CHANGES MEANING IN SWEAR WORDS
Article Sidebar
Language evolution,
Profanity in society,
Cultural norms,
Modern communication
Main Article Content
Abstract
Swear words have significantly evolved in modern society, shifting from their traditional role as offensive or taboo language to becoming dynamic tools in communication. This study explores the transformation of profanity, focusing on its meanings, functions, and usage. It examines how swear words have taken on new purposes, such as adding humor, emphasizing speech, expressing solidarity, and conveying identity. Using linguistic, cultural, and psychological perspectives, the research analyzes the influence of media, technology, and globalization in normalizing and reshaping profanity. Social media and popular culture have played a crucial role in spreading swear words across different cultures, resulting in varied interpretations and uses. The study also highlights generational differences, showing how younger people redefine and incorporate profanity to challenge norms, strengthen social connections, or assert individuality. Additionally, it investigates the decreasing shock value of swear words and their increasing presence in everyday language. By analyzing examples from music, movies, and online platforms, the research illustrates how language adapts to reflect societal and cultural shifts. The findings suggest that the evolving role of profanity reflects broader changes in communication styles, cultural trends, and social values, providing new insights into the continuous development of language.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work
References
Jay, T. 2018. The utility and ubiquity of taboo words. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 13(3), 287–311.
Kaye, L. K., Malone, S. A., & Wall, H. J. 2020. Explicit content: The role of profanity in the online context. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 23(4), 264–269.
McEnery, T. & Love, R. 2018. Swearing around the world: A corpus-based approach. Language Sciences, 68, 38–51.
Culpeper, J. & Hardaker, C. 2019. Negative language: Swearing and aggression. Journal of Pragmatics, 142, 55–67.
Robertson, S. A. 2019. Profanity and power: Understanding swearing as a sociolinguistic phenomenon. Language and Communication, 66, 37–48.
Wajnryb, R. 2017. Swearing as a linguistic tool in modern discourse. Journal of Sociolinguistics, 21(2), 245–257.
Stapleton, K. 2019. Swearing: The pragmatic utility of profanity. Journal of Pragmatics, 140, 1–12.
Dynel, M. 2021. The good, the bad, and the ugly: Profanity in contemporary media. Discourse & Communication, 15(3), 245–263.
Gauthier, I. 2018. Swearing and humor in online communities. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 23(2), 142–160.
Holmes, J. & Stubbe, M. 2020. Swearing as solidarity: Swear words in workplace communication. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 39(5), 613–628.
Berger, P. 2021. The normalization of profanity: How society redefines acceptability. Language in Society, 50(1), 89–105.
Pinker, S. 2017. Why we curse: The evolutionary basis of profanity. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 21(11), 905–915.
Alim, H. S. 2019. Profanity as identity markers in hip-hop culture. Journal of Linguistic Anthropology, 29(2), 145–158.
Burridge, K. 2022. Euphemism and dysphemism: How we navigate taboo in language. Language and Linguistics Compass, 16(5), e12358.
Andersson, L. & Trudgill, P. 2020. Swearing and society: A cross-cultural perspective. International Journal of Language and Culture, 7(1), 65–82.