The joy of swearing | Geraldine Horan | TEDxUCLWomen
Summary
TLDRThis engaging talk explores the art and science of swearing, examining its neurological roots, emotional expression, and social implications. It delves into the physiological effects of swearing, such as increased heart rate and potential pain relief, and discusses its role in bonding, affection, and offense. The speaker highlights the versatility and creativity of swearing, its cultural significance, and the ethical considerations of using offensive language. With humor and insight, the talk encourages a mindful approach to swearing, urging listeners to swear wisely while acknowledging its power and impact.
Takeaways
- 😯 Swearing is the use of offensive or taboo language for expressive purposes, often seen as a response to pain or frustration.
- 🧠 Research indicates that swearing is processed in the lower brain, specifically in the limbic system, which is linked to emotions.
- 👶 Children are quick to pick up and remember swear words, showing that swearing is a part of human development from a young age.
- 📈 Swearing can increase heart rate and blood pressure, which can be beneficial as a release of tension.
- 🌡 Swearing has been found to act as a form of pain relief, helping individuals tolerate discomfort for longer periods.
- 🚫 Not all swear words have the same impact; frequent use can diminish the analgesic effect of swearing.
- 🤔 Swearing serves as a creative and versatile form of expression, with the potential to be used in various linguistic forms.
- 🌐 The 'f-word' has become a global phenomenon, being adopted and adapted by speakers of languages other than English.
- 🏛 English is seen as cosmopolitan and prestigious, which may influence the adoption of English swear words in other languages.
- 🤬 Swearing in a non-native language may not carry the same emotional weight, affecting the intensity of the expression.
- 👥 Swearing can have social functions, such as bonding with others or signaling group membership, but it can also be used to offend or insult.
- 🚫 The ethical dimension of swearing involves the potential for verbal violence and the importance of considering the impact on others' dignity.
- 📊 Attitudes towards swear words vary, with some words becoming more or less offensive over time, reflecting societal changes and sensitivities.
- 🚫 There is a societal hierarchy regarding who is allowed to swear and in what contexts, with different levels of tolerance for men, women, and children.
- 📺 Media and politics often restrict swearing, making its occurrence in these spaces notable and sometimes shocking.
- 🇩🇪 In some countries like Germany, swearing can have legal consequences, such as fines for swearing at a police officer.
- 📚 Swearing is a complex and powerful form of communication that requires responsibility and wisdom in its use.
Q & A
What is the speaker's definition of swearing?
-Swearing is defined by the speaker as the use of offensive or taboo language for expressive purposes.
How does the speaker describe the neurological aspect of swearing?
-Swearing takes place in a different part of the brain, specifically in the lower brain than the limbic system, which processes emotions.
What is an example of a German expression that relates to swearing?
-The German expression 'schwein' is mentioned, which is a bit gross and can be related to a bowel movement, illustrating the speaker's point about the expressive nature of swearing.
Why do young children often quickly pick up on swear words?
-Young children are quick to pick up on swear words because swearing is something that accompanies us from a young age and is processed in the emotional part of the brain.
What physiological effects does swearing have on the body?
-Swearing can increase heart rate and elevate blood pressure, which is generally considered a positive release of tension.
How does swearing act as a form of pain relief?
-Swearing can act as an analgesic, helping people tolerate pain better, as demonstrated in an experiment where participants could keep their hands in icy water longer when swearing.
What is the versatility of swearing in language?
-Swearing is versatile and can be used in various parts of speech, such as interjections, exclamations, and even combined to create a treasure trove of expressions.
Why has the f-word become a successful export in other languages?
-The f-word has become a successful export because English is considered cosmopolitan and prestigious, and the f-word is not considered as offensive by non-native speakers.
What is the ethical dimension of swearing mentioned by the speaker?
-The ethical dimension of swearing is that it can be used to offend and insult people, committing an act of verbal violence and transgressing social interaction rules.
How have attitudes towards certain swear words changed over time?
-Attitudes towards swear words have evolved, with some words becoming more offensive over time, such as the n-word, while society becomes less concerned with religious swearing.
What are some of the historical punishments for swearing?
-Historical punishments for swearing included having one's tongue slit, ear chopped off, or even being put to death for the offense.
What is the speaker's advice on swearing?
-The speaker advises to continue swearing but to do so wisely, acknowledging the power and responsibility that comes with using swear words.
Outlines
🗣️ The Science and Social Aspects of Swearing
The speaker introduces the topic of swearing by defining it as the use of offensive or taboo language for expressive purposes. They discuss the neurological and physiological aspects, mentioning that swearing activates the limbic system, which processes emotions. The speaker shares personal anecdotes to illustrate how swearing is a natural response to pain or frustration and how it can serve as a form of social bonding and expression of affection. They also touch upon the potential health benefits of swearing, such as its role as a pain reliever, and note that the effects are more pronounced for those who do not swear frequently.
🌍 The Versatility and Global Impact of Swearing
This paragraph delves into the creative and versatile nature of swearing, using the 'f-word' as an example of how a single word can be employed in various grammatical forms. The speaker highlights the global influence of English swear words, particularly the 'f-word,' which has been adopted by non-English speakers and integrated into their languages. They discuss the reasons behind this adoption, such as the prestige associated with English and the varying levels of offense taken by different cultures. The speaker also explores the phenomenon of swearing in non-native languages and its reduced emotional impact.
🤔 Ethical Considerations and Attitudes Toward Swearing
The speaker addresses the ethical dimension of swearing, noting that it can be used to offend and insult, constituting a form of verbal violence. They emphasize the importance of being aware of the potential harm caused by discriminatory swear words based on race, sexual orientation, religion, or disability. A survey from the UK is mentioned to illustrate changing attitudes toward different swear words, with a particular focus on the increasing offensiveness of racist or homophobic language. The speaker also discusses societal norms and restrictions regarding swearing, including gender differences and media regulations.
💸 The Consequences and Control of Swearing
In the final paragraph, the speaker discusses the historical and contemporary consequences of swearing, ranging from physical punishment to fines for swearing at authorities in some countries. They also comment on the persistence of social disapproval and the stigmatization of frequent swearers. The speaker concludes by acknowledging the power and fascination of swearing while advocating for responsible use, encouraging the audience to swear wisely and with consideration for its impact.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡swearing
💡neurological and physiological
💡expressive purposes
💡social activity
💡pain relief
💡creative activity
💡cultural export
💡ethical dimension
💡attitudes to swear words
💡verbal violence
💡swear wisely
Highlights
Swearing is the use of offensive or taboo language for expressive purposes.
Swearing takes place in a different part of the brain, specifically the limbic system that processes emotions.
Young children are quick to pick up and remember swear words.
Swearing can accompany us from childhood to old age, even when suffering from dementia.
Swearing can increase heart rate and blood pressure, releasing tension.
Swearing can act as a form of pain relief, but only if not done frequently.
Swearing is a creative and versatile activity, with many different uses and expressions.
The F-word has become a successful export, used and integrated by speakers of other languages.
Swearing in a non-native language doesn't have the same emotional impact as in one's first language.
Swearing can be used for social bonding, signaling group membership, and expressing affection.
Swearing can also be used to offend and insult, committing an act of verbal violence.
Swearing attitudes vary, with some words becoming more or less offensive over time.
Swearing is more tolerated when done by men and less accepted when done by women or children.
There are restrictions on swearing in media and politics, making it shocking when heard.
Swearing can be costly in some countries, with fines for swearing at authorities.
Swearing is powerful and carries responsibility; it should be done wisely.
Transcripts
and what am I gonna swear what am I
gonna swear about what am I gonna speak
about I wasn't just giving that away I'm
going to speak about swim I'm going to
talk about wine we swear and how we
sweat the joy of swearing or to some
follow-on from a previous talk this girl
can sweat so I must warn you I am going
to know the total bit this evening and
strong language has been made or used in
the making of this talk so you have been
involved I am sorry about that
so my first question is what is swearing
well I would say the swearing is the use
of offensive or taboo language for
expressive purposes we swear for example
if we experience take think about what
you do and what you say if you hit your
thumb with a hammer or think of what
happens if you stub your turn now I work
with the German language quite a lot and
in German there is the expression swim
a little bit gross but if you think
about it if you stop that turn and shut
it does look a little bit and sound a
little bit and possibly even feel a
little bit like about similar to a bowel
movement you feel much better once exact
so quite a lot of research has been done
on the neurological and physiological
side of swearing so a currently swearing
takes place in a different part of the
brain two other types of swearing takes
place in the lower brain than the limbic
system the part that processes emotions
and that's perhaps one explanation why
swearing is something that accompanies
us from the cradle to the grave if you
think about young children they're often
very very quick to pick up on swear
words and to remember them now to give
you an example from from my own
experience I remember several years ago
driving along in the car with my younger
son in the back and somebody pulled out
in front of me unexpectedly and I yelled
that great a few seconds later for my
son to chime in with yay douchebag
not only is swearing a response to a
deacon silliness it's also a social
activity we've got what happens when
we're done and before I move on to that
as I said accompanies us in old age so
we often have the example of people who
suffer from dementia and they're not
able to talk otherwise but they are able
to swear so we have examples those very
sweet little old ladies who have never
been known in their entire lives to say
anything dirty suddenly begin to swear
like so that's that's the the other part
on the end of our lives what happens to
us when we swear and by that I mean what
happens to our bodies well when we swear
our heart rate increases and our blood
pressure is elevated but that's
generally considered to be a good thing
because that means we're releasing some
sort of tension swearing is also
considered to be good for you because it
can act as pain relief as an analgesic
now you might have heard of an
experiment that was carried out a few
years ago in which participants were
asked to plunge their hands into an icy
container a container of icy water and
those that uttered swear words were able
to keep their hands in them in water for
longer and were able to tolerate the
pain more but this only works if you are
not a frequent swear it's like me you
swear perfectly then the benefit will
not be able to greatly so swearing is
good for your health being either health
campaign
another question is how do we sweat
how can languished language help us
express our emotions now I've put here
swearing swearing and another word for
it describes an idiot it's a little bit
stronger
and it just goes to show but sometimes
the c-word alone just isn't enough so we
have swearing as a creative activity
swearing is also very versatile if you
can bear it
think about the f-word why not all the
different ways any kind of parts of
speech you can use it as an interjection
exclamation you can shout [ __ ] it you
[ __ ] my job use reaching vacation you
can take the f-word and you can put it
together and you treasure of expressions
you use you can actually think of the
f-word is the suddenly mystic equivalent
of the black dress
so we have the f-word now what's really
interesting is that the f-word has
become an extremely successful export
you will find that speakers of languages
other than English will often use the
f-word and integrate into their own
language as I hope this particular
example from a German TV advert for a
range of low-calorie foods will
demonstrate this estudia of Mississippi
disease such as him implying level devar
and even on a la mode of Sagada lost
have to ask analysts color inserts in
the last of alpha metal dust cans to
invest at kinesin Tendo dusted for a
loom Thomas garnets life and pursue such
a diet
and I think [ __ ] the diet is essential
but the question is why do you use the
f-word well one reason is that for
German speakers English is considered a
very cosmopolitan language it's very
prestigious that's very cool the other
reason is but German speakers don't
consider the f-word should be
particularly offensive it's a bit
cheaper but it's not particularly
shocking and with me but when you swear
in a language that is not your first or
native language swearing doesn't tend to
have the same effect as it does your
first language and this is particularly
interesting if you learn another
language formally say at school or in an
evening class why is it but when we
learn a new language we're taught how to
say no polite phrase is Mikey excuse me
look you possibly tell me the way to the
station but we're never taught hey you
just drink you just spilled my drink you
bastard it would not be helpful I'll be
depriving language learners of the
ability to express themselves fully or
perhaps we should leave well alone the
jury is still out on this question for
for those of us that teach language now
another perspective swearing so we can
see that it's used for expressive
purposes it also has a social function
we can use swear words to bond with
other people we can signal that we are
part of a particular group swearing and
also we use to express affection so if
you greet a close friend or a family
member with something like hi there face
wanker
oh really say is I really pleased to see
you so it is important in that sense but
and there is a big but and now I say
that that sounds really rude we mustn't
forget that swearing is used to offend
people and insult people and here is
where we have come to be the ethical
dimension of swearing if you swear at
someone or even about someone you are
actually committing an act of verbal
violence it's what we call in
linguistics a face threatening act and
what that means is you transgress the
usual rules of social interaction and
you impinge upon someone's self-image
and their dignity so it's worthwhile
remembering that while a lot of swear
words draw on sex and bodily functions
and parts of the body they can also use
words that are racist homophobic
misogynistic and discriminate against
people on the basis of religious faith
and discriminate against the disabled is
something to bear in mind now what are
our attitudes to swear words well a few
years ago a survey was conducted in the
UK and people were asked about their
attitudes to certain swear words and
then the fun part is they were asked to
rank them in terms of severity which
ones were the most offensive and which
ones release offense and here is an
example from that list rather
unsurprisingly the c-word makes the top
of the list followed closely then if we
scrolling down on the box now we have
Jesus Christ crap now what is
interesting about this list is not only
that these words are active but also
that actually a person yes some changes
have taken place the n-word for example
has moved up in terms of effectiveness
it's now considered quite rightly more
offensive than it was just a few years
ago and from that we can see but in the
UK we tend to - or we're becoming less
worried about profanity about religious
swearing and we're becoming more aware
of the fact that using swear words which
are racist or homophobic or discriminate
against the disabled or people's
religious or ethnic identity it's just
not acceptable however we remain
slightly afraid of the c-word so as we
can see swearing is a violent act in
some respects but it is also an
expressive need we often seek to control
swearing and to punish it in some shape
or form now in the past people were
punished for swearing by having their
tongue slipped for example you could
have your ear chopped off or you could
be put to death no we don't do that
anymore thankfully but our disapproval
remains we still think of swearing
something dirty something that
contaminates our song our mouths and our
minds we call people who swear a lot a
potty mouth or we tell people to wash
out their mouths with soap so we still
don't regard very highly we also have a
sub hierarchy of who is allowed to swear
and who isn't
so swearing is generally more tolerated
amongst men than it is or when it's done
by men and when it is done by women we
don't generally like to hear children's
swear that's at the time we also have
restrictions on swearing in the media
and in politics which means that when we
hear it in the media it is quite
shocking as I hope this example will
demonstrate what's happening in the
course of the next hour well first up
after the news are going to be talking
to Jeremy come and hunt the culture
secretary about broadband a very
strategic and finally swearing is
expensive in Germany for example if you
swear at a police officer or any state
employee that you are facing a fine
websites will very helpfully provide
examples of swear words that your sort
of financial fine that you were looking
at and I've actually translated a few
examples my ass in German you might say
when heroes and you need to think you
can get away with being clever even if
you say I would really like to do
you're still
so we've seen that swearing we have a
need for swearing Romans expressive its
creative it's sometimes funny always
insulting and endlessly fascinating if
you have ever found yourselves looking
up swear words in a dictionary you
aren't the first I you certainly won't
be the last but it's important to
remember that swearing is powerful and
that means that when we swear we carry
herself that certainly responsibility so
my advice is to you carry on swearing
but remember to swear wisely
you
you
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