Abuse*

It is fascinating to see how different languages handle profanity and abuse-where their sensitive spots are, so to speak. Some languages focus on religion and blasphemy. Some target ethnicity and appearance. Others curse with animal names, or parts of the body. Many languages, English included, have developed a rich vocabulary of abuse around sexual intercourse, genitalia, and excretion.

In times past, cursing in English was more religion-based than it is today. 'God's Blood' used to be an extreme profanity. Abuse words relating to sickness and disease, like 'poxy' or 'scurvy' were also much more common when disease itself was a curse. "A plague on both their houses," Mercutio famously says in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare's plays are absolutely full of rich, inventive insults, but one word you will not find is today's most prevalent swear-word in English-the 'f' word. This is not because it was too offensive-but on the contrary, because in those days it was not. It was then a relatively recent addition to English meaning 'to copulate'. Today, 'f-k' is certainly not a word to be used in polite conversation, and is still coyly avoided in print (hence the hyphens). Yet it is one of the most colorful and versatile words in the English language, appearing in expressive combinations with various adverbs (off; about; around; up; with) and in various parts of speech (as noun, verb, adjective).

January 24, 2017