On Language

"It is a time of desolation, chaos and uncertainty... brothers killing brothers... babies having babies..." and overused language. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not here to say that all language is bad and that we shouldn't say it ever ever ever lest we be... darned, I just think its overused these days.

First of, we need to learn that what we say has consequences. Guys, if you say that your girlfriend should not buy said shirt because it makes her look fat, you're probably not going to get a very good reaction. Likewise if you ladies say that your boyfriend's favourite shirt makes him look like a girl, that might not end up with the prettiest conclusion either. But I digress, clothing and dating are and should be for another episode.

My point is is that words have power. What you say means something. Even those who teach that words mean nothing deep down know that they have meaning (otherwise why would they be teaching?). Now once again, I am pulling from a class discution which means that it is 1)a newly explained subject and b) it is the belief of my teachers and through them me. Lets not have an Achilles incident again shall we?

I (and my professors) believe that the words commonly coined as "bad language" can be grouped into three categories: vulgarity, obscenity and profanity.

Now heres an interesting factiod. Who has heard of the Vulgate Bible? The Vulgate was printed hundreds of years ago when latin was still the common language. The Vulgate was their NIV. The words vulgar and vulgate both come from the same latin root meaning common. Vulgar words just mean common. That means any words that were used by the common people can be considered vulgar and thus not used in polite society. This category includes sh**, dam*, he*l (for the really picky ones), and even lesser words such as pi*s and cr*p (for the really really picky ones). These words can all be used in regular scentences. When a farmer stepped on manure in his field he most likely did not say "oh... I stepped in manure..." he probably used some other terminology. Now heres the kicker. Back then people knew how to handle them selves. One knew not to use these terms in "polite company" i.e. in formal situations or "mixed company" i.e. in presence of a girl. Context is key. Perhaps a more well known rule is not to "curse" in a church. Thats just how it is.

Enter sexist Joe: its my opinion that girls shouldn't use "bad language". The art of being a lady has been lost (guys... you don't need to worry about this one). With the rise of feminism and whatnot, I think girls have taken on the idea that they can curse (Trinity in The Matrix isn't helping). But just to take a stab at the guys, we need to recognize their... femininity I suppose. Don't "cuss" in front of girls. Sure its ok to say stuff man-to-man and I'm sure there is tons of stuff that only goes around in "girl stuff" only areas, but I think we need to recognize the boundaries.

Hmm... this is going to be a long one. Alright- obscenity. Obscenity is basically going too far. Giving too much info. Thats where we get our word gross from, gross literally means too much. Obscenity mainly covers your sex-based words, your violence-based words, your body-based words and your scatological words (hint: up in the mountains you often run across bear...). The obscene section can also house your f-bomb. Basically this is "dirty talk" or "potty humor". Anything "cuss words" pertaining to what we might call sick (not the synonym for cool) can fall into this category.

And finally we have our profane words. To be profane is to take something that is holy or set aside for holy use and make it common (vulgar). This is mainly if not totally composed of taking the Lord's name in vain. If you take something as holy as the Lord's name (which as a Christian, you will recognize as the ultimate holy thing) and use it too often or not seriously, you are taking it in vain.

So there we got it, our definitions are down. Now for the bulk of the essay. Alright just kidding. None of these words should really be used to terribly often. Words from the first group you can use in normal english, but there should rarely be a time for obscenity and never for profanity. Today we have little kids flipping people off (yeah I experienced it). This should be a sign that people have gotten carried away. We now no longer know when to use the words we labled "bad language" so we either use them without care or we throw them into a box which is secured with a padlock which is then thrown into a safe and thrown into the ocean (only to be rediscovered when you stub your toe).

I'm open to any opinions, edit notes (its kinda late...), questions or snide remarks.