Re: vulgarisms
| From: | Carlos Thompson <chlewey@...> |
|---|
| Date: | Wednesday, November 11, 1998, 4:21 |
|---|
lucasso wrote:
> have you thought about low speech, vulgarisms and slangs?
> i'm especially interested in vulgarity, what words may have vulgar mean=
ing,
> what can be vulgar?
I've always wonder this too.
In comparing the natlangs I know, or have hear about, I've noted that wha=
t is
vulgar or offensive in some language is not in some others. Even in some=
dialects/accents of Spanish, there are differences between what is vulgar=
or
offensive and what is not.
Commonly in Spanish, vulgarity is usually asociated with sex. If I remem=
ber
correctly in Swedish vulgar words are more asociated with hell and deamon=
ds.
One of the acceptions of "to swear" in English is to be rude. "jurar" wo=
uldn't
be interpreted in Colombia in that sense.
The other phenomena I've found is how values changes. Vulgar words chang=
es.
The history i heard says that the Spanish word "puta" (peyorative for hor=
e)
comes form a Italian word meaning "miss". Which wasn't vulgar becomes th=
at. The
Spanish verb "coger": "to take" or "to grep" has become vulgar in many
Latinoamerican countries with a peyorative meaning of having sex. "Coger=
" is
still used in Colombia with the standard meaning "to take".
Many vulgar words were meant to be rude and insultive. In Colombia (or a=
t least
in Bogota) many of those are commonly used with no rude meaning. They ar=
e still
vulgar (you wouldn't pronounce it at the board meating of your company) b=
ut not
rude. If you realy want to be rude to a man, specialy if you are a woman=
,
called him "cretino" which is not considered a vulgarity but is quite
offensive. In other words: vulgarity is usually asociated with sex, but
rudeness is usually asociated with lack of inteligence.
Other common source of rude words are animals wich we asociated with nega=
tive
values (like opportunism, foul play or something like that). Examples in=
Spanish are "rata", at some extend "perro" (dog) but "perra" (bitch) is f=
ully
rude (with similar meaning than English if I'm not mistaken). I remember=
I once
read that calling somebody "wild dog" was very offensive in some Arab cou=
ntry.
>
> AFAIK there are no 'civilisated' langs without that stuff, so whata bou=
t
> conlans?
I've found in sombodys conlang that politness should be necesary... I gue=
ss this
make rude and vulgar a phrase with no polite markings.
I guess for the resurection of my personal language, I won't derive vulga=
rity at
a deep level, that's because I myself are not uset to vulgar speech, even=
if my
enviroment is plaged by that. Rudeness would probably be conceptual borr=
owings
from the languages I know (those which reflect my own thoughts) and scape=
word
(those "shit!" "f...!" and other words when only used for internal but
exteriorized thoughts) would be shameless phonetical borrowings from what=
evere
word crosses my mind.
If I ever begun seriously any of may ficlangs they would derive the vulga=
rity
from their cultures values.
Well, thats all for know.
--
o_o
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3Dw=3D=3D=3Dw=3D=3D=3D=3D#######
Chlewey Thompin ## ####
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/9028/ ## ## ##
------------------------------------------------##-## ##
###
- =BFPor qu=E9 no?
- No tiene sentido.
- =BFQu=E9 sentido? El sentido no existe.
- El sentido inverso. O el sentido norte. El sentido com=FAn, tal ve=
z. O sin
sentido, como aqu=ED.
(-- Graeville 2)
--
o_o
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3Dw=3D=3D=3Dw=3D=3D=3D=3D#######
Chlewey Thompin ## ####
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/9028/ ## ## ##
------------------------------------------------##-## ##
###
- =BFPor qu=E9 no?
- No tiene sentido.
- =BFQu=E9 sentido? El sentido no existe.
- El sentido inverso. O el sentido norte. El sentido com=FAn, tal ve=
z. O sin
sentido, como aqu=ED.
(-- Graeville 2)