8 Things You May Not Know About Swear Words
Whether we like it or not, there are swear words in almost every language. That’s because at some point, almost everyone feels the need to lash out with a cuss word or two. But no one really know who or how profanities got started.
Nonetheless, profanities are used more often these days than they have ever been. Even studies have shown that people feel more at ease now with the use of profanities on Television than ever before.
These 8 things you may not know about swear words can give you some insight on cursing you were never aware of. These are some very interesting facts that may come useful the next time you feel the need to swear. Or you hear someone around you cussing.
Not All Languages Contain Swear Words
One of the most interesting facts about profanities is that not all languages have them. In Japan, the Japanese have no real form to cuss the way other languages do. Although they can use some form of expressions to insult others, there are no swear symbols.
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Most People Cuss Frequently
According to statistics, 0.7% of the words the average person uses throughout the course of the day are cuss words. While that may not sound like a lot, it is quite high when you consider other factors. People use words such as first-person plural pronouns at about the same rate. These include words such as our, we, us, ourselves.
Using Profanity Does Not Make You Smarter Than Others
There is a myth out there that people who curse tend to be more intelligent than their counterparts. They are also believed to have larger vocabularies. However, that is not the case since studies on verbal fluency have shown otherwise. The truth is that those who swear often tend to repeat the same cuss words more frequently. In turn, that limits their total usage of the vocabulary.
Children Learn Cuss Words Before The Alphabet
The average child will learn to use a four-letter cuss word before he or she learns the alphabet. A recent study showed that kids have been swearing more often than in the past. This corroborates the theory that children ‘do as they hear, not as they are told.’ By the age of 3 or 4, most kids already know at least one word that is a profanity.
Men Swear More Than Women
Statistics on profanity usage shows that men have dirtier mouths than women. Women not only swear less, they also use cuss words that are milder than men use. One theory is that most cuss words deal with sex and sexuality. Since women do not want to be thought of as thinking of sex in a casual manner, they avoid it. One prime example of a cuss word that men can use and women don’t have for them is the word ‘Slut.’ There is no similar word for a woman to use when referring to a male ‘slut.’
Certain Swear Words Have Been Around For A Long Time
Not all cuss words were invented the past few centuries. There are some swear words that have been around for over a 1,000 years. These tend to be the more popular cuss words. The word ‘Sh*t’ can be found in the Anglo-Saxon texts. However, most of the other swear words found in the Anglo-Saxon text were not considered that impolite back then as they are now.
Profanity Usage Can Affect Your Body Physiologically
Believe it or not, saying or hearing cuss words can actually change our bodies Physiologically. Our palms sweat or our skin’s conductance response changes upon hearing or using profanity. At the same time, a research concluded that using profanity can alleviate pain. Furthermore, using swear words in certain circumstances provides more endurance than when using others. An example would be a person who uses the word ‘sh*t’ when trying to keep their hand inside a bucket of cold water. Those that use the swear word can last longer with their hands inside than those which use another word such as ‘shoot.’
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The Word Created To Avoid Using Cock
The word ‘Rooster’ in the English dictionary is new when compared to words which are much older. That’s because it was created to avoid using the word ‘Cock’ when referring to an animal. Rooster began appearing close to the end of the 18th century. The problem began as more and more people began using the word cock to refer to the male organ. Once that happened, it became awkward and harder to use when referring to the animal.
