Swearing as a Proto-Language

‭ ‬The Significance of Swearing as a Proto-language Language,‭ ‬in its‭ ‬primitive function,‭ ‬is to be regarded as a‭ ‬mode of action‭ ‬rather than a countersign of thought. ‭ ‬ Malinowski The man who overreached his opponent by breaking his oath reveals that he is afraid of his enemy,‭ ‬but despises the god he has invoked. ‭ ‬Lysander. ‭“‬ You taught me language,‭ ‬and my profit on it is I know how to ‭ ‬curse.‭”‬ Caliban‭ ( ‬to Prospero‭ ) Juliet‭ ‬O‭! ‬swear not by the moon,‭ ‬the inconstant moon‭ … Romeo‭ ‬ What shall I swear by‭ ? Juliet‭ ‬Do not swear at all‭; “ Not bloody likely‭ !”‬ and‭ “‬ Move yer arse‭ ! “‬ Eliza Doolittle in‭ ‬My Fair Lady. ‭“‬ Of recent years in England there has been a noticeable decline of swearing and foul language,‭ ‬and this,‭ ‬except at centres of industrial depression,‭ ‬shows every sign of continuing indefinitely until a new shock to our national nervous system‭ ‬– envisageable as war,‭ ‬pestilence,‭ ‬revolution,‭ ‬fire from Heaven,‭ ‬or whatever you please‭ ‬– may‭ ( ‬or may not‭ ) ‬revive the habit of swearing,‭ ‬simultaneously with that of praying.‭ ‬Robert Graves. ‭ The Future of Swearing and Improper Language.‭ ( ‬1936‭ ) Beware of the community in which blasphemy does not exist‭; ‬underneath,‭ ‬atheism runs rampant. ‭ ‬Antonio Machado ‭ ‬ Giving psychoanalytic papers is not a very glamorous business.‭ ‬You might spend a few years thinking about something,‭ ‬months writing it down,‭ ‬and then,‭ ‬if you‭’‬re lucky‭ ‬-‭ ‬90%‭ ‬of the audience will be indifferent,‭ ‬5%‭ ‬offended,‭ ‬4%‭ ‬might find it clinically useful‭ ‬-‭ ‬eventually‭ ‬– and,‭ ‬if you‭’‬re very‭ ‬lucky,‭ ‬and have been quite sincere in the writing,‭ ‬1%‭ ‬might approach you‭ ‬5‭ ‬or‭ ‬10‭ ‬years later and say,‭ ‬even if over a second glass of wine,‭ ‬that the paper was not only useful clinically‭ ‬-‭ ‬but has changed the way they‭ ‬view the world. ‭ ‬So,‭ ‬the only reasonable way to get some more‭ ‬immediate satisfaction from writing a paper is to be interested in the subject,‭ ‬and to want to learn something about it. This usually means that one already has some sort of interest and growing preconceptions,‭ ‬fed by clinical perceptions and reflections on the subject‭ ‬-‭ ‬but these preconceptions have not yet been transformed into communicable ideas which can then be shared with colleagues,‭ ‬in turn,‭ ‬to gather their thoughts. ‭ ‬This paper is my attempt to begin this process in relation to an area of semi-conscious behaviour‭ ‬-‭ ‬usually verbal,‭ ‬which we call‭ '‬swearing‭'‬.‭ A topic which even,‭ ‬or especially,‭ ‬by its most ardent practitioners‭ ‬– remains little understood,‭ ‬or even thought about. So,‭ ‬I wondered‭ ‬-‭ ‬if dreams are supposedly the Royal road to the unconscious,‭ ‬then swearing‭ ‬-‭ ‬the very common us of supposedly taboo words‭ ‬-‭ ‬might be the sleazy plebeian freeway‭; ‬and it might be worth taking a ride. The OED defines the word‭ ‬swear‭ ‬: 1‭ ‬state or promise solemnly or on oath.‭ ‬E.g.‭ ‬take‭ (‬an oath‭)‬. 2‭ ‬say emphatically‭; ‬insist‭ (‬swore he had not seen it‭)‬. 3‭ ‬cause to take an oath‭ (‬swore them to secrecy‭)‬. 4‭ ‬use profane or indecent language,‭ ‬esp.‭ ‬as an expletive or from anger. 5‭ ‬make a sworn affirmation of‭ (‬an offence‭) (‬swear treason against‭)‬. 6‭ ‬appeal to as a witness in taking an oath‭ (‬swear by Almighty God‭)‬.‭ ‬b colloq.‭ ‬have or express great confidence in‭ (‬swears by yoga‭)‬. 7admit the certainty of‭ (‬could not swear to it‭)‬. The derivation seems to be Old English‭ ‬-‭ ‬swerian from Germanic:‭ ‬related to‭ ‬answer.‭ Interestingly,‭ ‬Bion‭ ( ‬Elements of Psycho-analysis.‭) ‬often used to quote Blanchot‭’‬s axiom that: ‭ ‬The answer is the unfortunate consequence‭ ‬( malheur‭ ‬) of the question.‭ ( ‬Meaning:‭ ‬don‭’‬t reach irritably to prematurely resolve mysteries in the material‭ ‬– let them unfold.‭) ‬Well‭ ‬-‭ ‬in this instance therefore,‭ ‬swearing could be seen as an expression and forced eviction of the accrued‭ ‬frustration with‭ ( ‬what Keats called‭ )‬the‭ ‬‘burden of the‭ ‬mystery‭’‬.‭ Most of the people that I asked said that swearing was a way of getting out anger and frustration‭ ‬– and one said it was the‭ ‬‘language of the guts‭”‬ .‭ ‬I was interested to know more detail about what or who the anger was directed towards,‭ ‬and in‭ ‬what shape and form it was‭ ‬‘got out‭’‬ ? What were‭ ‬‘the guts‭’‬ trying to express‭ ? So‭ ‬– to get the ball rolling,‭ ( ‬quite literally,‭ ‬as it turns out‭ ) ‬in this far from exhaustive little study‭ ‬– a couple of well-known golf‭ ‬jokes‭ ‬– surprisingly similar‭ …‬ but lets think,‭ ‬as we go,‭ ‬why they might be regarded as funny‭ ‬– well,‭ ‬at least to many people. A nun was sitting with her Mother Superior chatting. ‭ “‬Mother Superior,‭ ‬I used some horrible language this week and feel absolutely terrible about it.‭”‬ “When did you use this awful language‭?”‬ asked the elder.‭ “Well,‭ ‬I was golfing and hit an incredible drive,‭ ‬right in the sweet spot,‭ ‬that was going to go‭ ‬200‭ ‬metres,‭ ‬but it struck a phone line over the fairway and straight down to the ground after only‭ ‬100metres.‭”‬ “And that's when you swore‭?”‬ “No,‭ ‬Mother,‭”‬ says the nun.‭ ‬After that,‭ ‬a squirrel ran out of the bushes and grabbed my ball in its mouth and began to run away.‭”‬ “And THAT'S when you swore‭?”‬ asked the Mother Superior.‭ “Well,‭ ‬no,‭”‬ says the nun.‭ “‬You see,‭ ‬as the squirrel was running,‭ ‬an eagle came down out of the sky,‭ ‬grabbed the squirrel in his talons and began to fly away‭!”‬ “Is THAT when you swore‭?”‬ asked the amazed elder nun.‭ “No.‭ ‬As the eagle carried the squirrel away in its claws,‭ ‬it flew near the green and the squirrel dropped my ball.‭”‬ “Did you swear THEN‭?”‬ asked Mother Superior impatiently.‭ “No,‭ ‬because the ball fell on a big rock,‭ ‬bounced over the sand trap,‭ ‬rolled onto the green and stopped about six inches from the hole.‭”‬ The two nuns‭ ‬were silent for a moment.‭ Mother Superior sighed,‭ “‬You missed the fucking putt,‭ ‬didn't you‭?”‬ II A farmer and a priest are out on the golf course.‭ ‬On one hole,‭ ‬the farmer misses a twelve foot putt. ‭“‬Dammit,‭ ‬missed the fucker‭!”‬ he swore. ‭“‬My son,‭ ‬you really shouldn't swear like that,‭”‬ the preacher scolded gently.‭ “‬It angers God.‭” On the next hole,‭ ‬the farmer missed a six foot putt. ‭“‬Dammit,‭ ‬missed the fucker‭!” “Now,‭ ‬my son,‭ ‬I don't want to alarm you,‭”‬ the preacher said much more sternly.‭ “‬But if you curse like that again,‭ ‬God is going to strike you dead‭!” But alas,‭ ‬on the next hole,‭ ‬the farmer missed a‭ ‬-three-‭ ‬foot putt. ‭“‬DAMMIT‭!”‬ He shouted.‭ “‬MISSED THE FUCKER‭!” The sky suddenly darkened,‭ ‬clouds roiling and thunder booming.‭ ‬The clouds parted,‭ ‬and lightning split the sky,‭ ‬screaming down and striking the preacher,‭ ‬killing him instantly.‭ ‬From the sky came a gusty sigh,‭ ‬and then a rumbling voice. ‭“‬Dammit.‭ ‬Missed the fucker.‭” * * * * * * * * * * Apart from the fact that both of these jokes take place on that most Oedipal of places‭ ‬-‭ ‬the Golf Course‭ ‬– ( apologies to JB‭ ) ‬they both allow that even the holiest Mother and the almighty Father cannot avoid‭ ‬-‭ ‬indeed,‭ ‬do not even try to avoid‭ ‬– the human foible of swearing when frustrated by human foibles.‭ ‬Both jokes relieve our sense of guilt about just needing to‭ ‬‘let it out‭’‬ when the occasion demands. Although the‭ ‬main of this paper is begin to explore the psychological and emotional functions of swearing,‭ ‬I‭’‬ll begin with a very brief overview of the history of some keywords in the modern swearing lexicon‭ ‬– partly for interest sake,‭ ‬but also to show how arbitrary the choice of some words are in the collective profanity unconscious,‭ ‬and to show the importance of cultural isolation in the development‭ (‬or degeneration,‭ ‬as the case may be‭ ) ‬of linguistic specificity in swearing.‭ History‭ ‬of obscenity as a paraleipomena‭ ( ‬appendage,‭ ‬not included in the main body‭) ‬to language. ‭ Robert Graves wrote a little book called Lars Porsena,‭ ‬or‭ ‬The Future of Swearing and Improper Language.‭ ‬Writing in the‭ ‬1920s,‭ ‬he claimed that there was a definite class difference in the use of the words‭ '‬bastard‭' ‬and‭ '‬bugger‭'‬.‭ ‬He claimed that in the working class,‭ ‬people might well be sensitive about illegitimacy,‭ ‬but were often unfamiliar with homosexuality,‭ ‬and so bastard was a mortal insult and bugger was a much milder term. The severity was reversed in the upper classes,‭ ‬who had nice traceable bloodlines and a boarding-school education.‭ ‬He claimed that bugger was a much more serious insult in upper-class circles,‭ ‬where people were more likely to believe it. So,‭ ‬even within a particular culture,‭ ‬there might be quite marked differences and lexical boundaries of obscenities between sub-cultures.‭ ‬ Geoffrey Hughes‭ (‬1991‭) ‬has provided the only serious study of the social history of swearing in the English language,‭ ‬and I‭’‬m using his work for some of the following piecemeal overview of cultural differences and similarities in swearing. Most‭ ‬swear words derive from childhood slang for anal and genital body parts or products‭ ‬– what we would call‭ ‬‘part-objects‭’‬ – where they are disengaged‭ ( ‬or perhaps I should say dis-membered‭ ) ‬from the concept of a whole person,‭ ‬and,‭ ‬for example,‭ ‬as Hughes notes:‭ ‬” A more childish term for penis is‭ '‬willy‭'‬.‭ ‬This British English word had audiences sniggering in the aisles of cinemas throughout the UK when the first trailers were shown for the film Free Willy.‭ ‬On the other hand it is tempting to wonder whether or not the celebrated actor and rapper Will Smith had taken advice on the way in which British audiences might interpret‭ ‬the title of his‭ ‬1997‭ ‬album Big Willie Style‭ (‬though it's unlikely he would actually have objected to the misunderstanding‭)‬.‭ ‬Willie is essentially an innocent playground word,‭ ‬and there was delighted laughter across the land when commentator Brian Johnson‭ ‬referred to two players during a Cricket match,‭ ‬pointing out that‭ '‬The bowler's Holding,‭ ‬the batsman's Willey‭'‬.‭ ‬ One of the most offensive terms for female genitalia,‭ ‬the c-word,‭ ‬is the ultimate four-letter word in British English,‭ ‬the final media taboo.‭ ‬The first use of the word in a UK TV drama was in Mosley,‭ ‬a drama about the rise and fall of the British Fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley.‭ ‬This was first shown on Channel‭ ‬4‭ ‬in the late‭ ‬1990s.‭ ‬The word is‭ ‬also the title of a novel by Stewart Home,‭ ‬published in‭ ‬1999,‭ ‬about the break down of a writer as he rather badly loses the plot,‭ ‬both literally and creatively.‭ ‬The word has Germanic cognates including old Norse‭ (‬kunta‭)‬,‭ ‬middle-Dutch‭ (‬Kunte‭) ‬and possibly High German‭ (‬Kotze meaning prostitute‭)‬,‭ ‬which all point to a pre-historic germanic ancestor kunton.‭ ‬A Latin word,‭ ‬Kuntus,‭ ‬meaning wedge,‭ ‬might also have been an influence.‭ ‬The word would appear to have entered the English language during the early Middle Ages‭; ‬in‭ ‬1230AD,‭ ‬both Oxford and London boasted districts called‭ '‬Gropecunte Lane‭'‬,‭ ‬in reference to the prostitutes that worked there.‭ ‬The Oxford lane was later renamed the slightly less-contentious Magpie Lane,‭ ‬while London's version retained a sense of euphemism when it was changed to‭ '‬Threadneedle Street‭'‬.‭ ‬Records do not show whether it was a decision of intentional irony that eventually placed the Bank of England there.‭ ‬The word has good Shakespearian usage,‭ ‬though even he was a little subtle.‭ ‬Hamlet asks whether he can lie in Ophelia's lap,‭ '‬I mean,‭ ‬my head upon your lap‭?' ‬and then says‭ '‬Do you think I meant country matters‭?' ‬and follows up with‭ '‬It is a fair thought to lie between maids‭' ‬legs‭'‬.‭ ‬Ophelia answers non-committally to most of this.‭ ‬A slightly‭ ‬more bawdy use of the word appears in Carry On Don't Lose Your Head,‭ ‬one of a series of British comedy films of the‭ ‬1960s,‭ ‬in which actress Joan Sims refers to her husband,‭ '‬The Count‭'‬,‭ ‬deliberately pronouncing the word‭ '‬Count‭' ‬with just enough room to be‭ ‬(mis)interpreted while still getting past the British film censors.‭ ‬A Scottish alternative to these words,‭ ‬little-known even in England,‭ ‬is‭ '‬fud‭'‬.‭ ‬ But the name of the‭ ‬cartoon nemesis of Bugs Bunny,‭ ‬Elmer Fudd,‭ ‬causes no offence to people outside of Scotland.‭ Intercourse‭ ‬Although this sounds like the most Anglo-Saxon of all Anglo-Saxon words,‭ ‬the origin of the f-word meaning‭ '‬sexual intercourse‭' ‬is actually rather obscure.‭ ‬There is a legend that the old name for the crime of rape was‭ '‬Forced Unlawful Carnal Knowledge‭'‬,‭ ‬and part of the punishment was that an abbreviation of the crime would be branded on the perpetrators head‭ ‬– like a mark of Cain.‭ ‬Hence,‭ ‬people with‭ '‬F.‭ ‬U.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬K.‭' ‬on their head were known to be rapists.‭ ‬A similar story is that during the‭ ‬time of the plague when it was necessary to increase the population a royal injunction was issued telling the common folk to‭ '‬Fornicate Under Command of the King.‭' ‬These,‭ ‬however,‭ ‬would appear to be acronyms intentionally spelling out an existing word rather than new creations themselves.‭ ‬The etymologist Eric Partridge has suggested that the Old German‭ '‬ficken‭' ‬or‭ '‬fucken‭'‬,‭ ‬meaning‭ '‬to strike or penetrate‭'‬,‭ ‬was related to the Latin words for pugilist,‭ ‬puncture,‭ ‬and prick,‭ ‬or to the Latin‭ '‬futuere‭' ‬which had the slang meaning‭ '‬to copulate‭'‬.‭ ‬There are also clearer links to Dutch where‭ '‬fokken‭' ‬means breed and is applied to cattle,‭ ‬and to a Swedish dialect word‭ '‬fokken‭' ‬which has the English meaning.‭ ‬Interestingly,‭ ‬all the earliest uses of the word in English‭ ‬came via Scotland,‭ ‬suggesting a Scandinavian origin.‭ ‬Hughes notes: ‭“‬ Records from as early as‭ ‬1278‭ ‬identify a man called John Le-Fucker‭ (‬which,‭ ‬considering people often had names to do with their occupations,‭ ‬makes the mind boggle‭)‬,‭ ‬and it was certainly in common usage by the‭ ‬16th Century,‭ ‬appearing in a dictionary,‭ ‬in‭ ‬1598.‭ ‬By the‭ ‬18th century,‭ ‬it had became a vulgar term‭; ‬It was even banned from the Oxford English Dictionary.‭” ‬DH Lawrence's Lady Chatterly's Lover‭ (‬written in‭ ‬1928‭) ‬was the first non-pornographic book in English to use the word accurately and in context and was famously banned for over thirty years.‭ ‬In‭ ‬1960,‭ ‬US publishers Grove Press won a court case permitting it to publish the book in America,‭ ‬meaning it was the first time the word had‭ ‬been legally used in print,‭ ‬while three years later,‭ ‬the ban was overturned in a British court in the infamous‭ '‬Lady Chatterly trial‭'‬. ‭ ‬American author Norman Mailer used the euphemism‭ '‬fug‭' ‬in‭ ‬The Naked and the Dead,‭ ‬and when Dorothy Parker met him at a party,‭ ‬she said,‭ '‬So you're the young man who can't spell‭ “‬fuck‭”‬ ? ' It has been recognised as one of the most versatile words in the English language,‭ ‬and can be put to use as an expletive,‭ ‬an adjective,‭ ‬a noun or a verb,‭ ‬as demonstrated with admirable aplomb in the following:‭ [ ‬* play Cd re fuck usage‭ * ]‬ Poet Laureate Philip Larkin used the word in the opening lines of one of his poems,‭ ‬writing one of those sentences which is simple,‭ ‬lucid and which cannot possibly be expressed in any other way:‭ '‬They fuck you up,‭ ‬your Mum and Dad,‭ ‬They may not mean to,‭ ‬but they do‭' ‬In‭ ‬1999,‭ ‬Conservative Future‭ ‬-‭ ‬the youth wing of the Conservative Party‭ ‬-‭ ‬started using the logo‭ '‬CFUK‭'‬.‭ ‬Sadly,‭ ‬this got them into trouble with the clothing company French Connection‭ ‬UK,‭ ‬who had recently re-branded themselves‭ '‬fcuk‭'‬.‭ ‬* see opening quote re connection between conservative and swearing. A phrase that,‭ ‬until recently,‭ ‬was almost exclusively American,‭ ‬is the incestuous term‭ '‬mother-fucker‭' ‬– first recorded from‭ ‬1956.‭ ‬It is interesting to Hughes because the incestuous relationship is always referred to from an‭ ‬‘Oedipal‭’‬ rather than an‭ ‬‘Electral‭’‬ point of view,‭ ‬father-fucker‭ ‬not‭ ‬being a term used in any culture.‭ ‬The term is universal except,‭ ‬notes,‭ ‬Hughes,‭ ‬in England,‭ ‬where‭ ‬its is used more reluctantly than in any other nation.‭ ‬He goes on to say:‭ ‬ “ Despite sounding very Oedipal,‭ ‬this does not have Freudian derivations.‭ ‬The word was apparently coined by African slaves to describe the slave owners who had raped the slave's mothers.‭ ‬Simple as that.‭ “ ( oh really‭ …‬.‭ ? ‬don‭’‬t we need to also explain why it has caught on to the rest of the world‭ ? ) ‬From the Middle English for‭ '‬wriggle‭' ‬or the Old French for‭ '‬rub‭'‬,‭ '‬frig‭' ‬is sometimes used as a euphemism for‭ '‬Fuck‭'‬,‭ ‬at other times used to mean‭ '‬masturbate‭'; ‬usually only seen as a gerundive‭ (‬or verbal adjective‭) '‬frigging‭'‬.‭ ‬The binding of oedipal experience with black hole angst is expressed in the Sex Pistols version of The Good Ship Venus,‭ ‬with the chorus‭ '‬Frigging in the rigging‭ '‬cos there's fuck all else to do‭'‬.‭ Micturation‭ ‬Hughes thinks that‭ “‬ swear-words that do not pertain to body parts invariably refer to bodily functions or secretions.‭ ‬It's true to say that the first swear-words most children learn are scatological,‭ ‬focusing on urination‭ ('‬wee-wee‭') ‬or excretion‭ ('‬plop‭'‬,‭ '‬poo‭')‬.‭ ‬As we get older,‭ ‬though sexual swear-words tend to predominate,‭ ‬there is still a resistance to progressing beyond what Freud described as the‭ '‬anal phase‭'‬.‭” ‬ In some aboriginal‭ ‬tribes,‭ ‬the worst‭ ‬thing you can say is something like,‭ “‬ you are Satan‭’‬s shit‭ ! “ ( I find this to actually be quite a complex insult‭ …‬ ) Taboo Terms of profanity have historically been taboo words.‭ ‬Some words originally considered profane have become much less offensive with the increasing secularity of society,‭ ( ‬for example the word fuck is now a standard requirement in Hollywood action and cop movies‭ ‬-‭ ‬while others,‭ ‬primarily racial or ethnic epithets which can be considered part of hate speech,‭ ‬have become increasingly taboo.‭ The word‭ ‬‘cunt‭’‬ maintains much of its taboo status at least partly due to the influence of feminism,‭ ‬though other feminists are attempting to‭ "‬reclaim‭" ‬a neutral or complimentary status for this word.‭ ‬Shakespeare hinted at the word in Henry V and Hamlet:‭ ‬Hamlet and Ophelia quip about‭ "‬country matters‭" ‬when he tries to lay his head in her lap‭; ‬and the French Princess Katherine is amused by the word‭ ‬‘gown‭’‬ for its similarity to the French for cunt,‭ ‬coun.‭ ‬Interlanguage complexities ‭ ‬ In European Spanish,‭ ‬coño‭ (‬usually translated as‭ "‬cunt‭" ‬in English‭) ‬is very common in informal spoken discourse,‭ ‬meaning no more than‭ "‬Hey‭!" ‬or‭ "‬Christ‭!"‬.‭ ‬Likewise,‭ ‬in French,‭ ‬merde as well as Scheiße in German‭ ‬– Boris Becker notoriously escaped tennis fines by using it‭ ‬-‭ ‬is‭ (‬both translated as‭ "‬shit‭") ‬are also quite common as an expletive meaning little more than‭ "‬Damn‭!"‬.‭ ‬Some scholars have noted that while the French and Spanish are comfortable hearing native speakers use these words,‭ ‬they tend to hear the‭ "‬stronger‭" ‬meaning when the same words are spoken by non-native speakers.‭ ‬This may be similar to the differences in the acceptability of queer or nigger depending on who is saying the words.‭ ‬Or it may be an example of how it is easier to learn swear‭ ‬words in a new language or dialect than to learn the fine shades of intensity which accompany their use.‭ ‬A profane word in one language often sounds like an ordinary word in another.‭ ‬Fuck sounds like the French words for seal‭ (‬phoque‭) ‬and jib‭ (‬foc‭)‬,‭ ‬as well as the Romania word for‭ '‬do‭' (‬I do‭ = ‬eu fac‭); ‬shit sounds like the Russian for‭ "‬sewn‭"‬.‭ ‬Even names in one language may appear as vulgar words in another linguistic community,‭ ‬which causes many immigrants to change their names‭ (‬common Vietnamese personal‭ ‬names include Phuc and Bich‭)‬.‭ One thing that I did notice in common with most swear words was that they are short and sharp,‭ ‬usually finished with a hard consonant,‭ ‬with variations in the length of the preceding vowel.‭ ‬This brought to mind a missile or arrow flying through the air and crashing into something very harshly‭ ‬– like hitting something. ‭ [‬ * show All or Nothing‭ ‬– beer-can man whacking seat as he cannot contain his rage.‭] ‬ Québécois French can string a few basic terms from Roman Catholic liturgy into quite impressive strings of invective of up to a minute or more.‭ ‬This is known as sacre.‭ This might be seen as the beginnings of‭ ‬ META-Language‭ ? [ * show‭ ‬All or None invective I‭ & ‬II‭ ] ‬ Russia Profanity took a very interesting form in Russia where there exists a language of sorts,‭ ‬most of its words based on four basic profane roots‭ ‬-‭ ‬nouns penis,‭ ‬whore,‭ ‬cunt and verb fuck.‭ ‬At least two hundred derivative words exist in this language,‭ ‬plus countless word combinations.‭ ‬It is possible to sensibly communicate using just these four basic roots.‭ ‬Due to countless very fine nuances‭ (‬stress on a different syllable changes the meaning of certain words etc.‭) ‬it is not easy to master that language which is very widely used in Russia,‭ ‬especially in rural areas.‭ ‬Before the‭ ‬1990s these words never appeared in print‭ (‬except special articles published in universities‭) ‬and they remain officially banned on TV and in the movies. ‭ ‬ One of the things which becomes clear is that usage varies widely from country to country,‭ ‬and within countries.‭ ‬In one place a word may be a term of affection,‭ ‬in another a clear and direct term of abuse.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬used‭ ‬‘authentically‭’‬ and with panache,‭ ‬many people feel that these words actually add depth,‭ ‬colour and a sense of regional variation to the English language,‭ ‬whilst the more conservative see these words as mere aberrations,‭ ‬which should be culled from the dictionaries,‭ ‬and discouraged as degenerative and a significant danger to cultural and moral development. This polarization of attitudes towards swearing is profoundly and comically explored in the recent animated film‭ ‬‘ South Park‭ ‬– Bigger,‭ ‬Longer‭ & ‬Uncut‭”‬. ‭ ‬Briefly,‭ ‬the plot concerns a little group of pre-adolescent children who sneak into a puerile,‭ ‬but funny,‭ ‬Canadian animation film,‭ ‬and learn the usual half-dozen four-letter obscenities.‭ ‬When,‭ ‬as a consequence,‭ ‬one of the town‭’‬s mothers hears her child swearing she incites the other parents in the community to declare war on Canada,‭ ‬and‭ ( ‬oddly enough‭ ) ‬they succeed in convincing America to,‭ ‬in fact,‭ ‬go to war against Canada‭ ‬– risking the lives of millions,‭ ‬including their own children. ‭ ‬Eventually,‭ ‬it is only the children themselves who are able to bring sense to the adults‭ ‬– although the film is sharply ironic‭ ‬in the tone of its uneasy ending. ‭ ‬How is it that swearing produces such sharp and intense feelings and polarities in us‭ ? How is it that,‭ ‬for some people,‭ ‬it is felt to be a corruptive evil weapon,‭ ‬taking the‭ ‬‘ Lord‭’‬s name in vain‭’‬,‭ ‬whereas for others it is seen as a tool for augmenting our expressive capabilities as humans‭ ? ______________________________ I am going to argue that swearing is a complex,‭ ‬psycholinguistic attempt to process acutely painful emotional states,‭ ‬which are felt to be potentially catastrophically disintegrative‭ ‬– in the perceived absence of an internal parent capable of reverie about the pain. For most people in our so-called civilized society,‭ ‬this is a very temporary state‭ ‬– jamming a finger in a door,‭ ‬being cut off by another car in traffic,‭ ‬having to wait longer than one is accustomed to in a queue,‭ ‬or receiving a large phone bill.‭ ‬But for some,‭ ‬especially those who have not internalized much capacity for reverie-in-the-face of frustration or pain‭ ‬– there can be an almost permanent state of internal persecution‭ ‬– well beyond‭ ‬‘irritability‭’‬ – where all frustrations and pains are felt to be tormenting and conspiratorial.‭ ‬In such mental conditions,‭ ‬there is a desperate need for an ongoing means of flushing away the accretion of what Bion calls‭ “‬ beta-elements‭”‬ -‭ ‬raw,‭ ‬unprocessed‭ ‬– usually persecutory and terrifying‭ ‬– unconscious elements of emotional perception. ‭ ‬I would suggest that this need gives rise to the formation of a‭ ‬‘proto-language‭’‬ – which prevents impulsive violent action,‭ ‬but which is not yet capable of processing intense feeling states by reflective symbolic thought,‭ ‬which would eventually produce meaningful communication.‭ ‬This proto-language acts like a kind of buffer,‭ ‬or holding bay,‭ ‬for thoughts in search of a receiver‭ ‬– a mind capable of reverie,‭ ‬and receptivity.‭ ( ‬Meg Harris Williams points out how Hamlet is always in search of such a mind‭ ‬– whether he finds it‭ ‬,‭ ‬or not,‭ ‬in Horatio is a moot point.‭ ‬But he certainly doesn‭’‬t get it from his parents,‭ ‬or friends or girlfriend.‭) So this type of swearing can be seen as an emetic,‭ ‬purging of primitive paranoid-schizoid object formations before they terrorize the waking ego.‭ ‬It is akin to a screaming baby,‭ ‬before the voice of the soothing,‭ ‬understanding mother arrives on the scene.‭ ‬We have already seen an example‭ ‬from‭ “‬ All or None‭”‬ of the baby‭’‬s rage against birth,‭ ‬the breast and the‭ ‬‘fucking‭’‬ parental couple. At the time of the eruption of intense mental pain‭ ‬– the psyche cannot rally the concerned maternal presence that would say something like‭ ‬:‭ “‬ poor thing‭”‬ – or,‭ “‬that‭’‬s terrible,‭ ‬lets think what to do‭…” Such depressive capabilities are not felt to be accessible quickly enough,‭ ‬and the expletive volcano of beta-elements,‭ ‬particularly paranoid terror and black-hole nameless dread‭ ‬– blows its stack. ‭ ‬Richard Nixon is probably the most famous public example of someone who had a constant need for an expletive steam valve‭ ‬– an almost constant spray of swearing at internal persecutors,‭ ‬which blinded him to any realization of his own persecuting actions against millions of people in the external world. ‭ ‬Similarly,‭ ‬in the interestingly-titled gangster series‭ “‬ The Sopranos‭ “‬ – I say interesting because most of the characters are like castrati‭ ‬:‭ ‬unable to sing in an authentically male or potent voice‭ ‬– swearing is used as a kind of‭ ‬‘shortcut‭’‬ to the Real.‭ ‬In fact,‭ ‬most of the characters evade‭ ‬any emotional experience,‭ ‬by constantly swearing,‭ ‬and when that is insufficient,‭ ‬violent action breaks out‭ ‬– which only further increases the terror,‭ ‬and guilt,‭ ‬and the need for more defensive toughness in evading it. ‭ ‬This type of character,‭ ‬who constantly projects fear and terror into others was also vividly depicted by Dennis Hopper in David Lynch‭’‬s film‭ “‬Blue Velvet‭”‬.‭ ‬His paranoid projection of invasive hatred and voyeurism into the‭ '‬fucking couple‭' ‬was expressed by his ongoing murderous invective:‭ “‬ Don't fucking look at me‭ ! “‬ Because the unprocessed beta elements‭ ‬– particles of intense mental pain and fear‭ ‬– are felt to be radioactively deathly and toxic,‭ ‬the expulsion must be with great force and rapidity.‭ (‬Almost all swear words have a vowel snapped off abruptly with a harsh consonant‭ ‬– almost as if it was a missile hurtling through the air and exploding with a bang‭)‬. In‭ ‬later life,‭ ‬this may sometimes be used as a defence against the experience of O‭ ( “‬ O my GOD‭”‬ ! ) where overwhelming awe is treated‭ ‬as if it was‭ ‬toxic faecal matter,‭ ‬rather than the nourishing germinal REAL,‭ ‬but of which,‭ ‬we‭ ‬can only tolerate minute particles. Swear words have a kind of‭ ‬‘privileged‭’‬ projective valency‭ ‬– like hand grenades‭ ‬– which are predictably‭ ‬‘explosive‭’‬ in their emotional charge when released.‭ ( ‬explosive PI‭ ‬cf‭ ‬intrusive PI‭ ‬-‭ ‬‘terrorism‭’‬ would be an externalisation and magnification of this psychological process.‭) However,‭ ‬there are quite permissible‭ ‬‘unloaded‭’‬ words which do not carry these projective valencies,‭ ‬because they‭ ‬‘hide‭’‬ as‭ ‬words for the biological process‭ ‬– for example,‭ ‬‘copulation‭’‬ -‭ ‬or as‭ ‬more playfully evocative‭ ‬– if un-erotic‭ ‬– words which bring in the subjective experience‭ ‬– e.g bonking,‭ ‬or banging‭ ‬– which could have come from the nursery.‭ ‬That‭’‬s why we don‭’‬t consider these words as swear words‭ ‬– in fact its quite common to hear prim and proper BBC or ABC announcers using these terms in a very matter-of-fact tone. BION thought that a failure of containment,‭ ‬or understanding,‭ ‬of the persecutory internal object by the external mother is experienced,‭ ‬by the infant,‭ ‬as an attack. I would understand this as an internal experience of the mother as expelling‭ ‬her toxic,‭ ‬beta elements into the child. That is,‭ ‬the child projects its‭ ‬own need to expel beta elements into the mother‭ ‬-‭ ‬who is then experienced/feared as doing it to the child.‭ ( ‬Notwithstanding the added complexity if the external mother has a tendency to also do that with her child.‭) Interestingly,‭ ‬there is no culture that I know of that has swear words for the breast or nipple.‭ ‬In fact,‭ ‬we‭’‬d probably find it quite comical to even imagine using them.‭ ‬It may be that since,‭ ‬according to Klein,‭ ‬the breast is the first object of infantile love,‭ ‬hate,‭ ‬and envy it is just too anxiety-provoking to openly eviscerate it with public invective. I‭’‬m suggesting that swearing can be understood as a‭ ‬‘ proto language‭’‬ ,‭ ‬which facilitates the temporary and rapid expulsion of what the psyche‭ ‬fears as‭ ‬an invading toxically-charged part object,‭ ‬which is dreaded for having massive disintegrative power. In our external world,‭ ‬it would be equivalent to an hysteria about weapons of mass destruction,‭ ‬based on a paranoid projection of our own destructive urges. ‭( ‬Tony Blair‭’‬s slip‭ ‬– where he spoke of‭ ‬‘weapons of mass‭ ‬distraction‭’‬ said it all,‭ ‬really.‭) This proto-language is loaded with raw,‭ ‬unprocessed‭ (‬un alpha-betized,‭ ‬according to Bion‭) ‬emotional charge,‭ ‬from where the unbearable frustrations with the breast,‭ ‬meet the emotional shock of the oedipal‭ '‬primal scene‭' ‬-‭ ‬pre-maturely,‭ ‬before a maternal object capable of reverie in the face of panic has been internalised securely‭ ‬– and before the development of symbolic,‭ ‬expressive language has sufficiently matured to bear such urgent intense emotional states. In practise,‭ ‬none of us ever reach this ideal state‭ ‬– hence the opening jokes about the inevitability of even Mother superiors and Almighty fathers also needing to swear occasionally. ‭ ‬The proto-language attempts to forestall the urgency of the impulse to violent and panicky‭ ‬action,‭ ‬with destructive consequences that could increase the anxiety. ‭ ‬I can remember an all too vivid example of the very fine line between swearing‭ & ‬impulsive aggressive‭ ‬action‭ ‬illustrated to me by a patient who automatically interrupted anything I said which could‭ ‬– in her view‭ ‬– gave me a kind of‭ ‬‘potency‭’‬.‭ ‬After a week of cursing and battling with my interpretations about why she needed to do this,‭ ‬she abruptly announced,‭ ‬during a Friday session,‭ ‬that she was giving up swearing‭ ‬– something that had always been‭ ‬‘second nature‭’‬ to her. On the Monday she reported‭ ‬– in a not too sorry tone‭ ‬– that she had‭ ‬whacked her new boyfriend in the testicles whilst playing squash on the weekend.‭ ‬He had to spend two nights in hospital recovering. ‭ ( ‬I have to say that there are times when a therapist might be very grateful that some things are acted out,‭ ‬rather than in.‭) Death wishes,‭ ‬and subsequent castration fears,‭ ‬are often held in check‭ ‬by the urge to swear‭ ‬– especially behind the back of the feared parent. For example:‭ ‬ [ Cartman‭ " ‬fuck‭" ‬with ball-breaking mother‭ ‬...‭ ‬video‭ ** ] This level of,‭ ‬of ongoing,‭ ‬self-toileting and self-protection is also invoked in a similar psychological function,‭ ‬in another type of swearing which places a protective barrier between the waking self‭ (‬ego‭) ‬and the emotional impact of the‭ ‬Real.‭ ‬When this is threatened to be breached,‭ ‬an involuntary outbreak of swearing is used as a temporary wall‭ ‬– e.g.‭ ‬9/11‭ ‬Holy Shit‭! ‬– fuck-me-dead‭! ‬This almost always fuses part-object infantile bodily language with what Bion calls the‭ ‬‘Godhead‭’‬.‭ ( ‬Holy Fuck‭! ‬God all-fucking Mighty‭! ‬Holy Crap‭! ‬Sweet Fucking Jesus‭! ‬God-fucking-No‭ ) ‬These were heard in the live,‭ ‬uncensored reactions to the catastrophe,‭ ‬before network editors moved in to focus on bravery,‭ ‬numbers dead,‭ ‬and political spin. Ultimately,‭ ‬as Bion suggested,‭ ‬it is the‭ ‬fear of Death that must be expelled‭ ‬. ‭ ‬But he also suggested that an emotionally-receptive maternal mind can modify that fear,‭ ‬over time,‭ ‬by showing that an adult mind can pick up and hold and reflect upon the panicky elements of the fear,‭ ‬and can return that calmness to the infant,‭ ‬who may then internalize not only the calm‭ ‬– but the mothers capacity to bring it about,‭ ‬through her internal reverie. In proposing that the proto-language of swearing is to protect the psyche from any sudden intense feeling which is felt to be disintegrative or catastrophic,‭ ‬I also include feelings of awe‭ ‬– the terror‭ ‬of beauty,‭ ‬and the supra-human.‭ ‬I will return to this at the conclusion of the following section. ‭ ‬Levels of the primitive in swearing Greed and envy An increasingly popular jibe at wealthy men,‭ ‬these days‭ ‬– never aimed at women,‭ ‬is‭ “‬ Fat Fucker‭ “‬.‭ ‬It might be seen as‭ ‬projection of greed into the Oedipal Father,‭ ‬where it is enviously cursed,‭ ‬and also combined with oedipal jealousy.‭ ‬Incidentally,‭ ‬Oedipus might have saved us all a lot of trouble if his father had taught him how to swear properly,‭ ‬particularly at traffic intersections.‭ ‬These days,‭ ‬the sporting fields become the symbolic form of the crossroads,‭ ‬although probably more so for the cursing and swearing spectators than for the actual participants‭ ‬of the sport‭ ‬– interestingly,‭ ‬the latter will be symbolically‭ ‬‘castrated‭’‬ ( through bans,‭ ‬suspensions and fines‭ ) ‬if they use abusive language‭ ‬– but guttural abuse of the umpires by the spectators is what many pay money for,‭ ‬and forms an important part of‭ ‬the spectator‭’‬s emotional experience. ‭ Oedipal pain,‭ ‬frustration and hatred. This type of swearing is usually aimed at the‭ ‬‘fucking couple‭’‬ (elsewhere I have talked about the depressive growth needed to re-pair the attacked internal couple‭ )‬.‭ ‬The death drive may be‭ ‬projected into the oedipal father,‭ ‬or his genital part-object,‭ ‬or the mother‭’‬s.‭ ‬For example:‭ “‬ fucking prick‭”‬,‭ “‬ fucking cunt‭”‬,‭ ‬or,‭ ‬the rather confused‭ “‬ cock-sucking mother-fucker‭”‬ etc‭ … A good interpretation which,‭ ‬in the unconscious of the patient,‭ ‬is often experienced as the therapist‭’‬s coupling,‭ ‬or showing off potency or fertility,‭ ‬might‭ ‬therefore be attacked through jealousy,‭ ‬and not always just envy.‭ ‬Looking carefully at the expletive explosives which follow,‭ ‬is therefore important in trying to unravel what has been triggered in the unconscious by the interpretation.‭ ‬For example:‭ “‬ fuck off‭!”‬ – or‭ “‬you think you‭’‬re so‭ ‬fucking smart‭”‬,‭ ‬or‭ “‬I don‭’‬t give a fuck what you fucking think‭!” “ You fucking say what you fucking like‭ !” One psychotic patient,‭ ‬who I treated many years ago,‭ ‬had agreed with something I‭’‬d said,‭ ‬and then told me‭ ‬– with an unnerving smile‭ ‬-‭ ‬that I should provide‭ “‬fucking condoms for each session‭”‬ or else my wife would complain. This patient‭ ‬was extremely intrusive and claustrophobic patient‭ ( ‬the former often causing the latter‭ ) ‬and,‭ ‬in turn,‭ ‬had a psychotically intrusive mother. In one session,‭ ‬following a break‭ ‬– he complained bitterly,‭ ‬and with much exasperation,‭ ‬that he had set up a video to record a television program,‭ ‬and then told his mother,‭ ‬several times,‭ ‬not to touch the machine.‭ ‬When he returned home from work,‭ ‬she had switched it off,‭ ‬and added indifferently,‭ ‬that it was using electricity. I said,‭ ‬with dubious anodyne effect,‭ ‬that that must have been extremely frustrating. He responded loudly:‭ “‬ You don‭’‬t understand‭ ! “‬ I‭’‬m in a cunt of a position‭ “‬. I was eventually able to link this to his habit of parking in the senior staff car park at Parkville,‭ ‬in spite of his being asked not to.‭ ‬And when I encouraged him to look at the part of himself that was somewhat like the mother he was complaining about,‭ ‬he exploded with:‭ “‬ You can fuck off‭ ‬– you‭’‬re getting it at home,‭ ‬so the least I can have is a fucking car space,‭ ‬you prick‭ …‬ then,‭ ‬with some relaxation of tension and hatred,‭ ‬he started laughing‭ …‬ “ I‭’‬m fucked,‭ ‬aren‭’‬t I‭ ? ‬How many years have we got‭ ? “ Territorial expletive‭ ‬ Swearing as a primitively aggressive marking of one‭’‬s home territory,‭ ‬when invasion is feared. Australian politics: ‭( ‬Ruddock mentality‭ ) ‬need to regard and project the dangerous beta particles‭ ( ‬which are delusionally externalised and called foreigners‭ ) ‬into refugees. Also,‭ ‬Beasley calls all terrorists‭ ‬‘vermin‭’‬ – like Hitler called the Jews.‭ ‬Whilst his political anger is understandable,‭ ‬and predictable,‭ ‬it is worrying that he uses the same language as the murderers throughout human history. ‭ ‬However,‭ ‬swearing is less violent,‭ ‬and less irreversibly destructive than dropping bombs on a foreign nation.‭ Keating‭ ‬– calls senators unrepresented swill‭ ‬– mud-slinging anal language‭ ‬– Howard described as an arse-licker‭ ‬– sometimes the poo fits‭ … ( show‭ *** ‬Monty Python tape‭ ( ‬Holy Grail‭ )‬ (re‭ ‬English poo bastards‭ ‬etc‭ …‬.‭ ‬And TEAM America‭ ‬tape‭ …‬ speech.‭ A nation,‭ ‬insecure in its own identity,‭ ‬will need to hate an enemy to define its own‭ “‬ Axis‭”‬ ( of‭ ‬moral goodness‭ ‬cf Bush‭ ) ‬hence Bush‭’‬s weird image of an axis of evil‭…‬.‭ ‬Often made corpo-real by some physical feature or disease‭ ‬– e.g.‭ ‬vermin‭ ‬– equated with something parasitic and plague-like.‭ ‬Robert Drewe,‭ ‬in his recent book,‭ ‬Grace‭ ‬– has cleverly shown‭ ‬the dynamics of territory-marking and‭ “‬ boundary-pissing‭”‬ deep at work in the Australian psyche‭ ‬– the us-and-them battles that go on secretly and subtly,‭ ‬in and between all of us.‭ ‬ Python castle-‭ ‬French excrement-‭ ‬scene‭ ‬9‭ ‬and ending. When upset or threatened,‭ ‬children in the school-ground‭ ‬-‭ “‬ fuck off‭ ! “‬ meaning‭ ‬– how dare you stupid,‭ ‬fucking parents impose your fucking on,‭ ‬and into,‭ ‬MY private space‭ ‬.‭ ‬i.e.‭ ‬a very confused expletive where one‭’‬s own intrusive impulses towards the oedipal couple‭ ‬are projected into that couple and then experienced as their intrusiveness towards the infant. This is very‭ ‬common in the adolescent quest for identity,‭ ‬and a private space in which to develop,‭ ‬or incubate,‭ ‬it.‭ ‬Some such invective or taunt is often‭ ‬stuck on a young person‭’‬s bedroom door‭ ‬-‭ ‬the unconscious says something like:‭ “‬ Now that I‭’‬ve realized that you two parents are fucking away in‭ ‬your bedroom,‭ ‬well I can do that too,‭ ‬and‭ ‬you can fuck‭ ‬OFF‭ ! ‬so get the fuck out of here‭ ‬– i.e.‭ ‬get your fucking out of my head please,‭ ‬or my mind feels like a‭ “‬ fucking hell‭”‬.‭ ‬As I mentioned before,‭ ‬we have plenty of opportunity to see this dynamic expressed many times over in the transference reactions that many of our patients have when we demonstrate that we are thinking,‭ ‬in front of them,‭ ‬and par excellence when we return from breaks.‭ But swearing can sometimes be a weapon to express healthy rage at overly intrusive,‭ ‬police-like parents.‭ ‬For example,‭ ‬the word‭ ‬‘fuck‭’‬ itself is used as a‭ ‬boundary marker‭ ‬– saying,‭ ‬in effect,‭“‬ we are not afraid to go our own way‭”‬ -‭ ‬It can be a catchword for a sane political alternative to the mindless warring‭ ( ‬e.g.‭ ‬Vietnam of a conservative and paranoid parental generation at Woodstock‭ …‬ These days at rock concerts‭ ‬– there is a kind of obligatory‭ ‬swearing‭ ‬– usually very predictable and safe,‭ ‬which says‭ ‬– we‭’‬re staying up late and we don‭’‬t care what our parents think‭ ! ‬Make love and not war‭ ! ‬What are we fighting for‭ ? ‬against the Nixon ant-mentality etc.‭ ) Usually this occurs at‭ ‬the psychological transition point between childhood and adulthood‭…‬ where there is enormous internal ambivalence about separating and‭ ‬dis-identifying with the parental values,‭ ‬taken on so passively in earlier years‭ …‬ beginnings of separation of the generations‭ ‬– So the latency kids‭' ‬swearing is usually not malicious or expulsive,‭ ‬primarily,‭ ‬but a way of having a private expressive area away from the‭ '‬proper‭' ‬supervision of adults‭ ‬-‭ ‬an initiation into adolescence,‭ ‬and out of good-kid latency‭ ‬– or‭ ‬rather the adult myth of latency.‭ ) A similar example is provided in My Fair Lady‭ ‬– ( where Eliza is all dolled up but taken to see a supposedly sophisticated horse-racing meet,‭ ‬where the primitive is unleashed through her earnest entreaty to her horse of‭ ‬“ move yer arse‭! “‬.‭ ‬Similar to the supposed naivety of the sister in the aforementioned fucking putt joke‭ ‬-‭ ‬My Fair lady‭ ‬-‭ ‬pre oedipal‭ (‬supposedly‭ ) ‬young‭ '‬ladies‭ ‬-‭ ‬even of the cross are revealed to have passions desires and real frustrations that need to‭ ‬be expressed,‭ ‬as part of their sexual identity.‭ ‬The adolescent girl is needing to show her parents that she has become sexual,‭ ‬and is no longer a show-doll for display purposes or manipulation.‭ ( ‬This dynamic is explores in a really wacky way in many Doris day movies.‭) Swearing,‭ ‬and other provocative behaviour,‭ ‬helps the adolescent girl adjust her father to the fact that she is becoming a sexual being,‭ ‬and has a knowledge,‭ ‬and a body,‭ ‬which extends beyond the boundaries of his control. Eliza Doolittle in fact‭ “‬ does a lot‭”‬ to bring an emotional dimension of intestinal,‭ ‬gut real‭ ‬– sexuality-with-jealousy to the over-educated and controlled‭ ‬– Henry Higgins,‭ ‬who cannot fall in love,‭ ‬until he meets her..‭ ‬She fills a painful dark gap,‭ ‬brought about by the lack‭ ‬of the feminine and sensitivity to feeling,‭ ‬in his life,‭ ‬and is educating and transforming him much more so than he thinks he is educating and transforming her. ‭[‬ However,‭ ‬we have all had the embarrassing experience of our adolescent assertiveness backfiring‭ ‬– when we have been caught out using our pseudo-adult swear-barrier in front of parents,‭ ‬or the equivalent authority figures.‭ ( ‬me‭ ‬scouts‭ ‬---‭ ‬torch‭…‬ show‭ ‬Cartman‭ ‬tape‭ ‬* ( Of course,‭ ‬red-blooded conservative parents will always hope that any rebellious or sexual tension will be simply relieved by all manner of adolescent sport‭ ‬-‭ ‬anything that involves balls,‭ ‬sticks,‭ ‬holes and goals.‭ ) The‭ ( ‬so-called‭ )‬ penal colonies were said to be rife with swearing‭ ‬– in comparison to so-called peaceful colonies,‭ ‬and Hughes sees this as due to a large proportion of rebellious characters in the population. However,‭ ‬recent neuropsychological findings‭ ‬– don‭’‬t ask me what sort of a person studies such things‭ ‬– that parts of the Amygdala‭ ‬– the centre for highly-charged‭ ‬fearful responses,‭ ‬is de-activated during orgasm.‭ ‬It would be interesting to see if swearing creates a similar response in temporarily inhibiting the terror and fear circuits of the brain. Nurses know well that patients coming out of anaesthetics,‭ ‬and going into hypoglycaemic episodes involuntarily swear up a storm and we may still have a lot to learn about normal neurological functioning and layers of mental functioning and language development from people with Tourette's syndrome. ‭ ‬So,‭ ‬maybe,‭ ‬the question ought to be more‭ “‬ how do we stop ourselves from swearing most of the time,‭ ‬in daily life‭ ‬– rather than‭ “‬ why‭ ‬do we swear‭ ? “ As the rebellious,‭ ‬sexual anti-authoritarian stance is expressed and worked through,‭ ‬in healthier adolescents,‭ ‬the provocative swearing settles into an esoteric‭ ‬‘teen-speak‭’‬ with its own‭ ‬‘cool‭’‬ words and catch-phrases‭ ‬– not all that different to our own psychoanalytic catch-words,‭ ‬like‭ ‬‘containing‭’‬ ( instead of‭ ‬‘cool‭’‬ ),‭ ‬or narcissistic‭ …‬ instead of wanker‭ …‬ for example.‭ ‬This teen-speak‭ ‬– or Hamlet-speak,‭ ‬makes them untouchable to the parental generation,‭ ‬and sets a clear boundary that screams‭ “‬ I am not the same as you,‭ ‬and want a self of my own,‭ ‬rather than having to watch you two couple for my only entertainment‭! “ Swearing as a psychic‭ ‬‘poly-filler‭’‬ for the Black Hole ‭ ‬experience of‭ ‬psychotic despair. ex‭·‬ple‭·‬tive‭ ‬Date:‭ ‬1612‭ ‬1‭ ‬a‭ ‬:‭ ‬a syllable,‭ ‬word,‭ ‬or phrase inserted to‭ ‬fill a vacancy‭ (‬as in a sentence or a metrical line‭) ‬without adding to the sense‭; ‬2‭ ‬:‭ ‬one that serves to fill out or as a‭ ‬filling‭ ‬for‭ ‬BLACK HOLE‭ ? expletive derivation of:‭ ‬comes from explere expletif old french serving to fill out-occupying space or required to make up a required quantity or number.‭ ‬Meaning expletive word or phrase one used for filling up a sentence.‭ ‬Eeking out a metrical line without adding anything to the sense.‭ ‬often applied to a profane oath or meaningless exclamation.‭ ‬An exclamation or oath,‭ ‬especially one that is profane,‭ ‬vulgar,‭ ‬or obscene.‭ ‬A word or phrase‭ ‬that does not contribute any meaning but is added only to fill out a sentence or a metrical line.‭ ( ‬like‭ *&‬%‭^&‬$‭&‬%‭** ‬ when swearing is designateed and depicted in comics‭ !!!! ) ‬Linguistics A word or other grammatical element that has no meaning but is needed to fill a syntactic position,‭ ‬such as the words it and there in the sentences It's raining and There are many books on the table.‭ ‬adj.‭ ‬Excrement‭ show Monty python eg‭ ‬from Holy Grail‭ ‬as example of where the word process of swearing intersects with the action‭ ‬– one literally pours into the other‭ ! ( ‬the Holy Grail itself is given to Arthur‭ ‬– in the MP film‭ ‬– to fill a void or Lacanian gap‭ ‬in his,‭ ‬and in all human,‭ ‬life‭ … TAUNT‭ ‬n.‭ ‬a thing said in order to anger or wound a person. reproach‭ (‬a person‭) ‬contemptuously. 16th c.,‭ ‬in the phrase taunt for taunt from French tant pour tant‭ ‬‘tit for tat‭’‬,‭ ‬hence a smart rejoinder‭] ‬closely-related to Tantrum. ‭ Swearing as an oath of sincerity,‭ ‬in the face of the Real.‭ Swearing‭ ‬can‭ ‬say:‭ “‬ I really mean this and you‭’‬d better believe it‭!”‬ It is particularly effective if the swearer does not usually swear in day-to-day life.‭ “‬ Do that again and I will blow your fucking head off‭ “‬ will be extremely powerful if said by a usually level-headed person,‭ ‬and will,‭ ‬at times,‭ ‬be far more effective than a politely reasoned rational argument.‭ ‬Similarly,‭ ‬it can be used to acknowledge the reality of what someone has said to you‭ ‬– a Fuck or shit‭ ‬– said with‭ ‬an exclamation tone,‭ ‬will say‭ “‬ You‭’‬ve really got through to me,‭ ‬and I am taking what you‭’‬ve said very seriously.‭”‬ It can also express awe,‭ ‬because the language of the Real has no words‭ ‬– and the gap must be filled quickly and effectively.‭ [ Fucking‭ ‬Moon tape‭ * ] But reverence for awe can easily slip back into fear and persecution‭ ‬– even via the same swear word.‭ ‬Buzz Aldrin caused very mixed emotions in America last year when he‭ ‬yelled‭ " ‬fucking idiot‭!”‬ at a guy who challenged the‭ '‬reality‭' ‬of the moon landing.‭ ‬But even that wasn‭’‬t sufficient to prevent him from also punching the man,‭ ‬when the latter repeated the taunt. Swearing can be used as ejective evasion of the limits of Awe‭ ‬– a protective contact barrier‭ ‬– like a trampoline shield‭ ‬– which keeps awareness and full emotional impact of awe repressed,‭ ‬and thrust back into the social ether‭ ‬– passed around like a body over the top of the crowd at an ecstatic rock concert. ‭ ‬The Ultimate Conflict‭ ‬between the Life Drive and the Death drive The creative flash‭ ‬vs‭ ‬the evacuative flush. No doubt,‭ ‬if Archimedes had been an Aussie,‭ ‬the Eureka stockade would have been called the Fuck Me‭! ‬stockade. ‭ ‬That is to say,‭ ‬swearing can express‭ ‬a‭ “‬ breakthrough‭ ! “‬ moment,‭ ‬or‭ “‬psychological birth‭”‬ experience‭ ( ‬Mahler etc‭) ‬or a sudden realization. ‭ ‬So‭ “‬ bloody Hell‭’‬ might express feelings about the womb,‭ ‬or even placenta or birth itself.‭ ‬Patient who wished to be permanently anaesthetized,‭ ‬and always said‭ “‬ bloody hell‭”‬ when forced to look at his real life situation,‭ ‬which he‭’‬d withdrawn from into an addiction with online poker games. Another patient,‭ (‬who suffered with a creative writing block,‭ ‬and who had lost touch with her real feelings and thoughts‭ ‬– similarly in her marriage,‭ ‬she no longer knew whether or not she loved her husband,‭ ‬or whether she just felt that she should‭ ) ( in relation to her confusion between creativity-with-feeling‭ ‬vs evacuative‭ ‬‘production-line‭’‬ works‭ ‬-‭ ‬experienced as‭ ‬‘psychic shit‭’‬ -‭ ‬because the authentic feelings could not be contained‭ ‬– or as Meltzer and Harris Williams prefer to put it:‭ ‬the burden of the mystery cannot be sustained.‭) Dreamt she was looking at some mud thrown against a wall‭ ‬– man‭ ( ‬me‭) ‬says don‭’‬t do that‭ ‬– they could be valuable works of Art if you put feeling into it‭ ‬– then she looked at the audience who said‭ ‬– yes,‭ ‬put care into it‭ ( ‬like a Greek chorus‭ ‬– she‭’‬d loved a Greek grandparent when she was a young girl,‭ ‬but had lost touch with her‭ ) ‬-‭ ‬then they turned into colour,‭ ‬and she felt grown-up and valuable herself,‭ ‬but was also dreading that this would mean that from now on she would lose control of what came out of her. ‭ ‬The next session,‭ ‬she arrived and announced that she was ready to use the couch.‭ For some patients,‭ ‬the capacity to swear,‭ ‬with feeling and passion,‭ ‬becomes an expressive achievement.‭ ‬For other patients,‭ ‬it can be an achievement for them to cease‭ ‬‘automatic swearing‭’‬ and to contain their frustrations enough to‭ ‬allow them to be thought about.‭ ‬So,‭ ‬the context and meaning of the swearing is very important. ‭ * * * * * * * Life instinct‭ ‬-‭ ‬ ‘healthy‭’‬ swearing: ‭“‬ Jesus Christ in a bread basket‭ “‬ or‭ ‬-Shakespearean invective/insults‭ ‬etc‭…‬ invokes wit. ‭ ‬It makes the Real more bearable‭ ‬– has a sighing depressive tone‭ ‬-‭ ‬Fuck yes‭ ! ‬it is affirmative,‭ ‬rather than denigratory/destructive and mocking‭ ‬-‭ ‬or anti-female,‭ ‬or racist or with murderous intent. ‭ ‬It‭ ‬decelerates the impulse to mindless action.‭ ‬It helps‭ ‬digest feelings rather than excretes them from the psyche.‭ ‬It is always tongue-in-cheek and playful,‭ ‬and affirming of life‭ ‬– “ fuck-yes‭ ! ‬you fucking beauty‭ ! “‬( to use some Australia examples‭ ) It helps traverse the limits of Awe,‭ ‬by transforming outbreaks of Death Drive‭ ( ‬especially close to moments of‭ ‬‘ emergency‭’‬ -‭ ‬e-merging from the primal object,‭ ‬psychological birth‭ ( ‬to again use Margaret Mahler‭’‬s and Otto Rank‭’‬s term‭ ‬– or what Bion calls‭ ‬ “ catastrophic change‭ “‬.‭ ‬Swearing can revive a kind of reverie at times like this‭ ‬– internally recalling the Mother‭’‬s Life-drive‭ ‬-‭ ‬transforming something potentially deathly into something humorous‭ ‬– which says‭ ‬– “ This is difficult,‭ ‬but it is known and manageable‭ ‬– even death happens‭ …‬ so we can bear it together. Death-drive spiteful‭ ‬swearing‭ ‬– aimed at source of Life itself.‭ (‬Maybe why‭ ‬‘cunt‭’‬ is still a fairly taboo word in our language.‭ ) This type of swearing‭ ‬keeps the depressive position at bay‭ ‬– rather than accepting or modifying painful feelings.‭ ‬Therefore is desperate,‭ ‬paranoid and violently and urgently needing a toilet-container/victim to pour invective on.‭ ‬It is quite frightening and threatening to be assailed by. This is why swearing can be so offensive to some people‭ ‬– it isn‭’‬t just because they are prudish‭ ( ‬although that may sometimes be the case‭ )‬.‭ ‬It‭’‬s because they feel that the tone and intent of swearing is aimed against life itself,‭ ‬or the Creator‭ ( ‬Neville Symington‭’‬s appropriated term from Melanie Klein,‭ ‬is‭ “‬ Life-giver‭”‬ ) In Kleinian terms,‭ ‬the nipple is seen as being vomited out and fired back at Life/God,‭ ‬with vengeance and spiteful,‭ ‬envious resentment.‭ ‬This is therefore felt by religious people as the most offensive form of swearing‭ ‬– taking the name of the Lord in vain.‭ ‬It is experienced as a smearing of God‭’‬s offerings to humans,‭ ‬particularly when these offerings involve pains,‭ ‬frustrations and losses and it is equated with the workings of an envious Satan,‭ ‬or a snake in the garden of Eden,‭ ‬who incites humans into breaking their oath with God,‭ ‬the Life-giver‭ ‬– one‭’‬s oath to find life sacred and Good. ‭ ‬So it might well be experienced by some as the equivalent of breaking wind at God,‭ ‬and directing hatred towards the goodness of Life‭ ‬– the language of an envious Satan,‭ But there is a wonderful paradox at work here‭ ‬– something that pokes fun at our simplistic attempts to describe mentality in terms of a simple duality‭ ‬– something that shows just how intertwined our life and death drives are‭ ‬– as are love and hate. ‭ ‬In order to curse a God you have to be believe in its existence,‭ ‬and omnipotence.‭ ‬Furthermore,‭ ‬you must feel that the Creator is‭ ‬open for business,‭ ‬and listening to complaints. Thankfully then,‭ ‬the abysmally simple division of swearing motivation falls to pieces when we consider the kaleidoscopic melange of the drives conjured by ‭ ‬ Comedy There is very little profanity on network TV‭ ‬-‭ ‬why‭ ? ‬because its aim is anodyne anaesthesia from the Real and from emotional experiences which are ant-depressive and distracting‭ ‬– to keep any depressing thoughts at bay‭ ‬– and to give the illusion that everything is pleasant and manageable‭ ‬– and simple.‭ ‬Exceptions do break through occasionally‭ ‬– but are quickly slotted into manageable segments of info-tainment.‭ These days,‭ ‬Hollywood movies almost compulsorily use‭ “‬fucking‭”‬ language as a cheap wallpaper effect to make the characters seem‭ '‬real‭' ‬-‭ ‬of course this is a very cheap trick,‭ ‬and the producers have to gamble on not losing too many potential‭ '‬proper‭' ‬audience members. Obscenity is swearing to off-end an audience‭ ‬– a large group,‭ ‬or a society or tribe.‭ ‬It can be either creative,‭ ‬like satire,‭ ‬provoking thought‭ ‬– or it may be to project feelings of humiliation and embarrassment into the audience.‭ ‬Very often it is both. Compare‭ ‬Barry Humphries‭) ‬who‭ ( ‬even with the unrestrained Les Patterson never swears,‭ ( ‬but,‭ ‬who,‭ ‬on the other hand is well-known for humiliating and vilifying certain audience members‭ ‬– particularly those who come late,‭ ‬or who happen to be sitting in the front rows‭ ‬-‭ ‬with Billy Connolly. Billy Connolly‭ ‬– needs to be singled‭ ‬out,‭ ‬because of the way he has made broadband swearing part of the mainstream.‭ ( ‬He now successfully combines family television travelogues with the obscene taunting of the local population.‭) His ongoing use of the word‭ “‬fuck‭”‬ is psychic glue,‭ ‬at worse‭ (‬ also,‭ ‬the drunk passenger in‭ " ‬All or Nothing‭ " ‬– in the face of black hole dread and meaninglessness.‭ ‬Billy Connolly‭ ‬-‭ ‬at best:‭ ‬he provides a gateway for the audience to experience the‭ ‬Real in their quotidian existence‭ ‬-‭ ‬especially human inadequacy and‭ ‬buffoonery in coping with it But‭ then again‭–‬ at worst:‭ ‬he uses the word‭ ‬‘fuck‭’‬ as a kind of psychic glue to fill a huge vacuum in his own capacity to find words for feelings. ‭ ‬ * * * * * A few years ago,‭ ‬a supervisee came to a her supervision session,‭ ‬folded her arms,‭ ‬and then told me that there wasn‭’‬t much to discuss,‭ ‬because all her patient had done was to swear in the past week of sessions.‭ I asked to hear the material,‭ ‬and she said‭ ‬– “ it was all just swearing‭…‬ I didn‭’‬t write it down‭ ! ” She was quite uncomfortable when I asked her to try to recall what was‭ ‬said‭ ‬– but it turned out to be‭ ‬ a very fruitful supervision‭ ‬– in spite of some of the transferential implications being quite unsettling,‭ ‬The attempt we both made to explore the swearing‭ ‬– almost as if it was a waking dream‭ ‬– allowed the therapist to begin thinking about areas of emotional experience in her patient that were previously unreachable‭ ‬-‭ ‬particularly overwhelming pain and‭ ‬frustration and self-‭ ‬disgust.‭ ‬As a result,‭ ‬the therapist probably headed off a danger of enacting countertransference aloofness and disgust with her patient. ‭ If it is the psychic interplay of life‭ & ‬death drives that gives rise‭ ‬to humour,‭ ‬then it may be that the crucial difference between malicious,‭ ‬anti-life swearing and the expressive,‭ ‬enlivening swearing which facilitates the emotional contact with the REAL,‭ ‬is the presence or absence of a humorous tone‭ ( ‬cf contemptuous mocking vs irony‭ ) ‬or,‭ ‬to use our own jargon‭ ‬– the presence or absence of the depressive position in emotional communication Just as we hate a sporting contest that is too one-sided,‭ ‬the power of well-timed,‭ ‬if clumsy swearing can bring a richness to Life‭ ‬– a sharp reminder of the knife-edge we all glide along between our life and death drives. But,‭ ‬might not we all be forgiven for the often clumsy way we shuffle and fall between playful gratitude and abusive cursing,‭ ‬as we journey on the painful burden and great gift‭ ‬we call‭ “‬Life‭”‬ ? Conf.‭ ‬with slides and audio‭ ‬6/10/2005‭ Neil Maizels ‭ 19