What makes swearing bad? What makes certain words stand out as swears?

[EmperorBatman999]

This was somewhat inspired by the thread in TD about allowing profanity in there.

What makes a regular word a swear? What makes that word bad to say?

[Ciabhán]

The meaning of the word...

Any sound a human can make could be profanity if it meant something considered profane or insulting to the one it's directed at.

[Meneth]

I do not consider any words bad to say. I do however refrain from saying some words in some contexts, like on forums, since people might react adversely.
A word is nothing but the meaning we give it, and some words have been given a negative meaning over the years, while other words have lost their meaning. Nothing in particular about the word itself, other than generally being easy to say or shout, makes a specific word a profanity.

[Angrychris]

So fudge all of you in the many fort nights to come!

[Col. Tartleton]

And that's what I think of profanity.

[Theseus1234]

The only thing that differs the word "" from the word "sex" is society.

[Col. Tartleton]

The only thing that differs the word "" from the word "sex" is society.

Which is silly, because is the most useful word in the English language. It could make sense in any ing sentence. Seriously its ing crazy how ing awesome it is to say . You could be like "I'm so ed." or "Lets get ed up" or "I want to you" or " I'm tired" or "I'm ing tired" or "All this ing has got me totally ed up."

[The Dude]

A word is a sound one makes to signify a certain situation. The sound itself is, I guess, emotionally interpreted to signify something in a good or bad manner. Just as the sound of music can evoke certain feelings, so too can the sound of a word. That's just my theory anyway. I guess profanity's simply decided on a gut-feeling based level, a feeling which may or may not be dictated by the culture one's from. I think the former.

[Dr. Oza]

nothing makes swearing bad.. self-debilitating christian morality is what prohibits it...

[The Dude]

nothing makes swearing bad.. self-debilitating christian morality is what prohibits it...

If you think that christianity alone is what makes profanity exist or not I'm gonna have to disappoint you.

[Jom]

It depends on the language. Some languages use blasphemy as their form of swearing, such as Italian, so that's much easier to see where the offence comes from. Sex can still be a taboo subject for some, which is why it has many, many euphemisms so the use of the f-word can also share in that taboo. Similarly with those words to do with excrement: excrement for thousands of years, if not the whole of human history, has been considered disgusting, repulsive, and something to be avoided.

[Treize]

Whining theists who we should not appease.

[Dr. Oza]

If you think that christianity alone is what makes profanity exist or not I'm gonna have to disappoint you.

not what makes profanity exist. but what makes profanity bad at least in western culture...

i mean words like hell or or ... who the hell (lol) said that they were "bad"

[Horsa]

I love how people blame Christianity for everything. "I just got hit by a a car, stupid Christianity did it" lol.

They are considered swear words because they are taboo subjects in "polite society". Sex, hell, excrement, and so on.

[Meneth]

I love how people blame Christianity for everything. "I just got hit by a a car, stupid Christianity did it" lol.

They are considered swear words because they are taboo subjects in "polite society". Sex, hell, excrement, and so on.

Blaming Christianity is fun, that's why.
Blaming them, and religion in general, for all the words meaning "hell" or "the devil" being "bad" to say is entirely justified, however.
And it is often the religious people who object to swear words. I seldom see atheists care much if someone swears, unless it disrupts whatever conversation is going on.

[The Million Dollar Prons]

Pumpkin fell on my head DAMN YOU CHRISTIANITY

Swearing is a cultural thing, what makes it bad is the intention, the emotion and sometimes the imagery. For example in Chinese, " your mother" is considered a pretty heavy swear, after all, you are in fact teling someone to fornicate with their own mother. But if enough people say it in jest, it'l become a joke and not so much a swear anymore.

In the future we'll have new swear words, like Who is John Galt? and Optomotrist (because in the future no one will have eye problems)

And it is often the religious people who object to swear words. I seldom see atheists care much if someone swears, unless it disrupts whatever conversation is going on.

Because Christianity invented high society, that's why we Christians be driving round our Limos while you atheists spend all your money on Shotime.

Edit: Opps, confused Christians with The Million Dollar Prons. Sometimes I get a little confused about who has a price (Spoilers: EVERYONE)

[Horsa]

Actually it is usually people over 50 that take offence to it in my experience, not necessarily Christians. I think constant swearing just shows you can't think of any intelligent to say. Keep it for those really "wtf" moments.

[Manco]

I think constant swearing just shows you can't think of any intelligent to say.

That's just stupid.
Swearing has no influence on the actual content of what's being said.

Prevalence of swearing is mostly socioculturally and regionally determined.

[Vizsla]

I have no memory of ever being offended by a swear word.
The intentions behind the words can sometimes be offensive, but I’ve never understood why people have issues with a word per se.
It could be that people who find the specific word offensive, even when it is devoid of context or intent to insult, were simply conditioned to feel that way.
My guess is that such a reaction is a function of a particular personality structure.
Personality is a function of both genetics and conditioning.
So in the end we are left only with a disappointingly vague answer.

[Machiavelli25]

Morality, whether Christian or other, is indeed where 'swearing' comes from.

Regardless, swearing is a useful tool in linguistics. It should be used appropriately to maximise effect, rather than cheapened, thrown about with every other word. Cherish swear-words, but use them wisely.