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]

Hehe, my parents came from fairly down-to-earth backgrounds, farming and manufacturing, but they're both quite educated, had professional careers, and they married late, so they had money enough to own a house in a fairly "posh" area. One of the funniest things I saw through my childhood was my mother, preparing for a major rant or a cursing session, first of all rushing round the house to close all the doors and windows - so the neighbours wouldn't overhear her language! ROFL. My father, my sister and I would of course take our cue to stick cotton wool or toilet paper in our ears. It was an ongoing family joke...still is now.

A few times, my wicked father hid a microphone and taped these rants, which could go on in full flow for hours...then he'd play them back for laughs when she was all done. Must find out if he kept any of them, LOL!

Somehow, if you have a Scottish accent, "Ya wee shite" just trips off the tongue better than "You wee shit" - I think that's the only real difference between the two. I can see it probably doesn't work as well in Canadian, LOL. Ahh, how the benefits of the internet can enhance our lives, huh...?! :-D

It's like when "Neighbours" was first shown on UK TV - didn't take long to gather that the word "spunk" has a somewhat different usage down under, but there were a few giggles along the way.

[sildil]

Yes!..I remember that about 'Neighbours'!...and it reminded me of my other half's tales of being an exchange student in the States, firstly, he never asked if he could borrow someone's 'rubber', had to remember to call it an'eraser', and secondly he said that the first time a bloke came up to him and introduced himself by saying, 'Hi, I'm Randy' it took a lot of self-control not to burst into fits of giggles or run!

And I know what you mean about the scottish accent and 'ya wee shite'..it sounds rather affectionate!..but then to me, anything said with a Scottish accent sounds attractive!...*sighs*....aahh, Billy Boyd....*goes off muttering to herself*