Language and use thereof...

[sildil]

At the risk of opening up a can of worms, what do people feel about the use of, for want of a better word, 'profanities'? And what do you class as such?

Personally, I have very little problem with what people say, it is what is behind the expression that I don't like. I mean, some people can say something very mild, but if it is with the deliberate intention to shock or hurt and with bad feelings behind it, then that upsets me more than something stronger said casually.

Now I admit that I swear occasionally, well, probably quite a bit when stressed..well OK a lot if the computer gives me a stupid error message, but usually don't in 'normal' conversation, and I don't have a problem when others do. BUT if someone were to say something without using ANY swearing that was offensive, say, racist or homophobic, then that WOULD upset me.

As a parent of 18, 16 and 14 year old teenagers I have always tried to teach them that what matters is the context and the use of words, rather than the actual content that matters. They swear, mildly, (at least at home!)and only occasionally (at home!) but I do not criticise or judge...hate it...I grew up with enough of that to know what it's like. There is nothing worse that trying to express a strong feeling and being corrected on one's grammar! (And other half had it far worse than me, being the son of a journalist!) And I consider them to be old enough now to know what is 'right and wrong' and how to use words effectively.

Personally?...I would rather the occasional mild cuss said unthinkingly or in 'innocence' than words of any other sort that deliberately hurt and humiliate, and believe me, I've been on the receiving end of plenty of those. Just wondered.

Comments

[eveiya.livejournal.com]

I agree. Heh, I would - I'm Scottish. Swearing is a huge part of everyday speech between friends, strangers, co-workers, whatever, and nobody bats an eyelid. I know I swear a lot in normal conversation, but even so I'm probably not really aware of just how much I swear...I don't think any words are considered taboo or shocking in Scotland for reasons of profanity, so if you really mean to insult somebody, you have to do a bit more than simply swear.

Pretty much every swearword I know I heard from my mother at a very early age - usually directed at me, my sister, or my father, hehe. My father never swears; his favourite expletive is "jings" which always had all the rest of the family in fits, but although my parents (schoolteachers!) always tried to correct my sister's and my grammar, they certainly never bothered about our swearing.

Online, I do make a conscious effort not to swear as much as I normally would in RL speech or in my thoughts - not everyone is Scottish, after all, heh. But yes, it's the sentiment, the intent, and the underlying attitude behind the words rather than any language used that I might find offensive.

[sildil]

Father in Law is Scottish, so I know what you mean, though I have never heard him use any particularly strong curses, but then he is pretty inventive!

But my Dad swears and always has, and as you say, so much so that I am rarely aware of it..I only noticed it when the kids were very little.

I think I have only used very strong language once or twice online, and then only in 'private' conversation in IM. I tend to treat online postings as I would if they were printed letters...I don't write the same way that I speak for example.

And as you agreed, someone can try to disguise a pretty offensive statement in the prettiest language but it will still upset me, swearing or not!