tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post8703741872475183105..comments2024-03-28T05:59:52.454-07:00Comments on TalkToYoUniverse: Swearing (dash it all!)Juliette Wadehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-83419465545028342682008-08-29T17:39:00.000-07:002008-08-29T17:39:00.000-07:00Your squid idea is charming, bumble brain. If you...Your squid idea is charming, bumble brain. If you link back to the idea of swearing as indicating heightened emotion, then body stuff would work well (and does, but I'm not sure it's interpreted as swearing). <BR/><BR/>As for changes in slang, I'm not sure. I think part of what keeps it from moving into the general language may be that it has such a role in marking social identity, such as affiliation with young/teen populations of various sorts. On the other hand, "cool" has crossed the borderline to general parlance. Words that are used constantly tend to change less, because they don't fall out of use and get reinterpreted in different contexts.<BR/><BR/>That's my best feel for it.Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6320269312957801390.post-53829816441846991212008-08-29T15:29:00.000-07:002008-08-29T15:29:00.000-07:00I'm wondering though: it seems like much of our sw...I'm wondering though: it seems like much of our swearing in English is in mono-syllabic words. Do linguists think of those words as having similar sounds in some ways? Is that a common feature of swearing in other languages? I'm a little embarrassed that my most automatic 'swear' word is "dude!" - used most often when people propose to run me over with their cars. I read somewhere recently that although language evolves, slang words are usually not incorporated into mainstream language. Do you think that's true? I wonder about the duration about swearing gestures and whether those change more rapidly among users of sign language. <BR/><BR/>I haven't seen much swearing in most science fiction that I've read, unless by human who use words much as we do. But it would be interesting to see a species using smells, sounds or even appearance as a way of swearing (I'm thinking about squids who can rapidly and dramatically control their body colors).Bumble Brainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11583243386660303876noreply@blogger.com