Language and its naughty bits.

Ah, that makes more sense. Thanks Jon.

I'm not sure I'm buying it: these expletive infixes seem to only be governed by rules of pronounceability. Absolu-fucking-tely is essentially unpronounceable with regular English phonetics (you can't start a syllable with "tl"), which is probably why nobody says it that way. The "correct" form, abso-fucking-lutely, flows better. Also, abso-fucking-lutely inserts the expletive in the middle of a morpheme, while un-fucking-believable inserts the expletive between two morphemes. So, the "rules" aren't really consistent: they're just whatever sounds best for each individual case.Also, I know of one non-expletive infix expression in colloquial American English: the word whole gets inserted inside the word another to get a-whole-nother. I'm not sure what the rule is here: I guess they feel that the "n" really needs to be there, because another has an "n" in it.

That's a whole different process where nother is analyzed as a word in its own right by segmenting the input (another) into a and nother. The reverse process created the word apron from the original napron. Also, this 'insertion' of whole is not a productive process as the infixing of expletives is. Nobody says ab-fucking-solutely either though it for sure violates none of the phonotactic constraints of the English language. Well, yes; but that's how all speakers describe the grammaticality of words and phrases: as either 'sounding right' or not. But if we actually analyze the ones that 'sound right' compared to the ones that don't, we find that there are patterns to the ones that 'sound right'. Edited by Jon, : No reason given.

The problem with this argument is that the excretion words all have counterparts that are either not taboo, or which have different effect when used. Cheney can say we are in 'deep do-do', and the fact that he has used an excretion word is a non-issue.

Yeah, but I already noted that fact and said apparently it has something to do with attitude what impact those words have. Putting it in babytalk form as Cheney did apparently defangs it. Still strikes me as the biggest category of "naughty bits" language, especially if you look at that link on swear words across many languages that I put up somewhere back there.In fact my grandson is one of those kids who goes around calling everybody "poopoohead" and the like. Where did he get that? No adults ever used that term around him.One day when he was doing that I started saying it back to him in a joking way and it became a game and it seemed to stop him from doing it as much. I also told him "I think you say that to people you love" and the kid sort of melted and gave me a hug. Human beings are a weird bunch.But that's the basis for most of the bad words that persist into adulthood in different form. There's something universal about this. He knows it's offensive. How? Well, of course he's often told to cut it out or he's going to get time out and all that, but how did he come up with it in the first place?Funny, I watched a bunch of Supernanny episodes on You Tube recently and there was another kid acting up by yelling "poopoohead." Even the same form of the words. Edited by Faith, : No reason given.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

You can also look into how food is described compared to the animal:pig = pork
cow = beef
calf = veal
deer = venisonStuff like that. It has to do with the language of the root words and who in the social classes was speaking them.Its similar to the cuss words.

I'm not sure I follow what you mean.

The word 'pig' come from those Germanic languages while the word 'pork' comes from the French.The ruling class spoke French so their words for the animals has become the more fancy term, the one used to describe the food version of the animal.The same effects are a part of what makes the word 'shit' a bad one. It stems from the Germanic languages and the fancy ruling class don't want to hear that stuff.

Ahh, I see. I saw it as one word being the animal name and one being the meat name. You sodding blighters are proving more and more useful by the day.for those as interested as I, here seems to be a good breakdown of it.Edited by hooah212002, : No reason given.

He likely did hear somebody say poopoo, and probably created poopoohead on his own via experimentation. And undoubtably someone reacted in a way that let your grandson know that it should be done again.

Yeah, but no. Thay're not the same, as you've seen.An intersting idea, according to the board at the site you linked to:

quote:

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bmorey write:

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For agricultural, import, export, whatever purposes, these are referred to by their 'live' names - 'pigmeat' and 'sheapmeat'.

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Which would support the idea that its a class thing.Others seem to disagree:

quote:

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I think it's unlikely to be a split between master and servant. More likely (to me) is that French, being the court language of the Norman nobility, was more likely to be aped by those aspiring to power and influence. Those outside the cities (shepherds & such) stuck with an all-English vocabulary.

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Either way, its seems like an "education" thing to me, which, seems to correlate to a level of "classness".So, what we'd have is a bunch of "classies" reacting to the 'naughty bits' with:

quote:

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"Hhrrmm, you sound like one of those poor people

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Um yes, indeed."

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And thus the invention of "bad words".That is: "We don't talk like that".Ya dig?

Saw, as in past tense before you dun learned me and before I read that article. That thread is what I found first, but I thought the "article" better suited for me to use. I can dig it, sucka.What I still don't quite dig, though, is why people react the way they do in regards to fucking shitty dicks. Forget for now people that look down their nose at the word fuck, shit or cunt. Why do people get SO bent out of shape and so highly offended? If we go with the now very plausible idea that it is a class thing, this doesn't show why people get so bent out of shape about it. To the point that certain hoity toits (won't mention any names because I don't wish to interact with them) allude that people use foul language as a sort of self immolation. As if words really do these people harm.Or, it is very likely that I should be able to piece this together but I am just unable to because I am gutter trash. Another possibility I have yet to rule out is that I am either seeing something not there, or that I am looking too much into it. Much ado about nothing and all that.Edited by hooah212002, : No reason given.

Yeah I suppose that could be, because he mostly seems to be trying to get a reaction, but I think he delights in the word itself too. And all the related words, like "stinky" and that sort of thing.I defused him one day when he came up to me with a big smile and called me "stinkyface," and I said "Am I stinky, honey? Well I might be, I haven't had a bath" or something like that, and his little face crumbled into regret. He didn't want me to FEEL like a stinkyface he just wanted me to react. Later he came and whispered in my ear, "You aren't really a stinkyface."He did almost get kicked out of daycare for calling other kids "poopoohead." He's doing better in kindergarten. I think his teacher knows how to handle him. She really likes him for one thing, that helps. And he's very smart, he reads two years above his age along with one other child, an Asian girl, so she has them do special reading assignments. Yeah, grandma has to brag.But then there was that kid on "Supernanny," more than one I think but I remember one in particular who used the exact same word "poopoohead," only he was an angry out-of-control kid thrashing and kicking and the rest of it.But if it's all reaction-driven you still have to explain the reaction.

Maybe he just has an interest in taboo subject matters; many kids seem to. Perhaps it is even a natural phase of development for children to test and find the less obvious taboos of their culture.

I'm gonna go with Pride on this one. People think they're better than those who use bad words. Again... "We don't talk like them. We're better than that. Don't lower yourself to their level." That sort of thinking. Maybe "class" isn't the right word. You could have a lower income class person who is really religious who thinks they're better that you because they don't cuss. And they don't want you poisoning their virgin ears with your verbal trash. Or if there's children around then they don't want you influencing their speach and bringing it down to your level. If only they could protect the children from the naught bits, then they'll also grow up to better than those darn potty mouths.