Swearing by Bill Bryson Essay Example

All through English writing talked swear words have been to a great extent unrecorded and are hard to follow. The utilization of current swear words has advanced after some time, adjusting terms from different dialects or gradually changing the importance of words after some time. Numerous cutting edges swear words originate from words utilized in respectful discourse hundreds of years back. Then again, numerous words which were once unthinkable are not thought about very blameless.

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Many swear words come from a religious context and are slowly changed and made socially acceptable. Looking at historical examples, such as those in Shakespeare's works, it is possible to see the development of religious curses into expletives and vice versa. The history of swear words takes on a different turn in later generations.

Words have power; they can build and at the same time destroy. It is imperative for people to carefully consider their choice of words when communicating with other communities. A light joke in Germany could be the worst insult in the United States of America. In Chinese society, being called a turtle could be the worst insult. In Norway, it is a taboo to call a person a devil. The magnitude of insults carried in some of these words may vary from one society to another. In Africa, Hlebeshako is a provocative remark used by the Xhosa tribe, a native community in South Africa. Hlebeshako is a provocative remark that translates to "your mother's ears" (Bryson 210). In France, you may be jailed for calling a person a cow because is considered the gravest insult within the French boundaries.

Although swearing has become a norm in most communities across the globe, some societies have stuck to their cultural rules and ways that forbid usage of swearing words. According to Bryson, some communities like the Polynesians, American Indians, Japanese and Malayans have no native swear words (210). The world is composed of diverse cultures where swear words have a long history. A study conducted in the Manchester University on swearing words used by the ancient Romans revealed that they used approximately 800 offensive words (Bryson 210). This explains the reason behind the rapid growth of the swear words over the years. But why do people swear?

According to some cultures, swearing may be used in different situations in different contexts to express feelings. For instance, a person may swear when overexcited, shocked or when hurt. The choice of swearing words is very different in each context. When a person is hurt or livid, they may use offensive words. Regardless of the context in which these expressions may be used, Bryson suggests that swearing seem to have what he terms as "near-universal" qualities (p211). This implies that in most cultures around the globe, swearing expressions revolve around certain areas. This may involve the sacred, filth or the forbidden. Studies reveal that there exist two major levels in swearing; the mild and the high. Bryson reveals that in the Wik Monkan people of Cape York Peninsula, words like a big head or skinny nose are regarded as mild level insults, and therefore they may not provoke emotions. On the contrary, the culture prohibits people from using words like penis or vagina(p211). Swearing words and expressions have been on a gradual evolving journey over the past.

Generations have maintained some swearing words and expressions while others have been altered to mean a different thing. Others have only changed the spelling but maintained their meaning. For instance, the word shite was used by in the 1300s by the Anglo-Saxons and later become shit in 1500s(Bryson 212). In modern society, shite is a modification of shit widely used among the English people. Fuck is a universal swear word used in virtually every culture on the globe. According to Bryson, the roots of this word could be traced from the Latin fotuo, German Ficken or the French foutre (212). The word made its first appearance in print in William Dunbar's poem in 1503. The word has since been in existed for centuries now, and it remains to be one of the universally used swear word. Nowadays, it can be used to describe a situation, condition or phenomena. For instance, it may be used when a person wants to signal departure, when they are shocked or when they are disgusted.

It has been difficult to trace the exact years when some of these words started being used because they were not recorded. However, various scholar researches have estimated the years. Piss is another word that has been existed for centuries. According to scholars, piss origin can be traced back to the 17th century although it may be older. In modern society. Words that were regarded as offensive in the 19th century or before have become relatively used in the modern world. Religion has also played a significant role in swearing. According to Bryson, in the early 15th-century swearing was a common practice among the saints (214). Cork was a slang that was used to describe penis as well as a euphemism for God.

Conclusion

Generally, swearing has become a norm in most cultures around the world. Some swearing expressions like fuck and piss have evolved and spread roots to many societies. The use of swear expressions may depend on the rules and restrictions by the culture. It is therefore vitally important to learn the correct context of using swearing words because some are more offensive than others.

Work Cited

Bryson, Bill. Mother tongue: the story of the English language. Penguin, 2009.