The History of
Curse Words
As a society, we like to swear.
Swear words have a strange power over us. It starts when we are young, when they are deliciously taboo. Then, as we age, our dependence on swear words increases to the point where as an adult, we find that the magnitude of our emotions can only be captured by cursing.
Swear words, Etymology,
and the
history of English.
Have you ever noticed that many of our swear words (or curse words in American English) sound very much like German ones and not at all like French ones?
From vulgar words for body parts (a German Arsch is easy to identify, but not so the French cul), to scatological and sexual verbs (doubtless you can spot what scheissen and ficken mean, but might have been more stumped by chier and baiser), right down to our words for hell (compare Holle and enfer), English and German clearly draw their swear words from a shared stock in a way that English and French do not. Given that nearly two thirds of the words in English come from Romance roots and only a quarter from Germanic roots, this seems odd.
"English is a
language whose
vocabulary is the composite of a surprising range of influences. "
The latest news on swearing.
* MIDDLE EAST
Man "facing 6 months in prison" for giving driver the finger.
* HEALTH AND FAMILIES
Itelligent people are more likely to curse,
study shows.
* HOME NEWS
Mumsnet advertisers "fear over too much swearing" on website.
* LIFESTYLE
This is why people swear under pressure, study shows.
* LIFESTYLE
Study finds, swearing makes you stronger and less stressed..
* LIFESTYLE
The swear word brits used the most when they complain, revealed.
