This article raises an issue that is interesting in lots of aspects of language study: the avoidance of taboo language. It is an issue in Child Language Acquisition (if you watch a recent episode of Numtums, Fluffy McTuffy says "popsadoodles" when her plans are foiled) as words said with emphasis are often repeated by little ones out of context; it is an issue in Language and Power when we consider how you adjust your language for a target audience and in how powerful taboo language can seem in some circumstances; it is an issue in Language and Gender because some theory states that women are less likely to swear and will use milder swears or socially acceptable alternative e.g. sugar.
Please comment with some examples of alternatives to swearing that you have come across and how/when they were used (don't name people, please).
Instead of 'Shut the f**k up', 'Shut the front door' is used. I got this from Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.
ReplyDeleteFudge instead of f*** used by people in general.
ReplyDeleteFudge instead of f*** used by people in general.
ReplyDeletePeople say 'flippin' or 'freakin' instead of 'f**k' or 'sh*t'. This is used my older people as they don't like to swear in a stressful situation.
ReplyDelete'Friggin' instead of f**king, possibly used when people don't want to swear when around elders
ReplyDelete'Gosh darn it' could be used by someone who is trying not to swear as much as they normally do, it could replace s**t or f**k when in the right context.
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