Nick's MySpace blog on Christians and cussing was fun. I was inspired by it today and did some research on the topic of cussing. I sorted out a couple interesting highlights for you guys, and thought I would post them in here, in case anyone had anything they wanted to say about language. Please refrain from judging me, and let me disclaim endorsement of the below citations. I just thought it might be stimulating to stir the conversation again, in a new location.
Mark Twain on cussing:
"Under certain circumstances, urgent circumstances, desperate circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer."
"There ought to be a room in every house to swear in. It’s dangerous to have to repress an emotion like that. "
"When you’re mad, count four; when you’re very mad, swear!"
More Mark Twain cursing quotations...
Cigar Aficionado on cussing:
"Mark Twain wrote, 'The difference between the right word and the wrong word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.' And a swear is often the right word. For instance, when I wrote "bullshit" in the opening sentence, I meant more than just 'nonsense,' 'piffle,' 'claptrap,' or some other synonym you might find in Roget's Thesaurus. I also meant to convey my disdain for smarmy protests against strong language."
Philly Inquirer on cussing:
"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.
To further understand swearing, Jay studied people with Tourette’s syndrome because they sometimes involuntarily blurt out swear words. He found the words tend toward the most unacceptable in their native tongues.
For the rest of us, he said, as a general rule, the most stress-relief mileage comes from the most taboo words in one’s personal culture.
The British have a slightly different swearing vocabulary, favoring bloody, bollocks and another b-word that ends like skulduggery. Last year a copy editor expunged that word from one of my columns. We can’t say it because it means anal sex, which we can say.
Americans, in contrast, rely heavily on our F-word.
In addition to helping Dick Cheney refrain from biting all the Democrats in Congress, it represents the most direct and concise English term for sexual intercourse.
Some commentators have warned that we’re wearing out the poor word with gross overuse, draining it of its original cathartic power. But Jay says we have nothing to worry about. It’s an old word, possibly stemming from German and not an acronym for For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, as urban legend has it. It’s been part of the English language for more than 1,000 years, he said, and it’s still so taboo you can’t say it on TV or in school. Or in our newspaper."
Mark Twain on cussing:
"Under certain circumstances, urgent circumstances, desperate circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer."
"There ought to be a room in every house to swear in. It’s dangerous to have to repress an emotion like that. "
"When you’re mad, count four; when you’re very mad, swear!"
More Mark Twain cursing quotations...
Cigar Aficionado on cussing:
"Mark Twain wrote, 'The difference between the right word and the wrong word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.' And a swear is often the right word. For instance, when I wrote "bullshit" in the opening sentence, I meant more than just 'nonsense,' 'piffle,' 'claptrap,' or some other synonym you might find in Roget's Thesaurus. I also meant to convey my disdain for smarmy protests against strong language."
Philly Inquirer on cussing:
"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.
To further understand swearing, Jay studied people with Tourette’s syndrome because they sometimes involuntarily blurt out swear words. He found the words tend toward the most unacceptable in their native tongues.
For the rest of us, he said, as a general rule, the most stress-relief mileage comes from the most taboo words in one’s personal culture.
The British have a slightly different swearing vocabulary, favoring bloody, bollocks and another b-word that ends like skulduggery. Last year a copy editor expunged that word from one of my columns. We can’t say it because it means anal sex, which we can say.
Americans, in contrast, rely heavily on our F-word.
In addition to helping Dick Cheney refrain from biting all the Democrats in Congress, it represents the most direct and concise English term for sexual intercourse.
Some commentators have warned that we’re wearing out the poor word with gross overuse, draining it of its original cathartic power. But Jay says we have nothing to worry about. It’s an old word, possibly stemming from German and not an acronym for For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, as urban legend has it. It’s been part of the English language for more than 1,000 years, he said, and it’s still so taboo you can’t say it on TV or in school. Or in our newspaper."
technorati tags:cussing, christians, taboo, language
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