What defines "swear" words?

Question

I have been evaluating the use of certain words/phrases in our home. We do not use ANY of the HIGHLY OFFENSIVE words, that I consider them to be. LIke ones that make movies to be rated differently... BUT

I am thinking that "shut-up" & "Holy Moly" & "dang-it" are offensive, because if you are using them in PLACE of a cuss word, then is it not the same thing?

What are your thoughts on this? I am looking for objectivity in this subject, not for jokes.

THanks in advance!

Answer 1

technically any offensive word in a specific language is swearing.... classic example is when you say "jesus christ!" after something makes an impression on you.... the words are not offensive, but its considered swearing due to the context in which they are used...

Answer 2

Euphanisms (sp) are words used to replace curse words.

A lot of people laugh at me, but when Spongebob first aired I became addicted to "tartar sauce" right away.  I make a stupid mistake:  "tartar sauce"... I stub my toe:  "tartar sauce"... I accidentally break something:  "tartar sauce" lol.  It's become my swear word.  Funny thing is, when out in Service earlier in the year, I asked some REALLY conservative Pioneers (one of which is our PO) if it would be considered a euphanism and they said "no".  *scratches head*

So, I'm not completely sure on the matter.

When my kids try to use "Holy ____ [anything]" I stop them right there and ask them who is holy.  They say God and the point is made.  But now they try to use "Unholy ___" *rolls eyes*

"Shut up" is simply disrespectful, and I try to replace it with "please be quiet" or "shush" (which isn't much better than shut up IMHO, so I limit it).

Dang-it and darn are recognized euphanisms but curbing my kids using them has proven most difficult; as has "h**l".  They get in major trouble if they tell someone to go there... but to say "Oh h**l" or "what the h**l" is being said by them more often than I'd like to recall.

Good question.

Answer 3

say what you mean and avoid the words you speak of...euphemisms are just the same words in a more gentle wording. ...some people were raised with curse words and it is hard for them to shake saying them...but we have to be contentious about abusive speech.....when the bible talks about public cursing it is referring to publicly putting a curse or spell on someone.

Answer 4

Well, I think it depends on your motivation for banning the words in your household. If you're trying to avoid words simply because they are considered offensive, then I would think that saying things like "shut up" and "dang it" would be ok, because those words don't have the same zing behind them as the swear words they are replacing.

But, if you're more concerned about what the words represent than their actual form, then I think eliminating the "replacement curses" is reasonable. For example, when I was a teenager, my parents banned the words "frickin" and "flippin" from my vocabulary because even though I wasn't saying the f-word, I was still conveying the same meaning when I used those replacements.

I do think you need to consider where you're going to draw the line with that, though...because if it's about being respectful and using good manners, you can quickly find yourself banning lots and lots of words. Example...I had a friend in 8th grade who was not EVER allowed to use the words "butt" or "f**t." I personally thought that was a little extreme, but her mother deemed them "highly disrespectful." Anyway, that's my 2 cents on the subject!

Answer 5

if it's used in place of a cuss word like saying c**p insted of s**t. it's means the same thing just shows you have more self respect. what defines a swear word is something that might offend someone else such as saying jesus crist. that will offend a lot of people but, saying it in a movie won't jumpthe raeing of it. a swear word is  something that if say  it around other people they will take it to offense and look down apon you. i wouldn't take holy moly or dang-it to offense. overall useing another word in place of a cuss word is not a bad thing it just shows you have more respect towards other people plus...self respect. by useing another word it also shows you have more control oveer your anger

Answer 6

its not da same thing cause you dont have da balls to say the real thing so shutup holy moly and dang it are not swear words