Re: &*%$ words

[mpriestley -at- VNET -dot- IBM -dot- COM]

Someone has already noted that in Quebec, religious terms are used as
expletives.  I think interesting things can be postulated about a culture,
from what words are considered obscene.  From what I remember, French
swear words in general are religious; areligious swear words aren't as
bad (I don't remember "merde" as being terribly outrageous).

In contrast, the really bad German swear words are mostly related to
bodily functions.  Calling someone a "shithead" or an "asshole" is
considerably stronger in German than in English (though perhaps I've
only had runins with extremely anal retentive Germans :-)

Finally, most of the really bad English swear words are related to sex and
sex organs.  "Shit" as a swear-word just doesn't measure up to the F-word.

To completely stereotype: the English are uptight about sex, the French are
uptight about religion, and the Germans are uptight about bodily functions.

Note: I don't mean to suggest that individual members of a culture or language
group fit these stereotypes.  There just seem to be different taboos, or
different levels of taboo, among different cultures.

Michael Priestley
mpriestley -at- vnet -dot- ibm -dot- com
Disclaimer: I'm speaking on my own behalf, not IBM's.

...btw, I don't swear in my work.  I don't use euphemisms, either.  I just
don't write about religion, sex, or bodily waste.
I support a person's right to swear in a public forum.  I also support
a person's right to be offended by the swearing, and respond using
euphemisms.