Exploring Profanity and Word Usage

Profanity and euphemism work within social group structures to indicate group acceptance of social norms as well as social belonging. They can also bring people together as a sign of a certain level of comfort within person to person interactions. The meaning and variation on certain words change to reflect societies taboo subjects of choice though some often stick around far longer than intended. Every word within a culture holds some sort of emotion and connotation in order to be considered "bad" or "taboo".

Taboo is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as "Prohibition or interdiction generally of the use or practice of anything, or of social intercourse" as well as "Set apart for or consecrated to a special use or purpose; restricted to the use of a god, a king, priests, or chiefs, while forbidden to general use". The words meaning has changed over time from a positive, reinforcing cultural structure and hierarchy to a negative reverting to that which is unexpected and "other". Both definitions function as a way to separate an authoritative group from another set of people through communication. "It expresses the 'way individuals situate themselves in relationship to others, the way they group themselves, the powers they claim for themselves and the powers they stipulate to others' " (Sterling 1). Basic communication between different groups need this line of taboo determiners in order to show they mean no disrespect or sometimes just the opposite. Most often it is those in power who create the words that are off limits to others ears in a culture.

Profanity being used between two separate groups of people with different languages are often misinterpreted because craze words vary by meaning and intention. The profanities intended meaning doesn't always relate back to a words original meaning as seen in eighteenth century England where the word "leg" was considered crass and impolite in front of women or mixed company in elite society. The word "leg" has nothing threatening attached to it except as a reference to a biological part when bodily awareness was deemed "taboo" in itself. The way the taboo word functions within the social interaction and the reaction from that word by the people addressed determines whether that word is bad. "The way one speaks is often more important than what one says."(Sterling,) Leg was deemed inappropriate by someone of power so the concept flipped from the word to the sexual implication of that word, how it's said, and that it's in defiance of the "norm" as most profanity serves that function.

Profanity itself in the OED is defined as "vulgar or irreverent speech or action" making it understood that sometimes the word's crop up in speech as a reaction to a result or action. Taking God's name in vein used to be used for an oath of truth and if the speaker was lying he would be struck down dead (Kenner 1). From this idea of oath came

fanum in Latin, associated with the word temple in modern English which goes back to the disavowing the sanctity of something religious. From

fanum came profanity or overusing a sacred term or oath which comes full circle (Kenner 1). Another popular word for oath was swearing or "The uttering of a profane oath; the use of profane language."(OED)

Uttering profanity is breaking the rules of respect which work to make lines of power clear through language. How we address each other and the tones used which may or may not refuse to address the social authority come through in the choice of words we use. Some words direct use in conversation imply a lack of respect in a particular group setting which calls for "polite" behavior. These declared "bad words" work to separate between class structures working in an insulting connotation. An example of this is when a mother is upset with her child's teacher for giving the child an undeserved, biased grade. The woman calls the teacher a profane word in order to bring her down a notch and make her socially ashamed. In this way the woman is separating them into classes of "good" and "bad" by her word choice.

Taboo and profanity as tools of communication use whatever subject is being talked too or talked about to regain authority and take someone down a notch to make the speaker more worthy of power. It's also used to convey equal amounts of power between two speakers or the exchange of familiarity. If two friends are walking down the street often they will work in to their conversation certain taboo words to communicate to the other person that they are on the same level and they are comfortable with each other. In this interaction it isn't a form of degrading one person but rather a teasing and expected way of communication indicating comfort by a lack of social constraints on word use. The rules of communication between these two friends shift from the insertion of taboo words, they say things to one another they wouldn't normally in a "polite" society like school as an indication of equality between each other in their exchange of language.

Words exist to further communication and communication is crucial to a society because of its structure and natural pecking order. When you incite unacceptable ideas or words into a society through language, the word itself is playing a structural role to isolate the intended from other authorities. There are always other words for different cultures and societies that play that role, but despite a culture's need for the taboo to be banned; other words always crop up because people have to have them to function.

There are various levels of taboo working within any given language, we use other taboo words to indicate the "bad" nature of our subject word or the one we are using. In order to define a profane or off limits word the word has to function within a speech community or "...any human aggregate characterized by regular and frequent interaction by means of a shared body of verbal signs"(Sterling 4). Negative language performs a function of body language that can't be expressed in upstanding society through communicating angry, resentful, or otherwise hurtful emotions. These established words are only "accepted" as forms of expression because without them people would self mediate with their fists instead of their words.

As a result of understanding "bad" words as a culture we've come to understand that there are several established and needed uses for these words in order to further communication. Another one of these ways is simply to break rules. "...if you simply start using these words you arouse the shocked reaction in the situation where you are and the attempt to use the words then, I think, requires a special name: it is i

nverted taboo. If you expect to shock people you are not

contraverting the taboo, you are following it, but in an

inverted way"(Read 455). By using it for its "intended" purpose, to incite the very emotions for why it was banned as wrong, you are further condemning the word as bad. By confirming a groups belief in the emotional and communicational impact the word may have and showing it to them it is only proving the majorities point that it is taboo. This is an instance of communication where not only do people use profanity as a source of communication but they use it as a known form of taboo in order to shock people.

This form of communication is both a mix of rebellion and emotion, unlike the other examples where peers say profane words to establish a certain connection with a group of people. This last example of usage breaks a connection entirely by understanding the rules of communication and outwardly breaking them without consequence for the reaction of others. An example of this is when a student in class is responding to a question from the teacher and he inserts several profane words into his answer. He does this without a conscious, knowing that these words aren't supposed to be used in this social situation. In this case the taboo words used don't serve to further his mode of communication either through establishing a class boundary or bringing himself level with his peers by being "cool".

There comes a point where words lose their meaning as profane and taboo and are moved along in certain cultures as acceptable again. This switch often results from a change in the groups cultural practices or religious values. Once a word becomes overused, it loses its power as previously seen with "Hell" and "Damn" as proved through sociological studies and polls of culture changes throughout history (O'Keefe 2). However, the minute language becomes overused new words are adapted to take its place because of a "bad words" social function. This can be seen by the spike in usage of profane language in public from 1989 till 2002 of 500% (Wachel 195). Communication makes it so that these words are necessary to serve several functions within a culture so they must be constantly recycled or recreated.

However, there are still several words that still can be labeled profane throughout cultures and their different languages despite linguistic differences in the language. These words are most often associated with body parts, bodily functions, and religion as most swear words are derived but they have the staying power that "leg" and unmentionables" couldn't quite reach. Even Conventional Congress is making profane progress, from the 99^th Congress in 1985 through1987 and the 104^th Congress from 1995 to 1997 their were reports of an increase in use of swear words. The word "ass" went from 26 to 33, the word crap from 10 to 25 showing that not even those in polite, elite positions can't resist these naught no-no's in communication.

Taboo and profane words function in a specific way through language to communicate emotion, body language, and relationships with others. As a result words change their taboo status or they endure ridicule because of their necessary role in communication. Without these words there would probably be far more wars and a great many confused, angry people. As a whole the concept and stigma of taboo and profanity stays the same while the literal words behind it change with place, time, and culture by elite society. As a result before going to a foreign country always check a guidebook and learn unacceptable words and gestures before you insult someone by accident.

Kenner, Hugh. "What Ever Happened to Profanity?." The Way We Live Now 2 (2003): 1.

O'Keefe, Mark. "Foul words permeate pop culture lexicon, eliciting a backlash." Christian Century 121 (2004): 1-3.

Read, Allen Walker. "The Geolinguistics of Verbal Taboo." Geolinguistics 29 (2003): 443-455.

Sterling, Polly."Identity in Language: An Exploration into the Social Implications of Linguistic Variation" Texas A and M University.1-17.

Wachal, Robert S.. "Taboo or not Taboo: That is the Question." American Speech 77 (2002): 195-201.