Changing language taboos

Changing language taboos July 1, 2015

Some words are taboo, so that when they are used they constitute the “bad language” of socially inappropriate “swearing.”  Those taboo words used to consist of the irreverent use of religious language.  Then words about sex and “bodily functions” became taboo swear words.  Now,  profanity (words that profane what is sacred) and obscenity (words about what is done “out of the scene,” or out of sight, referring to sex and excretion) have become commonplace, even in public social situations.

Our culture doesn’t take religion or the body as seriously any more, so words about them are not so shocking.  Now our forbidden words are “slurs,” words that denigrate racial, ethnic, gender, or sexual groups.  The shock of hearing those taboo words and the social disapproval they create are equivalent to what the old “bad language” used to create.  So says linguist Randall Eggert, who discusses ‘how the n-word became the new f-word.”

From Randall Eggert, How the n-word became the new f-word – The Washington Post. [Caution:  the article and its links mentions some of the taboo words it discusses.]:

Yes, the four-letter words we once considered the worst of the worst have become more acceptable. But as we’ve relaxed our most puritanical attitudes toward sex and faith — and the taboo terms that stem from them — other prohibited words have risen to replace them. Racial and sexual slurs such as “faggot,” once common, are now more forbidden than ever. The president’s utterance notwithstanding, the n-word remains highly offensive, even an incitement to violence, in settings where we can drop an f-bomb indiscriminately. We haven’t normalized swearing; we’ve just changed our values. . . .

In [the 17th century], obscenity (sex-related taboo words) was less forbidden than profanity (religion-related taboo words). The offensive words of the era — damn, God’s wounds and devilish — seem mundane now because religion isn’t as sacrosanct as it once was. Not until the Victorian era did obscenity become more taboo than profanity. Suddenly, Americans avoided saying “leg,” and the British referred to breasts as “the upper stomach.” Their prudishness led the youth in the 20th century to swear often, making . . . the f-bomb the height of offense.

Today, our linguistic sensitivities have transitioned from obscenity to slurs — words deemed racist, sexist or homophobic. That change began with the social movements of the 1960s, when fighting prejudice against racial and sexual minorities became a defining issue of our time. As tolerance for such bigotry has evaporated, so has tolerance for the bigots’ language.. . .

For now, intolerance — or at least appearing intolerant — remains the highest threshold for swearing. But as routinely happens, younger generations will exploit these language taboos to offend their elders. We see this already with “n—–”, in the way young African Americans, and now even some young white Americans, have claimed it to mean “buddy” or a general reference to another person. A word that has caused people to lose their jobs (it all but ended the career of “Seinfeld” star Michael Richards less than a decade ago) is now ubiquitous on Vine and other havens for the under-25 set.

 

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