A conversation peppered with meaningless curses is one where both sense and expressive language is being diluted – how can you expect someone to respect what you are saying if you are distracting them with irrelevant swear words?
The acceptability of certain words has changed dramatically over the years, and today the line between a profane curse and an acceptable expletive has become blurred. Words like ‘damn’ and ‘bloody hell’ have seamlessly become part of the argot where once they were fearsome curses. In some circles – celebrity chef's kitchens, football pitches etc. – swearing is now de rigueur. Everyday speech is infiltrated by vivid swear words of the Anglo-Saxon variety, and the F-word is no longer bleeped out on post-watershed television.
Scientists have proved that swearing emanates from the lower brain, the part that processes emotion and instinct. Swearing is a motor activity, an automatic response to stress, pain and frustration. It is also a way of bonding with peers, and creating a group identity. It is often simply a habit.
Clearly this visceral habit has very little to do with good manners. Suppressing, or at the very least controlling, your worst language will have many benefits: you won’t cause offence to others; you will be a better example to your children; you may even dream up some more linguistically creative ways of expressing rage and so on. Be aware of your swearing and keep your worst insults for life’s most challenging situations – if every sentence is peppered with curses what will happen when you feel truly vituperative? Words will literally fail you . . .
Miss Debrett's Top Tips
- Resist the temptation to use swearing as a way of shocking people, or making them sit up and take notice.
- Refrain from swearing and you will set a better example for children and won't cause offence to others.
- Keep your worst insults for life's m ost challenging situations.
Related Content
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment