Why are sex words our worst swearwords? - The Orange Mane

clean · 08-29-2006, 06:06 PM

Several weeks ago Inquirer editors debated whether we should allow more dirty words in the paper. There was talk of loosening the restrictions on damn, which we've long placed in our category of lesser offenders though it implies something horrendous - condemnation to hell (a word we're also easing up on).

Topping our list of the worst possible words is the F-word, though in its literal sense it conveys something very nice. Writers are not specifically forbidden to use it but there are enough hoops to jump through that nobody has broken the F- barrier yet.

It's listed in our highest security class of obscenity, along with three synonyms for penis, two for vagina, two slang terms for oral sex, two variants on animal waste products and one expression that employs the F-word in an oedipal context.

Overall, the scientific evidence suggests swearing is good for you, says psycholinguist Timothy Jay of Massachusetts College of the Liberal Arts and author of Cursing in America.

We're the only animal that can curse, he says, which sometimes helps us avoid physical violence. "It allows us to express our emotions symbolically and at a distance." For example, Jay says, when a woman was weaving in front of him on the road that morning he was able to call her a "dumb ass" instead of getting out of his car and biting her.

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/l...h/15377368.htm

L.A. BRONCOS FAN · 08-30-2006, 03:56 AM

Quote:

Why are sex words our worst swearwords?

It can be traced back to the neurosis of Queen Victoria.

It's something we have in common with the Brits.

You don't find the same uptight sexual attitude on the European continent.

DomCasual · 08-30-2006, 01:54 PM

I have always had the theory that, from a linguistic standpoint, the f-word ends in a hard stop, which is sort of a shocking sound. So, when some says it - especially forcefully - it tends to be alarming to those around them. Thus, it is perceived to be more harsh than other swear words.

I'd compare it this way. Say you're sitting at your computer late at night. It's dead quiet and you're completely relaxed. Without really paying attention, you visit a flash-enabled website that has sound. If the sound on the site is soft, smooth classical music, it's going to have a totally different effect on you than a site that has a used car announder screaming, "SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!" (Both piss me off, to be honest. But the latter one makes me swear angrily - usually dropping that word with the hard stop.)

It's the same thing with swear words. Some sound worse then others, so our perception is that they are worse.

Spider · 08-30-2006, 04:40 PM

once you become a Father of a Baby girl , your entire outlook on sex changes ....I cant stand porn ...... Strip clubs , hooters ..........

Hotrod · 08-30-2006, 04:54 PM

Rep for the first person who can tell me what the letters in **** stand for and their historical importance........

Ascowgirl · 08-30-2006, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by §Pide®

once you become a Father of a Baby girl , your entire outlook on sex changes ....I cant stand porn ...... Strip clubs , hooters ..........

I have a daughter too and am right with you on this one!

DomCasual · 08-30-2006, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hotrod

Rep for the first person who can tell me what the letters in **** stand for and their historical importance........

You're a complete dumbass. It posted four asterisks.

Complete. Dumbass.

Reidman · 08-30-2006, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by §Pide®

once you become a Father of a Baby girl , your entire outlook on sex changes ....I cant stand porn ...... Strip clubs , hooters ..........

I have a daughter too but that doesn't keep me from enjoying the female body.....

Spider · 08-30-2006, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reidman

I have a daughter too but that doesn't keep me from enjoying the female body.....

I didnt say i didnt enjoy the female body , I said Porn ...... No way in hell would I want my daughter doing that , so I wont support the industry .......

Spider · 08-30-2006, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ascowgirl

I have a daughter too and am right with you on this one!

well I have 3 girls , 1 is 14 , the twins are 5 months ...... 6 kids alltogether 3 boys , 3 girls ...... War has been declared

Hotrod · 08-30-2006, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DomCasual

You're a complete dumbass. It posted four asterisks.

Complete. Dumbass.

ya well **** you and your dumb***

Damn Taco I put in an F to start and finished oh nevermind..

Spider · 08-30-2006, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hotrod

ya well **** you and your dumb***

Damn Taco I put in an F to start and finished oh nevermind..

let me fill in the blanks

ya well I love you and your dumb blonde hairdo .... am i close ?

Hotrod · 08-30-2006, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by §Pide®

let me fill in the blanks

ya well I love you and your dumb blonde hairdo .... am i close ?

Thats amazing how did you do that

Spider · 08-30-2006, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hotrod

Thats amazing how did you do that

Be suprised what you can come up with after 2 days alone on the Mesa ...... Like I figured out the meaning to the word Vegitarian ....... It is an old west word for realy bad hunter

Reidman · 08-30-2006, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by §Pide®

I didnt say i didnt enjoy the female body , I said Porn ...... No way in hell would I want my daughter doing that , so I wont support the industry .......

Yes, porn is bad, I agree...

Misunderstood you §Pide®...

Spider · 08-30-2006, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reidman

Yes, porn is bad, I agree...

Misunderstood you §Pide®...

it is all good , I dont want porn outlawed , to each thier own , i just wont have it in my house is all ...... I dont want to control what other people do , just my kids

then in 20 years my Kids can go on operah and talk about how I ruined thier lives , but ruining thier lives keeps me from going insane

DomCasual · 08-30-2006, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hotrod

ya well **** you and your dumb***

Damn Taco I put in an F to start and finished oh nevermind..

Okay, so now tell us what it stands for.

Hotrod · 08-30-2006, 05:47 PM

Fornification
Under
Concent
of
King

In England (I think) you used to have to get permission to have sex and reproduce. If they king agreed to your request you would be givin a plaque to hang over your door. That way if your shack was a rocking the kings guard would not come knocking. It was actually a pretty serious offense to get caught having sex with out approval.

Spider · 08-30-2006, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hotrod

Fornification
Under
Concent
of
King

In England (I think) you used to have to get permission to have sex and reproduce. If they king agreed to your request you would be givin a plaque to hang over your door. That way if your shack was a rocking the kings guard would not come knocking. It was actually a pretty serious offense to get caught having sex with out approval.

I got one of those

Schnider
Hunt
International
Transport ..........

L.A. BRONCOS FAN · 08-30-2006, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by §Pide®

once you become a Father of a Baby girl , your entire outlook on sex changes ....I cant stand porn ...... Strip clubs , hooters ..........

I have a buddy who is the father of a baby girl, (and a truck driver, BTW) and his attitude re: porn is just the opposite.

Of course, his wife stopped putting out after the girl was born, so it's the only alternative to having an affair, I guess.

clean · 08-30-2006, 08:48 PM

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=glance&n=5174

-Slap- · 09-01-2006, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by clean

Overall, the scientific evidence suggests swearing is good for you, says psycholinguist Timothy Jay of Massachusetts College of the Liberal Arts and author of Cursing in America.

I made it my goal to learn and use every curse word at a young age and I'm so ****ing well adjusted its not funny.

08-29-2006, 06:06 PM	#1
clean Dazed And Frantic Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 820	Why are sex words our worst swearwords? Several weeks ago Inquirer editors debated whether we should allow more dirty words in the paper. There was talk of loosening the restrictions on damn, which we've long placed in our category of lesser offenders though it implies something horrendous - condemnation to hell (a word we're also easing up on). Topping our list of the worst possible words is the F-word, though in its literal sense it conveys something very nice. Writers are not specifically forbidden to use it but there are enough hoops to jump through that nobody has broken the F- barrier yet. It's listed in our highest security class of obscenity, along with three synonyms for penis, two for vagina, two slang terms for oral sex, two variants on animal waste products and one expression that employs the F-word in an oedipal context. Overall, the scientific evidence suggests swearing is good for you, says psycholinguist Timothy Jay of Massachusetts College of the Liberal Arts and author of Cursing in America. We're the only animal that can curse, he says, which sometimes helps us avoid physical violence. "It allows us to express our emotions symbolically and at a distance." For example, Jay says, when a woman was weaving in front of him on the road that morning he was able to call her a "dumb ass" instead of getting out of his car and biting her. http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/l...h/15377368.htm

08-30-2006, 08:48 PM	#21
clean Dazed And Frantic Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 820	http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...=glance&n=5174 Last edited by clean; 08-30-2006 at 08:50 PM..

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08-30-2006, 01:54 PM	#3
DomCasual The Dude abides. Shameless Homer Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Cocytus Posts: 13,207 Adopt-a-Bronco: Gus Frerotte	I have always had the theory that, from a linguistic standpoint, the f-word ends in a hard stop, which is sort of a shocking sound. So, when some says it - especially forcefully - it tends to be alarming to those around them. Thus, it is perceived to be more harsh than other swear words. I'd compare it this way. Say you're sitting at your computer late at night. It's dead quiet and you're completely relaxed. Without really paying attention, you visit a flash-enabled website that has sound. If the sound on the site is soft, smooth classical music, it's going to have a totally different effect on you than a site that has a used car announder screaming, "SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!" (Both piss me off, to be honest. But the latter one makes me swear angrily - usually dropping that word with the hard stop.) It's the same thing with swear words. Some sound worse then others, so our perception is that they are worse.

08-30-2006, 04:40 PM	#4
Spider Mr Diplomacy I survived Tebow Mania at the Mane Join Date: May 2001 Location: Elway was just an arm =MacGruder Posts: 84,438 Adopt-a-Bronco: Von Miller	once you become a Father of a Baby girl , your entire outlook on sex changes ....I cant stand porn ...... Strip clubs , hooters ..........

08-30-2006, 04:54 PM	#5
Hotrod Self Appointed Expert aka Dortoh Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 25,136 Adopt-a-Bronco: Miss I	Rep for the first person who can tell me what the letters in **** stand for and their historical importance........

08-30-2006, 05:47 PM	#18
Hotrod Self Appointed Expert aka Dortoh Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 25,136 Adopt-a-Bronco: Miss I	Fornification Under Concent of King In England (I think) you used to have to get permission to have sex and reproduce. If they king agreed to your request you would be givin a plaque to hang over your door. That way if your shack was a rocking the kings guard would not come knocking. It was actually a pretty serious offense to get caught having sex with out approval.