently profane, commonly referencing some attribute of the animal. Examples in English include bitch to demean a woman or louse to describe someone unwanted.[70] They may also be used in interjections like the Italian porco dio (transl. pig of a God.[47] Animal-related profanity is distinct from other forms in that it is used similarly across different languages.[71] Terms for dogs are among the most common animal swears across languages, alongside those for cows, donkeys, and pigs.[72] Swear words related to monkeys are common in Arabic and East Asian cultures.[73]

Slurs are words that target a specific demographic.[31] These are used to project xenophobia and prejudice, often through the use of stereotypes. They typically develop in times of increased contact of conflict between different races or ethnic groups, including times of war between two or more nations.[74] Terms for minority groups are sometimes used as swears. This can apply to both profane terms such as kike or non-profane terms such as gay.[65] Many of these are culture-specific.[72] In a case of using the name of one group to demean another, Hun came to be associated with a brutish caricature of Germans, first during the Renaissance and again during World War I.[75] Some terms for people of low class or status can become generically profane or derogatory. English examples include villain, lewd, and scum.[76]

Grammar

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Specific words referring to the same thing can be marked as offensive or polite arbitrarily; for example, "shit" is considered offensive, whereas "poop" is informal but inoffensive, and "feces" while referring to a disgusting object is considered appropriate for formal and polite contexts, such as scientific discussion. Likewise, "asshole" is usually a derogatory term for a person, but "anus" is formal and scientific.

An expletive in the general linguistic sense is a word or phrase that is a grammatical placeholder or extraneous, including auxiliary verbs like "do" (in Standard English), and expletive pronouns like "it" and "there" (e.g. "there is a man at the door"). Another subcategory, expletive attributive, is an adjective or adverb used as an intensifier. Many of these are swear words, but not all.

Research

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Swearing performs certain psychological functions, and uses particular linguistic and neurological mechanisms; all these are avenues of research.

Types

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According to Steven Pinker, there are five possible functions of swearing:[77]

  • Abusive swearing, intended to offend, intimidate or otherwise cause emotional or psychological harm
  • Cathartic swearing, used in response to pain or misfortune
  • Dysphemistic swearing, used to convey that the speaker thinks negatively of the subject matter and to make the listener do the same
  • Emphatic swearing, intended to draw additional attention to what is considered to be worth paying attention to
  • Idiomatic swearing, used for no other particular purpose, but as a sign that the conversation and relationship between speaker and listener is informal

Another reason for swearing is coprolalia, which is an occasional characteristic of tic disorders, is involuntary swearing or the involuntary utterance of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks.[78] It encompasses words and phrases that are culturally taboo or generally unsuitable for acceptable social use, when used out of context. The term is not used to describe contextual swearing.[79] It can be distinguished from voluntary profanity by characteristics such as interrupting the flow of dialogue, differences in tone and volume relative to a normal voice, variable frequency that increases with anxiety, and association with brain disorders.[78] It is usually expressed out of social or emotional context, and may be spoken in a louder tone or different cadence or pitch than normal conversation. It can be a single word, or complex phrases.[79]

A group of researchers from Wright State University studied why people swear in the online world by collecting tweets posted on Twitter. They found that cursing is associated with negative emotions such as sadness (21.83%) and anger (16.79%), thus showing people in the online world mainly use curse words to express their sadness and anger towards others.[80][81]

Frequency and demographics

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Analyses of recorded conversations c. 1972 revealed that an average of roughly 80–90 words that a person spoke each day — 0.5% to 0.7% of all words — were curse words, with usage varying from 0% to 3.4%.[82] In comparison, first-person plural pronouns (we, us, our) make up 1% of spoken words.[83]

A three-country poll conducted by Angus Reid Public Opinion in July 2010 found that Canadians swear more often than Americans and British when talking to friends, while Britons are more likely than Canadians and Americans to hear strangers swear during a conversation.[84]

New York Times author Natalie Angier notes that "Men generally curse more than women, unless said women are in a sorority, and that university provosts swear more than librarians or the staff members of the university day care center".[85]

A 2017 paper by Gilad Feldman and co-workers[86] claimed to show a correlation between swearing and various measures of honesty. From three separate studies, the authors "found a consistent positive relationship between profanity and honesty; profanity was associated with less lying and deception at the individual level and with higher integrity at the society level". However, the methodology of this study has been challenged by other psychologists,[87] and the study is a subject of ongoing controversy.[needs update]

Impact on society

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There is no evidence that swearing has harmful effects, such as leading to increased physical violence.[88]

Lessening pain

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A 2009 study by Stephens, Atkins, and Kingston found that swearing increases pain tolerance by eliciting a fight-or-flight response, quashing the link between the fear of pain and the perception of pain itself.[88] Stephens said "I would advise people, if they hurt themselves, to swear".[89] However, the overuse of swear words tends to diminish this effect.[89] The Keele team won the Ig Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 for their research.

Disease diagnosis

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A team of neurologists and psychologists at the UCLA Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research suggested that swearing may help differentiate Alzheimer's disease from frontotemporal dementia.[90]

Neurologist Antonio Damasio noted that despite the loss of language due to damage to the language areas of the brain, patients were still often able to swear.[91]

In a second language

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An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Warsaw investigated bilingual swearing, and how it is easier to swear in a foreign language, finding that bilinguals strengthen the offensiveness of profanities when they switch into their second language, but soften it when they switch into their first tongue, doing both statistically significantly only in the case of ethnophaulisms (ethnic slurs), leading the scientists to the conclusion that switching into the second language exempts bilinguals from the social norms and constraints (whether own or socially imposed) such as political correctness, and makes them more prone to swearing and offending others.[92]

By children

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Research by Jay and Janschewitz[93] suggests that swearing emerges by age two. By the time children enter school, they have a working vocabulary of 30–40 "offensive words", and their swearing becomes similar to that of adults around the age of 11 to 12.

Unlike the rest of language, children are generally not taught the grammatical aspects of how to swear competently in school, raising the question of how they do learn this skill. There is no established consensus as to how children learn to swear, although it is an inevitable part of language learning, and begins early in life.[94] Young school children may adopt various "toning down" strategies when swearing depending on the context in which they are talking.[95]

In animals

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New York Times author Natalie Angier notes that functionally similar behavior can be observed in chimpanzees, and may contribute to our understanding.[85]

Slurs vs. profanity

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Profanity is widely considered socially offensive and strongly impolite; slurs, however, are both intended to be and by definition are derogatory, as they are meant to harm another individual. Although profanity has been seen to improve performance or relieve anxiety and anger, and can be used in a lighthearted way, this effect and impact cannot be observed with slurs.[96] Though slurs are considered profanity by definition, being both socially offensive and strongly impolite, profanity can be used in a non-targeted manner where slurs cannot. For example, in the sentence "If I don't get an A on this exam, I'm fucked", the word "fucked" is profanity; however, the way it is embedded is not intended to offend anyone, as the speaker is not making an offensive claim.[97]

Minced oaths

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Main article: Minced oath

Minced oaths are euphemistic expressions made by altering or clipping profane and blasphemous words and expressions to make them less or not objectionable. Although minced oaths are often acceptable in situations where profanity is not (including the radio), some people still consider them profanity. In 1941, a judge threatened a lawyer with contempt of court for using the word darn.[98][99]

Biases

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Philosopher Rebecca Roache considers the Western cultural taboo against swearing in the presence of women (and against women swearing) to be sexist, especially when it restricts the expressiveness of the speech of women more than men. Roache also relates an example of disrespect and ableism: a person who uses a digital speech synthesizer found that instead of the normal reaction of being offended when cursed at, people laughed at the curse words coming out of the synthesizer instead of a person's mouth.[100]

Legality

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Australia

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In every Australian state and territory it is a crime to use offensive, indecent or insulting language in or near a public place.[101] These offences are classed as summary offences. This means that they are usually tried before a local or magistrates court. Police also have the power to issue fixed penalty notices to alleged offenders.[102] It is a defence in some Australian jurisdictions to have "a reasonable excuse" to conduct oneself in the manner alleged.[103]

Brazil

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In Brazil, the Penal Code does not contain any penalties for profanity in public immediately. However, direct offenses against one can be considered a crime against honor, with a penalty of imprisonment of one to three months or a fine.[104] The analysis of the offence is considered "subjective", depending on the context of the discussion and the relationship between the parts.[105]

Canada

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Section 175 of Canada's Criminal Code makes it a criminal offence to "cause a disturbance in or near a public place" by "swearing […] or using insulting or obscene language". Provinces and municipalities may also have their laws against swearing in public. For instance, the Municipal Code of Toronto bars "profane or abusive language" in public parks.[106] In June 2016, a man in Halifax, Nova Scotia, was arrested for using profane language at a protest against Bill C-51.[107]

India

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Sections 294A and 294B of Indian penal code have legal provisions for punishing individuals who use inappropriate or obscene words (either spoken or written) in public that are maliciously deliberate to outrage religious feelings or beliefs.[108] In February 2015, a local court in Mumbai asked police to file a first information report against 14 Bollywood celebrities who were part of the stage show of All India Bakchod, a controversial comedy stage show known for vulgar and profanity based content.[109] In May 2019 during the election campaign, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi listed out the abusive words the opposition Congress party had used against him and his mother during their campaign.[110]

In January 2016, a Mumbai-based communications agency initiated a campaign against profanity and abusive language called "Gaali free India" (gaali is the Hindi word for profanity).[111] Using creative ads, it called upon people to use swatch (clean) language on the lines of Swachh Bharat Mission for nationwide cleanliness. It further influenced other news media outlets who further raised the issue of abusive language in the society especially incest abuses against women, such as "mother fucker".[112]

In an increasing market for OTT content, several Indian web series have been using profanity and expletives to gain attention of the audiences.[113]

New Zealand

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In New Zealand, the Summary Offences Act 1981 makes it illegal to use "indecent or obscene words in or within hearing of any public place". However, if the defendant has "reasonable grounds for believing that his words would not be overheard" then no offence is committed. Also, "the court shall have regard to all the circumstances pertaining at the material time, including whether the defendant had reasonable grounds for believing that the person to whom the words were addressed, or any person by whom they might be overheard, would not be offended".[114]

Pakistan

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Political leaders in Pakistan have been consistently picked up for using profane, abusive language. While there is no legislation to punish abusers, the problem aggravated with abusive language being used in the parliament and even against women.[115]

Philippines

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See also: Tagalog profanity

The Department of Education in the Philippine city of Baguio expressed that while cursing was prohibited in schools, children were not following this prohibition at home. Thus as part of its anti profanity initiative, in November 2018, the Baguio city government in the Philippines passed an anti profanity law that prohibits cursing and profanity in areas of the city frequented by children. This move was welcomed by educators[116] and the Department of Education in Cordillera.[116][117]

Russia

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Swearing in public is an administrative crime in Russia. However, law enforcement rarely targets swearing people. The punishment is a fine of 500–1000 roubles or even a 15-day imprisonment.[118]

United Kingdom

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In public

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Swearing, in and of itself, is not usually a criminal offence in the United Kingdom although in context may constitute a component of a crime. However, it may be a criminal offence in Salford Quays under a public spaces protection order which outlaws the use of "foul and abusive language" without specifying any further component to the offence, although it appears to be unclear as to whether all and every instance of swearing is covered. Salford City Council claims that the defence of "reasonable excuse" allows all the circumstances to be taken into account.[119] In England and Wales, swearing in public where it is seen to cause harassment, alarm or distress may constitute an offence under section 5(1) and (6) of the Public Order Act 1986.[120] In Scotland, a similar common law offence of breach of the peace covers issues causing public alarm and distress.

In the workplace

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In the United Kingdom, swearing in the workplace can be an act of gross misconduct under certain circumstances. In particular, this is the case when swearing accompanies insubordination against a superior or humiliation of a subordinate employee. However, in other cases, it may not be grounds for instant dismissal.[121] According to a UK site on work etiquette, the "fact that swearing is a part of everyday life means that we need to navigate away through a day in the office without offending anyone, while still appreciating that people do swear. Of course, there are different types of swearing and, without spelling it out, you really ought to avoid the 'worst words' regardless of who you're talking to".[122] Within the UK, the appropriateness of swearing can vary largely by a person's industry of employment, though it is still not typically used in situations where employees of a higher position than oneself are present.[122]

In 2006, The Guardian reported that "36% of the 308 UK senior managers and directors having responded to a survey accepted swearing as part of workplace culture", but warned about specific inappropriate uses of swearing such as when it is discriminatory or part of bullying behaviour. The article ended with a quotation from Ben Wilmott (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development): "Employers can ensure professional language in the workplace by having a well-drafted policy on bullying and harassment that emphasises how bad language has potential to amount to harassment or bullying."[123]

United States

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See also: Actionable indecency and United States obscenity law
 
Local law in Virginia Beach prohibiting the use of profanity along the boardwalk of Atlantic Avenue

In the United States, courts have generally ruled that the government does not have the right to prosecute someone solely for the use of an expletive, which would be a violation of their right to free speech enshrined in the First Amendment. On the other hand, they have upheld convictions of people who used profanity to incite riots, harass people, or disturb the peace.[124] In 2011, a North Carolina statute that made it illegal to use "indecent or profane language" in a "loud and boisterous manner" within earshot of two or more people on any public road or highway was struck down as unconstitutional.[125] In 2015, the city of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina passed an ordinance that makes profane language punishable with fines up to $500 and/or 30 days in jail.[126] An amount of $22,000 was collected from these fines in 2017 alone.[127]

Religious views

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Judaism

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Rabbi Yisroel Cotlar wrote in Chabad.org that Judaism forbids the use of profanity as contradicting the Torah's command to "Be holy", which revolves around the concept of separating oneself from worldly practices (including the use of vulgar language).[128] The Talmud teaches that the words that leave the mouth make an impact on the heart and mind; he stated that the use of profanity thus causes the regression of the soul.[128] Judaism thus teaches that shemirat halashon (guarding one's tongue) is one of the first steps to spiritual improvement.[128]

Christianity

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Various Christian writers have condemned the use of "foul language" as being sinful, a position held since the time of the early Church.[129][1] To this end, the Bible commands including "Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them" (Ephesians 4:29)[130] and also "Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving" (Ephesians 5:4).[131] These teachings are echoed in Ecclesiasticus 20:19,[132] Ecclesiasticus 23:8-15,[133] and Ecclesiasticus 17:13-15,[134] all of which are found in the Deuterocanon/Apocrypha.[135] Jesus taught that "by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (cf. Matthew 12:36-37[136]),[137] with revilers being listed as being among the damned in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.[138][139] Profanity revolving around the dictum "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain", one of the Ten Commandments, is regarded as blasphemy as Christians regard it as "an affront to God's holiness".[140][141] Paul the Apostle defines the ridding of filthy language from one's lips as being evidence of living in a relationship with Jesus (cf. Colossians 3:1-10[142]).[143] The Epistle to the Colossians teaches that controlling the tongue "is the key to gaining mastery over the whole body."[135] The Didache 3:3 included the use of "foul language" as being part of the lifestyle that puts one on the way to eternal death.[1] The same document commands believers not to use profanity as it "breeds adultery".[129] John Chrysostom, an early Church Father, taught that those engaged in the use of profanity should repent of the sin.[144] The Epistle of James holds that "blessing God" is the primary function of the Christian's tongue, not speaking foul language.[135] Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, a bishop of Eastern Orthodox Church, lambasted profanity and blasphemy, teaching that it is "extremely unbefitting [for] Christians" and that believers should guard themselves from ever using it.[145]

Islam

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According to Ayatullah Ibrahim Amini, the use of "bad words" is haram in Islam. Additionally, impertinence and slander are considered immoral acts.[146]

See also

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Look up profanity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles to the Nations, known as The Didache" (PDF). Legacy Icons. 2016. p. 6. Retrieved 16 February 2022. But the way of death is this. First of all, it is evil and full of curses: murder, adultery, lust, promiscuity, theft, idolatry, magical arts, witchcraft, robbery, false testimony, hypocrisy, duplicity, treachery, pride, malice, stubbornness, greed, foul language, jealousy, arrogance, pride, and boasting.
  2. ^ a b Johnson & Lewis 2010, p. 106.
  3. ^ Oxford English Dictionary Online, "profane", retrieved 2012-02-14
  4. ^ Harper, Douglas. "profane". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  5. ^ a b Hughes 2015, p. 362.
  6. ^ Ljung 2011, p. 1.
  7. ^ Ljung 2011, pp. 1–2.
  8. ^ Hughes 2015, pp. 114–115.
  9. ^ Ljung 2011, p. 31.
  10. ^ a b c Ljung 2011, p. 2.
  11. ^ Matusz 2017, p. 36.
  12. ^ Ljung 2011, pp. 24–25.
  13. ^ Hughes 2015, p. 154.
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References

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Further reading

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  • Almond, Ian (2003). "Derrida and the Secret of the Non-Secret: On Respiritualising the Profane". Literature and Theology. 17 (4): 457–471. doi:10.1093/litthe/17.4.457.
  • Bryson, Bill (1990) The Mother Tongue
  • Bulcke, Camille (2001) [1968]. An English-Hindi Dictionary (3rd ed.). Ramnagar, New Delhi: Chand. ISBN 81-219-0559-1.
  • Croom, Adam M. (2011). "Slurs". Language Sciences. 33 (3): 343–358. doi:10.1016/j.langsci.2010.11.005.
  • Eggert, Randall (2011). This Book Is Taboo: An Introduction to Linguistics through Swearing. Kendall Hunt Publishing. ISBN 978-0757586422.
  • Hughes, Geoffrey (2004) [1991]. Swearing: A Social History of Foul Language, Oaths and Profanity in English. Penguin UK. ISBN 9780141954325.
  • Jay, Timothy (1992). Cursing in America: A psycholinguistic study of dirty language in the courts, in the movies, in the schoolyards and on the streets. John Benjamins Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1556194511.
  • Johnson, Sterling (2004) Watch Your F*cking Language
  • McEnery, Tony (2006) Swearing in English: bad language, purity and power from 1586 to the present, Routledge ISBN 0-415-25837-5.
  • McWhorter, John (2021). Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever. Avery. ISBN 978-0593188798.
  • O'Connor, Jim (2000) Cuss Control
  • Roache, Rebecca (2023). For F*ck's Sake: Why Swearing is Shocking, Rude, and Fun. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0190665067.
  • Sagarin Edward (1962) The Anatomy of Dirty Words
  • Sheidlower, Jesse (2009) The F-Word (3rd ed.)
  • Spears, Richard A. (1990) Forbidden American English
  • Stollznow, Karen. "Swearing is bad?". Archived from the original on 2007-05-21.
  • Wajnryb, Ruth (2005) Expletive Deleted: A Good Look at Bad Language
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