Key Messages
A Brief History Of Swearing: Discover How Everyday Words Became Powerful Profanity
When it comes to swearing and profanity in the world, the use of certain words has never been consistent.
Some phrases that an older generation may consider neutral will sound harsh to a newer generation’s ears.
Wondering how that all works? Well, “Holy Sh*t” is here to answer all your questions and more.
In this book, you’ll explore the checkered past of all the colorful language used throughout the ages.
Find out what Victorians thought about the word “leg” or which naughty Middle Ages words were part of everyday speech.
Re-discover why “fuck” became popular as a swear word during mid 20th century and much more!
Not only that, but you can also find out why we swear at all!
So if you’ve ever been curious about curse words through history, don’t miss out on this unique exploration “Holy Sh*t!
Ancient Romans Shamed Men Who Performed Cunnilingus, Reflected In Pompeii’S Obscene Graffiti
It’s no secret that the Romans swore like sailors – but it wasn’t in the same way as we do today.
In ancient Rome, certain words were considered more offensive than others, and these usually related to gender roles.
According to their traditional view of sex, being “active” was considered masculine and thus implying that a man had a passive role in sexual interaction was seen as the ultimate insult.
So those looking for an especially crude way to offend people used phrases such as “Corus licks cunt.”
Due to their culture having such strict norms around masculinity and femininity, along with their specific take on sex, any man who chose to engage in cunnilingus was seen as weak or emasculated.
This notion is best illustrated by one of the Latin epigrams which reads: “Zoilus, you spoil the bathtub washing your arse.
To make it filthier, Zoilus, stick your head in it.” Essentially saying that by engaging in this act he has dirty habits because cunnilingus was thought to be far dirtier than washing one’s rear end!
It’s clear from this cultural background that when it comes to swearing, ancient Roman practices are quite different from our modern day standards.
What we consider an offensive language today would have resulted in much lighter consequences for disrespecting someone 2 000 years ago.
The Power And Significance Of Swearing Oaths By God In The Old Testament
Oaths and swearing have long had an important place in religion, particularly in the Old Testament.
This was especially true when it came to making promises or guarantees.
In fact, oaths were so important that they became a central element of society.
The Old Testament saw a rise in religious swearing, such as promises and pronouncements made to honor God himself, usually with the phrase “by God” or “by God’s hands.” Using such expressions was seen as a way to catch God’s attention and make him both witness and guarantor of any statements made.
Swearing on behalf of God was only considered appropriate for matters of great import and should not be taken lightly or broken.
Otherwise false oaths would dishonor him, thereby weakening his omnipresent power.
It’s clear that swearing was far more than just a way of expressing shock or offense back then – it was a tool by which one could pledge their word with divine authority?
The New Testament Warns Against Both Foul Language And Euphemism Alike To Prevent Sinful Thoughts And Behaviour
According to the New Testament, euphemisms are a no-no.
Jesus clearly denounced them as people should not be allowed to use them for distracting others away from thinking about negative deeds and consequences.
The Old Testament may have been filled with euphemistic language – Song of Songs being a popular example – but the New Testament commands that those words be avoided altogether.
The Letter to the Ephesians states that speaking of impurity should also not be mentioned, meaning Christians can not just avoid acting out on what is immoral and wrong, but also avoid speaking of such things as well.
Euphemisms may have been okay in the days before Jesus’s teachings, but they aren’t now; they’re considered to lead to sinful thoughts upon which people would eventually act on.
Though it wasn’t necessarily outright sinful or immoral, using euphemisms was deemed inappropriate by Jesus’ teachings along with any other type of speech without positive effects like hurtful words and lies.
The Power Of Words In The Medieval Era: From The Use Of Body Part Terms To Serious Oaths
It’s easy to forget that many contemporary swear words have their origin in the Middle Ages.
Surprisingly, words such as “bollocks,” “cunt” and “whore” were considered quite normal back then and weren’t seen as offensive or taboo topics.
For example, early children’s Latin books included phrases like “you stink,” “turd in your teeth” and “he is the biggest coward that ever pissed.” Back then words relating to bodily functions were perfectly acceptable because there was no such thing as privacy.
However, one type of swearing did carry a greater weight – religious swearing.
“By God’s bones” was commonly used to amplify statements and false swearing was considered one of the most sinful activities imaginable.
This was because sincere oaths had great power due to the legal system of the time where innocence or guilt could be proven through them alone; this was known as compurgation.
Therefore, it wasn’t hard to understand why religious false swearing carried the greatest power in society during medieval times.
As Capitalism And Protestantism Changed, Obscenities Gained Power
During the Renaissance, obscenities relating to excrement made a comeback.
This is largely due to the fact that oaths of fidelity were no longer seen as necessary or lucrative, while privies became an increasingly popular fixture in many homes.
The fall of feudalism and the rise of capitalism changed the way people interacted with one another.
Oaths were replaced by contracts, and it was seen as valuable to have a good reputation.
As such, those at a higher social standing began to view any mentioning or sight of bodily functions as embarrassing.
This came about due to the need for physical privacy that was provided by privies; something not available in earlier times.
Despite this perceived embarrassment around excretion, it seemed that only those at an equal or higher social status felt this way about these topics; discussion on them was acceptable when others were lower on the ladder.
All in all, it’s clear how much influence social norms have on our opinion of bodily functions and swearing today.
The Victorian Era Proved Refined Speech Signifies Class, Fueling The Need For Euphemisms To Describe Unmentionables
The Victorians of nineteenth-century Britain were a repressed lot.
In light of the rising industrialization, they found themselves living in an increasingly civilized society where even their bodies became unmentionable.
Privacy was no longer a luxury of the rich, and the middle and lower classes dissolved any taboo associated with bodily functions.
However, to avoid scandalous talk that insinuated body parts and acts, language had to be Latinized.
Terms like “defecate” and “expectorate” replaced everyday words such as “shit” and “spit”.
By doing this, Victorian society believed that refinement of language would signify their class-based sophistication.
Swearing was viewed as a sign of ignorance used by the uneducated lower class, which resulted in people avoiding certain words entirely in polite conversations.
Even seemingly normal words such as “leg” became highly offensive to say out loud because it implied other parts further up – so much so that it had to be euphemised into “lower extremity”.
The Victorians simply weren’t willing to utter any word that could bring about thoughts or conversations about manners or topics that correlated with being too sexually explicit for public discourse or good manners.
How Victorian Repression Gave Rise To Modern Profanity
During the Victorian era, a lot of interesting changes occurred with regards to language.
Obscenities began to be used in a figurative, non-literal manner in order to give emotional power and this is how swear words were born.
A perfect example of this can be seen with bugger, which was one of the most widely used obscene words of the era.
Initially, it referred to an act of anal intercourse but as time went on, its literal meaning diminished and it morphed into a swear word.
People started using it in place of ‘fuck’ and by 1836, four out of five British citizens were being exposed to bugger regularly.
Even bloody became a swear phrase as it was used to emphasize words that followed it like when Mary Hamilton labeled a group of ladies “bloody whores” intending to make emphasis on “whores” rather than literally communicating they were covered in blood.
The use of fuck also began its modern usage at that time as George Tucker wrote in one his poems sentences such as “G– d— your books!” and “I’d not give —- for all you’ve read” which can easily be translated into what we would today say “I don’t give a fuck”.
Ultimately, obscenities became common figures of speech during the Victorian Era and swapping them for other more palatable expressions gave rise to modern swear words.
The Power Of Words: How Swearing, Sex Talk And Racial Slurs Signify Social Norms
Today, racial slurs are making a comeback in terms of how they carry the most weight as offensive words.
With the increasing growth of media, such as movies, websites, books, television and magazines that openly feature sexual themes and violate taboos, people have become desensitized to sexual swearing.
This means that typical swear words no longer hold the same level of impact which leaves the door open for a different type of obscenity: racism.
The N-word has unfortunately become one such slur used to cause hurt and provoke anger.
In fact, Jerry Spivey lost his position as district attorney in North Carolina after saying this word at a bar.
As if this wasn’t bad enough, you even have less obvious racial slurs like “niggardly” which was erroneously used by David Howard because although it resembles a violent term derived from two hundred years earlier; its actual meaning is “frugal”!
Thus racial slurs still make an unacceptable offense today so its important to be mindful and aware of the consequences these sorts of words can create.
Wrap Up
The final summary of the Holy Sh*t book can be summed up in one sentence – swearing words have a long and diverse history, influenced by social, religious and economic reality.
This book is an exploration of the history and evolution of swear words that seeks to show us why they have lasted so long.
Through its analysis, readers will gain insight into things like why certain words become taboo over time and how certain phrases transform in their usage around cultural context.
By understanding these nuances, we can better appreciate the important role these words play in our modern day communication.
