Forbidden Words: Taboo and the Censoring of Language

Bad language? Jargon, slang, swearing and insult 89
Verbal insults occur in all styles of language. An insult assails the target
with contemptuous, perhaps insolent, language intended to wound or disparage.
People may be likened to, and ascribed behaviour pertaining to, animals,
SMD body parts and effluvia, sexual perversions, physical and mental abnormalities,
character deficiencies, or attacked with -IST dysphemisms. All these
are found in both true and ritual insults. ‘One positive aspect of cursing is that
it replaces more primitive physical aggression. Most would agree that it is
better to yell at people than to hit them on the head.’ 67
In certain contexts, all of jargon, slang, swearing and insult may be
dysphemistic, inappropriate and subject to taboo and censoring. In others,
each may be a sign of solidarity among in-groupers. However, there are the
following differences: it is the use (or non-use) of swearing that marks the ingroup;
it is this plus the forms of jargon and slang, specialist terms and
lots of abbreviation to increase the efficiency of communication that do so.
The idea that swearing and malediction is largely male behaviour eschewed
by girls and women 68 has been shown to be false by research in America
(Risch 1987), South Africa (De Klerk 1992) and the UK (Hughes 1992).
A speaker is more likely to use ‘off-colour language’ in the company of
members of the same gender. Even so, men and women used dirty words
differently:
the word ass was used by females to denote either a social deviation or a body part; it
was used mainly as a body part by males. Cock, cunt, and dick appeared as body parts
in males’ data but were not recorded for females. Similarly, neither tits nor pussy were
used by females. For males, tits was a body part and pussy referred to a social
deviation. Piss referred to anger for females but was more likely to mean a process
for males. Balls, fuck, shit, and suck were used more or less the same by both males
and females. (Jay 1992: 139)
There probably are people who don’t swear; 69 but you can bet they have
passive knowledge of almost all swear words. Everyone knows how to insult.
With insulting, the in-group is defined by the use of ritual insults. It is
insecure outsiders who taboo and would censor jargon, slang, swearing and
even ritual insult.