Swearing for Dummies

WARNING : This POSTING is strictly an INTELLECTUAL exercise.

In many languages and cultures there are words that are considered dangerous and shocking. For instance, for some African tribes, the names of dead chiefs are not to be said. These are swear words or Taboo words as it is formally known.

Taboo words are shocking and should only to used in situations when people want to express powerful emotions through “strong” language. This act is known as swearing. When people swear, taboo words change their meaning completely. For example, the word "fuck" means to “have sexual intercourse with” … whoever or whatever. “Fuck off” is the mean and violent way to telling some one to “go away”. In fact the word “fuck” is of 17th century European origin, it used to mean “to strike” or “to penetrate”.

To know how to swear is to know the exact strength of these expressions and most of all to know what kind of people are shocked by them and under what type of circumstances.

Unfortunately, we learn most of our swear words from either relatives (accidental or otherwise) or most likely friends, or worse – the Internet.

It is best to AVOID SWEARING, especially in public places or in front of other people, simply because it is considered rude and socially not acceptable. And it can be hazardous to your health.

But the controversy here is whether is a BLOG a “private place” or a “public domain”? (Let’s debate on this another day, yes?).

But if you HAVE TO swear, do it properly, don’t confine yourself one word, there are many to choose from depending on the situation! To help increase your vocabulary, below are the list of English words with their “relative strength”, indicated by asterisks (*). The more *, means the stronger :

In most circumstances, in Malaysia at least, the F word is considered more powerful than "screw".

The F word is definitely worth a special mention. It is by far the most flexible and versatile word in the dictionary. It can be used in any possible way and still be grammatically correct. It's practically idiot proof. The first time I encountered it was in the movie "The Beverly Hills Cop" with Axle Foley (played by Eddie Murphy) belching out that word every now and then.

Some examples :

1. “Fuck the fucking fuckers.”
2. "I’m fucked."
3. "That was a good fuck."
4. "I can't fucking believe she's fucking him! Un-fucking-believable"

That’s why the F word is commonly used across many cultures and race. Not a very good sign is it?

Combined with other words, it can be even more powerful e.g. “motherfucker” implies incest and very strong indeed, I think it deserves a six star (******) rating. Using it in the wrong context can get you killed.

So there you have it, the list of English swear words and how to use 'em.

Oh yes, "crap" and "bullshit" are also a swear words, it originates from the US, they mean nonsense.

But this DOES NOT mean I condone to or encourage swearing. Everyone have his/her preferences in life.

I choose not to swear at all (I’m still trying) .... and no, I am NOT going to show my 4 year old daughter THIS page, until I feel that she is ready to be responsible for it.

I hope you’ve learnt something today, choose your words wisely and now say it, with EMOTION and STYLE.