In today’s culture, most people swear all of their lives according to the Ph.D.’s who study such things. Cussing isn’t just for the uneducated–it knows no social boundaries.
Expletives are a natural part of speech development. Little kids may not speak all words plainly, but curse words they’ve picked up from adults are loud and clear at the appropriate time.
It hasn’t always been this way. While I was growing up, men were cautioned to watch their language in front of the ladies. Apparently, the women in my family weren’t ladies–they swore when the occasion called for it. I learned their words, but didn’t use them out loud until I was too big to spank.
Movies reflect our times. In 1939, Gone with the Wind audiences were shocked when Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) told Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh), “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” In 2013, Leonardo DiCaprio starred as Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street. The f-word was used 569 times in the film.
Not all swear words are equal–they range from a mild euphemism to the extremely offensive. Taboo expressions include insults, profanity, blasphemy, vulgarity, sexual innuendoes, disgusting objects, animal references, ancestral allusions and offensive slang.
We swear to signify a number of emotions such as frustration, anger or surprise. Sometimes we’re alone but often it’s done to achieve a specific reaction from others. We choose our words according to our company, our relationship with the people and the social setting. Our vocabulary is quite different if we’re in our boss’s office or with friends in a bar having a drink after work.
People may underestimate the benefits of swearing. Four-letter words can be used as a substitute for physical violence such as throwing a balky cell phone against the wall or punching someone in the nose. A few off-color words may enhance pain tolerance.
Do you swear?
Yes, I swear. I don’t remember either of my parents swearing though dad sometimes would tell or try to tell a dirty joke. Mother would quickly say, “George, not in front of the girls.” Sid swears less than I do. My most frequent swear word is “shit.”
I moved to Chicago from the south and southern girls don’t swear, so I would not swear in Chicago, just roll my eyes when others did. However, when I moved back to the south, I would swear because now I was from the north and northern girls swear. I enjoyed shocking people.