Re: Swearing in other cultures (was Langmaker.com and...)

Wow, I haven't seen Langmaker and swearing together since those problems
with Langmaker/Win and Windows 2000.

Speaking of swearing, I was shocked recently to discover that the Fithians
are herbivores and any references to meat-eating are the most foul and
obscene things you can ever say to them.  They are herd creatures (picture
an antlered centaur) and much of their language and society developed in
response to threats from carnivores, which fortunately are no more
intelligent on Fithia than they are on earth.

I love meat myself and would not be a good candidate for a first-contact
mission to meet the Fithians.

More on Fithian swearing from http://www.langmaker.com/stackconj.htm...
'Here is an example of _skuunh_, "*drop all": the phrase _shi vum vai e_
("you were an egg", lit. "you egg be") is a dire insult, roughly equivalent
to "f-- you" in English (and is a reference to the pestilent monotreme
rodents native to the planet Fithia). However, the phrase _shi vum vai
skuunh_ is the equivalent of "shucks" or "you goof"; it is the mildest of
oaths, said by parents to their children and lovers to one another. (Imagine
saying "f-- you never mind" to your child!)'

Best regards,

Jeffrey Henning
LangMaker.com Webmaster
http://www.langmaker.com

"At some point in the next century the number of invented languages will
probably overtake the number of surviving natural languages."
- Cullen Murphy in Atlantic Monthly (October, 1995)

Replies