What Do You Consider Profanity?

[Noeyez]

[quote name='RC _' post='1133352' date='Dec 1 2006, 08:21 PM']
I didn't ban you.
[/quote]

It's of no consequence. if you want to talk about it then pm me. This is getting off topic.

[rollingcatholic]

Did this thread have a topic, other than to slam me?

[Noeyez]

[quote name='RC _' post='1133357' date='Dec 1 2006, 08:25 PM']
Did this thread have a topic, other than to slam me?
[/quote]

This wasn't to slam you. You're insults directed at me made me think of the idea... I actually want to discuss the origins of profanity. stop taking stuff so personally.

Edited December 2, 2006 by Noeyez

[Didymus]

I wouldn't think calling someone a troll would be profane, maybe mean in some cases, but I didn't even know what that meant...

I would say the F-bomb is a prime example of profane if not completley vulgar language

[-I---Love]

I am highjacking this thread

1) it's off topic and lame already - the original ? was cool though

2) I want to pm Aloysius and can't b/c i don't know why - anyways hi Aloysius - and have you decided that I fell off the face of the earth or something?

[Aloysius]

hmm... i don't know why you can't PM me... that's strange.

how have things been? haha yeah I don't know how to contact you... I sent you a facebook message.

lalala I don't think this thread will ever go anywhere

[pcabibi]

Interesting Article on profanity by Grace hsu....

DID YOU EVER WONDER HOW PROFANITY CAME TO BE?
YOU KNOW, the best things that America has ever come up with are 7-Elevens, functional highways and bleeper buzzers. As a country, we should be deliriously happy to house the biggest population of potty-mouths in the world.

The etymology of profanity is possibly one of the most intriguing aspects of American slang. In 1896, these choice words were once used in common speech and accepted by all. In 1996, my editor refuses to let me print most of these notorious expressions. You could label this as a violation of the First Amendment, but that's the way it is. So, I am forced to curb my language.

That's a little frustrating since we Americans seem to have an odd fascination with harsh-sounding words, which is the main reason profane words (rhyming respectively with schmuck, witch, lit, pass, bell and ram) are considered ``foul.'' According to the linguistics majors of America, the end sounds (i.e., ``-tch,'' ``-ck,'' ``-t,'' etc.) give a sharper resonance to words.

After trying to research the etymology of profane words (and failing profoundly), I am inclined to believe that Webster and Oxford don't want anyone to know the origins of these choice words. You would think that after some foul-mouthed flicks and literature have been heralded as the nation's best over the years, some swear words would now be considered official English. The few origins that were available were fascinating:

``Hell'' was once spelled with one ``l'' and derived from the German word ``haljo,'' meaning ``underworld.'' Other words that stemmed off of ``hell'' all have the same meaning of a covered place: hall, hull, hole and hollow.

The word that rhymes with ``pass'' is a mix of Old English, Middle Welsh and Irish. Ultimately, it came from Latin ``asinus'' and ``asina,'' which were rooted from a language in Asia Minor.

The many thesauruses of slang suggest new alternatives to outright swearing. Frankly, if someone told you, ``Up thine with turpentine!'' it would be more or less amusing.

The First Amendment says that every person has a right to say what he feels like saying. According to Dennis Miller, the winner of the Biggest-Potty-Mouth-at-the-Oscars-and-the-MTV-awards, Americans ``have a sacred commitment to uphold and respect freedom of speech, and that includes speech which we not only disagree with but radically and fundamentally are opposed to.''

Since much foul-mouthed literature has been pulled off bookshelves, it gives us reason to believe that censorship is quite an ingenious thing. After all, how else are we to encourage youth to read?

For example, how many high school students have read ``To Kill A Mockingbird'' - banned in a lot of schools - and liked it? Too many. How many high school students have read ``Walden'' and liked it? Probably few.

``Profanity is a perfectly legitimate expression,'' argued Charlie West, 17.

Some people, to look cultured, try to curse in different languages. To be honest, that doesn't do a whole lot of good because half the time, you don't remember the translation. What some people don't realize is that swearing in a different language defeats the purpose of profanity: shock value. Since profanity is mostly used as a reflex to a situation, you wouldn't automatically think in that language.

I'm not going to insult your intelligence by defining each profane word - as Americans, you should already know them. After all, the 20th century is best known for the atomic bomb, the production of hideous ashtrays, the government being the ``necessary evil'' and the evolution of naughty words. MEMO: Grace Hsiu is a junior at Cox High School. Her column appears

[DangerBoy]

Well even though this thread is totally off track I will say this.


[quote name='Noeyez' post='1133284' date='Dec 1 2006, 07:55 PM']
My resoning is this.

Most people think it's selective words. Such as the F-bomb. the rationale of it, from my understanding, is that they are not good to use because it's an ignorant mind trying to express itself with force. However what were the origins of curse words? I mean if someone were to say a curse word as a sign of a respect... like "you're the F-bomb Best," wouldn't that be considered more polite than negatively calling somebody a Troll?
[/quote]

Sure saying "you're the f-bbomb best" is more of a compiment than calling someone a name melisiously, the problem is that words have meaning, it doesn't matter if they are used as a compliment or not. Besides, most swear words don't make any sense anyways as they are used now. The meaning of the f-bomb is basically the act of sexual intercoarse, albeit lude and immature.
Plus swear words promote ignorace, plain and simple. In the case of "you're the f-bomb best", the f-bomb is totally unessary and makes the user sound like a twelve year old. If you want to add an extra emphesis to a compliment why not us a more descriptive word than the f-bomb. It would probably sound like more of a compliment.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

Profanity, in a loose sense, is that by which something sacred is treated as less-than-sacred, mundane, or as a thing to be detested.

In the case of words, it is that by which the tongue and human speech are treated with less dignity than they deserve.

Therefore, the kind of profanity about which you are speaking is that which abuses speech. In a general sense, it refers to any abuse of human language, be it swearing, gossiping, backbiting, slandering, etc. In the more narrow sense, it refers to language which is considered as contrary to normative social mores, words whose semantic range has been limited over time to mean only evil or insulting things.

[pcabibi]

Profanity is over rated. I really don't know why people get so offended by it. Truthful words that are discriptive in highlighting faults are much more harmful.

Getting upset at profanity is like getting upset at a 5 year old teasing you.

[angelusdomini]

I think here it may be useful to make a distinction between profanity (cursing) in the proper sense and cussing. The former as has been mentioned earlier refers to using words/terms/phrases that are particular to sacred use in a context outside of that. This is an abhorrent habit and practice all too common today. The term profanity also has a very distinct history which is actually rather difficult to separate from the history of the Catholic Church. Jacob Michael of LumenGentleman Apologetics illustrates this well:

[i][b]The word [profanity] is from two Latin words, pro and fanum, meaning "outside the temple." To profane something is to take it outside the temple, whether literally or figuratively; that is to say, what is consecrated (the word sacred is the root of this word) and set apart for holy usage belongs to the temple, and once it is set aside for this purpose, it is not to be used for mundane (from the Latin mundum, "world") reasons....

This is the foundation for understanding what we mean by the word "profanity" in speech; certain words and phrases have been consecrated for holy use, and to use those words outside of a holy setting would be to take them "outside the temple," to profane them.

Because it is the Catholic Church which has consecrated certain words through centuries and centuries of sacred use, it follows that most of our modern-day "curse" words are, in fact, rooted in the language of the Church. Take, for example, these following three prayers, known as the Act of Faith, the Act of Hope, and the Act of Charity:

O my God, I believe that thou art one God in three Divine persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ...
O my God, relying on Thy almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain ...

O my God, I love thee above all things ...

The phrase "O my God" is a consecrated phrase (as are its variations, such as "O God," "God Almighty," etc.); it is used in the Church's prayers, which makes them "temple" phrases; thus, when you hear someone exclaim "O my God!" as an expression of surprise or disgust, you are hearing that phrase used in a profane way. It is not being used in prayer, "in the temple," and thus it is being profaned.[/b][/i]

Michael, Jacob. LumenGentleman Apologetics. 12/1/2006. [url="http://www.lumengentleman.com/content.asp?id=219"]beaver dam You to Hell: Cursing, Swearing, and Profane Speech[/url]


Now as for the latter (cussing if you will), this would in contrast refer to speech that is vulgar, examples of which believe we are all aware. I still do not think that this either is acceptable for any human being simply because vulagrity is not a virtue to be espoused or emulated and particularly for a Christian. We recall the words of St. Paul in his letter to the Colossians when he tells them,

[i][b][1] Therefore, if you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above; where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God: [2] Mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth. [3] For you are dead; and your life is hid with Christ in God... [5] Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, lust, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is the service of idols.
[6] For which things the wrath of God cometh upon the children of unbelief, [7] In which you also walked some time, when you lived in them. [8] [u]But now put you also all away: anger, indignation, malice, blasphemy, filthy speech out of your mouth[/u]... [10] And [u]putting on the new, him who is renewed unto knowledge, according to the image of him that created him. [/u] [/b] [/i] (DRB Col 3:1-10) [url="http://drbo.org/chapter/58003.htm"]He exhorts them to put off the old man, and to put on the new. [/url]

[Farsight one]

[quote name='Raphael' post='1133406' date='Dec 1 2006, 08:25 PM']
Profanity, in a loose sense, is that by which something sacred is treated as less-than-sacred, mundane, or as a thing to be detested.
[/quote]I like this way of thinking. I've listened to too much deep music to think the profanity in it is pointless. Profanity has a powerful "aura" if you will, to it. Using it excessively (like pretty much every non-christian rap song I've ever heard) lessens it's power - as well as using it casually and constantly.

If you're listening to a speech, and it's an amazing speech, but you've gone without sleep for the last 48 hours, which word is going to better grasp your attention? carp or s***? Profanity should be kept to a minimum, but it has it's place.

So, calling someone a troll is not the same as profanity, and in some cases, can be worse than it. An insult is bad no matter how you look at it. And remember, "what so ever you do to the least of my children, you do to me." (probably not an exact quote)

[Norseman82]

Profanity is basically those words your parents will smack you on the mouth for saying....



Although for the longest time the standard was the George Carlin piece of the "seven words you can't say on radio".

[Resurrexi]

Profanity is the use of the Name of God, the Name of Jesus, the Name of Mary, or the Names of the Saints being used disrespectfully. It is also the swearing of false or rash or unnecessary oaths or vows. Moreover, blasphemy is also profanity, as is impecating another man (though imprecation of Satan and his demons is fine, and even used in excorcisms).

I would also consider detraction, calumny, adulation and lying to be profanity

[Didymus]

are there still seven? I thought it was just two now.