Here is something that has been rattling inside my head for some time. Curse words. We all know them and some of us love to use them, but really, what makes a curse word? Is it the meaning or is it the perceived offense of using such a word. I hear people using "sugar" in place of the other "s" word that commonly has a meaning of feces. But in the context of how the word is used, does the meaning still apply? I think it does not. For instance, if one were to stub their toe, the common phrase that might be heard other than "ow" or "ouch" would be "sh!t!" or even more taboo, the "f-bomb". Now in that context does that person intend to say feces or even the act of copulation? I highly doubt it. These words are merely examples of sentence modifiers that add emphasis to the statement or situation. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the term "expletive" is defined as such:
1 a : a syllable, word, or phrase inserted to fill a vacancy (as in a sentence or a metrical line) without adding to the sense; especially : a word (as it in “make it clear which you prefer”) that occupies the position of the subject or object of a verb in normal English word order and anticipates a subsequent word or phrase that supplies the needed meaningful content b : an exclamatory word or phrase
I highlighted the second definition because this is typically where these words fall. So then substituting "sugar" for "sh!t" has the same meaning according to the context of the above scenario. So then if that is the case then shouldn't "sugar" or any other substitute be just as offensive? In today's society, no. So I surmise this; the offensiveness of the expletives is simply determined by the person who hears these words and the societal taboo that we have put on them. So if one is not offended by those words then it should be acceptable to use them freely, it does not make the user less educated or "low-brow". So curse until your tongue dries up!
You know it's funny that you mention the meanings of words and how people dictate what those meanings are. Being in college and having to write for each professor because each one has different styles they like and their version of 'correct' grammar. I started an essay/book that I want to finish but seem to be too lazy and unmotivated to but I'll post what I have right now.
ReplyDeleteIt’s Just Me
Introduction:
Life lesson number one; if it is raining or supposed to rain outside bring an umbrella. I came up this idea of life lessons when I was walking through a heavy rain to my Geology Lab. Of course this seems to a rather plain thought if you investigate this situation with what information that you already have; raining, walking, and campus all equals the umbrella. This might not be a math problem but a simple lesson that one learns when you are about to present in front of the class about climate change and warming. Oh, I know what you are thinking: how is this life lesson number one. Well there is a simple answer to this conundrum; it is number one because that’s when I thought of the idea. It’s an interesting scenario to be the first, but I have been pondering a lot on what I have learned. Most likely this idea will never go any farther than the first life lesson; A. because I am lazy and B. because I just don’t want to fathom the idea of the many life lessons I have learned so far in my 28 years of living and some you probably don’t want to know.
My basis of this paper is not to educate, push my values, or create an award winning piece of work, but to show what is inside an average person mind on a regular basis. I will attempt to take the most common questions that are presented to a person of my background and show you how exactly my brain interprets the words. I have recently begun to be fascinated in the standard of writing and how it is meant to portray your thoughts but is never written in your own words. Do you think I would use conundrum in a conversation with friends? Probably not, unless I have a mission in my mind to use the word to either impress or just get them to say, “What? Where did that come from?” There is in no way proper grammar, spelling, verb tenses, or correct structure in my form of writing, unless someone else goes behind me and cleans it up. I have purposely and willing kept my original thoughts and wording untouched to deliver my point; this is who we are.