Swearwords are socially and emotionally indispensable, vital parts of our linguistic repertoires that help us mitigate stress, cope with pain, increase strength and endurance and bond with friends and colleagues — it's not for nothing they are described as “strong language”.
1. F*ck. The word f-u-c-k is one of the most widely recognized swear words in the English language.
World War II was responsible for bringing the word into popular usage, perhaps most famously captured by Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five, which features a character who basically uses it as every other word in conversation.
Croatia comes out on top, with over one hundred different explicit words and 5 million native speakers. Norway comes in at second place with 94 swear words for 5.6 million speakers, while their neighbours Sweden are also turning the air blue with their range of 120 explicit words.
Younger people admit to using bad language more often than older people; they also encounter it more and are less bothered by it. The AP-Ipsos poll showed that 62 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds acknowledged swearing in conversation at least a few times a week, compared to 39 percent of those 35 and older.
Other studies show that while women use milder swearing more, men tend to use strong swear words more often than women (Bailey and Timm, 1976, McEnery, 2005). However, men usually prefer to swear in male groups and use less swear words when they are around females (Bayard and Krishnayya, 2001, Coates, 1986).
It's normal for kids to swear at one time or another. Young kids will often repeat something they've heard. Older kids often want to test their parents' reactions. If your child has started using a few choice words, there are several discipline techniques you can use to curb their use of inappropriate language.
“My research shows the British and Irish working-class introduced most of the swearing we have in Australia,” Krafzik says. “It was cemented in those early colonial days.” The British officer class tended to rotate in and out of the colonies. The working-class settlers – and convicts – stayed.
Swearing: Swearing is more common in Australia than in many other cultures. Television programmes are less censored and mainstream society is largely desensitised to words that foreigners may find vulgar. It is normal to hear an Australian swear at some point during a conversation.
It's hard to imagine such a strict law in such a laid-back place, but the no-swearing law in St Kitts and Nevis is no joke. On a winding drive from the airport to the ferry port in St. Kitts, a local driver warns that there are only two things you must never do here.
In 2015, Dr. Paul Booth argued he had found "(possibly) the earliest known use of the word 'fuck' that clearly has a sexual connotation": in English court records of 1310–11, a man local to Chester is referred to as "Roger Fuckebythenavele", probably a nickname.
Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay person, especially a gay man.
The reason swearwords attract so much attention is that they involve taboos, those aspects of our society that make us uncomfortable. These include the usual suspects – private parts, bodily functions, sex, anger, dishonesty, drunkenness, madness, disease, death, dangerous animals, fear, religion and so on.
According to our survey, a regular Brit swears around 10.46 times per day – much less than the American daily average of 21, revealed by our study on cities that swear the most in the U.S.
In Sweden, bad words mostly have a religious origin and in the past it was common to amplify them with numbers, such as 'sjutton' (17), 'attans' (an old word for 18), and 'tusan' (meaning 1,000).
Bugger. (Noun/verb/adjective) A mild profanity that's also one of the most versatile words in Australian English. Exclamation; “Bugger! I dropped some more avo on myself.”
The term cultural cringe is most commonly used in Australia, where it is believed by some to be a widely accepted facet of Australian culture.
Bloody, as an adjective or adverb, is a commonly used expletive attributive in British English, Australian English, Irish English, Indian English and a number of other Commonwealth nations.
Australian Shepherds tend to whine for all sorts of reasons, such as to get your attention or if they're sick or injured. If you can rule out a medical condition, then the next step to quiet your Aussie is to train them not to whine. Failing to indulge in their bad behavior will clue them in to stop. Good luck!
Despite their high energy, Aussies are usually quiet. They may bark to alert their owners of a stranger or an unfamiliar situation but other than that, you won't hear much from them. This fits the self-controlled personality that Aussies possess. Most Australian Shepherds are thinking dogs, not impulsive ones.
Fears and phobias.
Children aged 5-11 years might swear to express emotions, get a reaction, or fit in socially. It's good to talk with children about swearing. They can understand that some words hurt or offend others. You can help children find other ways to express emotions.
Young children often swear because they're exploring language. They might be testing a new word, perhaps to understand its meaning. Sometimes swearing happens accidentally when children are learning to say words. Children might also be trying to express a feeling like frustration.
Sometimes, children with ADHD use offensive language in order to get your attention. Other times, they just succumb to impulsivity. And often they also lack the perspective-taking skills they need to anticipate how their words may impact others.
Other research has found that children start swearing around age two and that it becomes more adult-like by ages 11 or 12, authors at the Association for Psychological Science noted in 2012. “By the time children enter school, they have a working vocabulary of 30 to 40 offensive words,” the report continued.