Who decided that a “curse” or “obscenity” was bad? Since language must be taught, words cannot be inherently wrong, yet the entire human race can identify certain words as such. The very sound of certain words being uttered appalls us, but is it only the word of the meaning which we find offensive. In English, there are several different categories and levels of obscenities: swears, “shit”; animal or sexist curses of abuse, “bitch”; intellect curses of abuse, “idiot”; racist slurs, “chink”; blasphemous, “Jesus Christ”; and homophobic slurs, “queer,” all ranging from mild to very strong (McEnery, 30-36). Out of this, “fuck,” “nigger,” and “goddamn” represent a variety of categories, but are also relatively popular in the English language today. They symbolize different ways of how a word becomes a curse and how they are treated, but most importantly, these words demonstrate the nature of obscene terms. Obscenity is not covered under the First Amendment, but it is difficult to determine what is and isn’t obscene. It is a subjective art which relies on the opinions of others, but also a majority consensus. Curse words, with little debate, enter into the obscenities category and are therefore subject to censorship in the hopes of protecting the public. There is often a question as to whether their power comes from the speaker, or is given by the listener, but with these words so engrained into the English language, their power does not come from lack of use.
Paradoxically, “fuck” is one of the most taboo yet best known obscenities in the English language today. The word developed into what it is recognized today during the Early Modern period of English, but it had been in the language for some time before that (“Fuck”). The word had been changed from “fuken” in Middle English to “fuck” or “fuk” in Early Modern English, most likely gaining some Scandinavian influence in spelling with the inclusion of “ck. (“Fuck”). It has a Germanic origin, but from exactly where or when it entered into English is unknown. There were plenty of equivalents, languages like Dutch, German, and Swedish could have possibly given English the term, but even French and Latin had their versions, and it appears that every case of it has a sexual definition (F-Word). It is difficult to say which, if any, of these languages introduced the word into English. Really, before the fifteenth century, there is no information about the word. This could be that it was introduced late in the language, or that it was rare, but considering the knowledge we have of it in today’s society and that it was met with more repression in the past, the reason is most likely because it has been considered an obscenity since its introduction to the language. Since it is impossible to have any audio recordings of the time, it is difficult to know how common “fuck” was and if it ever had a non-sexual meaning[1], but as long as there has been a written record of it, “fuck” has been a taboo word. It appears that “fuck” came into the language earliest as a verb which meant “to copulate,” and then later on changed to a noun, meaning “an act of copulation” (“Fuck”). Though the term was rarely ever in print, it did sporadically appear in dictionaries such as Nathan Bailey’s, John Ash’s New and Complete Dictionary of the English Language, and the OED, but always with the same sexual definition (F-Word). Since then, the word has become one of the most versatile obscenities in the English language. No longer is “fuck” limited to sex, but people, exclamations of anger, or “anything whatsoever” (F-Word, 94). Also, it has been formed into almost every part of speech possible: from a possessive noun, “For fuck’s sake,” to an adverb, “The situation is fucking serious,” and not to mention affixing, “Fuckhead,” “Fan-fuckin-tastic,” “Motherfucker” (F-Word).
Why “fuck” is a taboo word today is simple: because as long as we have known in our history, it has been taboo. Why it became taboo is more difficult to answer. “Fuck” has always been known as a sexual term, and there is no doubt that this gives it some of its power, but there must have been some incident or circumstance that separated “fuck” from “copulate” or even “intercourse”. Much of this, of course, would be found in the missing history of the word, but there are some possibilities. Since it is most likely that “fuck” has an Anglo-Saxon origin, the problem may have come from the fact that it had been introduced by a people who were overrunning, pillaging, and raping, or possibly “fucking,” the original taboo may have come from the hatred of its introducers (F-Word). It could then be assumed that the introduction of William the Conqueror and French into English could have given it a distinction of being lower class and therefore vulgar. All of this is speculation, though. What is known is that our earliest records of “fuck” consider it vulgar because of its sexual definition[2]. There must have been some motivation behind the inclusion of it into the English Language. Loan words are introduced generally because a term which is needed is missing, yet there were already words for “sex”; although, maybe not the violent sex which “fuck” implies. Depending on when “rape” entered the language, “fuck” could have been an early synonym, but this would not explain why “fuck” is an obscenity, and “rape” is not. Humanity has not banned the word or definition completely since it does serve a purpose as implying violent, yet consensual sex, and it may be in part to the image “fuck” evokes that evolved it into obscenity. What’s more, we have created euphemisms for it. It has gone beyond merely meaning sex and can also be used as an exclamation, for a person must be able to express anger without offending others. This shows that the definition or even the connotations of the word are not taboo, merely the word itself. Edward Sagarin states the simplest and most true reason, “The euphemisms are necessary because the thought of sex is itself not shocking, but only the sounds” (128). There is no difference between “fuck” and “copulate,” but the sound of the word “fuck” and the societal norms which have taught us to hear it and be shocked have caused it to become taboo and remain that way. It is not necessarily the phonemic sounds, for there are euphemisms so close to “fuck” that it can be difficult to tell apart, but the entire word itself. The public has been so engrained with the offensiveness of “fuck” that the sound of it can unconsciously bring shock. However, “fuck” has, in recent years, lost some of its taboo. The word was rarely printed, sans the euphemism, until the 1920s, and then from 1960 to 1970 much of the word’s taboo was disintegrated by growing acceptance and use (F-Word). People are becoming more acquainted with the sound, and so the newer generations are finding it less offensive. It seems that the best way to create a natural aversion to a word is by giving it an almost mythical rarity to the point that the shock comes not from the word itself but from finding out that it exists, and this writer can attest to the growing use of the word in the new teenage generation. It has become one of the more popular obscenities, probably because of its waning taboo and versatility, but it is still considered one of the worst. New generations use it to shock, and not as much to curse, because they know that there is a shock value there to be exploited. Sagarin refers to it as “an absolute monarch, unafraid of any princely offspring still unborn, and by its subjects it is hated, feared, revered and loved, known by all and recognized by none” (136). It can be said with little doubt that, given the history of censorship and meaning that “fuck” has, it may become increasingly more popular to use, but only because of the shock created at its utterance.
“One prominent professor told U.S News & World Report […] that if she used fuck in class, no one would bat an eye, but she would never dare to use and racial epithet [“nigger”] in any context” (F-Word, xxi). Whereas “fuck” is universal and versatile, “nigger,” and its prodigy “nigga,” has become one of the most culturally specific obscenities in the English Language. Its popularity began in the sixteenth century when it was not obscene at all, in fact, it could occasionally be considered a positive term. Not until the eighteenth century was it first recorded as having any hostile or derogatory intent (“Nigger”). Nigger” was borrowed from the Latin “niger,” meaning a black stone, to refer to a person of African decent (“Nigger”). There can actually be little doubt, as opposed to the origin of “fuck,” as to whether or not the term came from Latin, since, until the nineteenth century, it maintained its “niger” spelling to emulate the Latin term. In the 1800s, “niger” began to spell itself with a double “g,” and it then went through several waves of pejoration and amelioration (“Nigger”). It appears that, according to the OED, within a three year time period, “nigger” went from derogatory when used by Caucasians to favorable when used by African-Americans and then back to derogatory when used by African-Americans. The instability of the word did not end there, though. Throughout the years, “nigger” has had good and bad meanings, culturally specific to socially specific connotations, and even a caterpillar or a sea cucumber (“Nigger”). The most well known definitions today would be “a person who is socially, politically, or economically disadvantaged or exploited; […] likened to that endured by African-Americans,” “a person who does menial labor; any person considered to be of low social status,” “a dark-skinned person of any origin,” and “In African-American usage: […] a close […] friend, a comrade, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a spouse” (“Nigger”). Most recently, “nigger” has come into a debate as to the possible racist meaning which raises the question of what exactly makes a word obscene.
“Nigger” is a ticklish word, especially for Caucasians. The word is generally used with caution, for it has developed from a racist slur used mainly by Caucasians, to a racist bombshell no matter who uses it. Despite any other definitions given to it, this word will always be associated with the violent racism of slavery, and the later events of the reconstruction and civil rights movement. One reason that it may be so shocking is because America tries to treat racism and slavery as existing only in the past, but when someone says “nigger” it appears to disprove that idealist façade. It has been solidified in our lexicon as racist and obscene; however, there have been movements in the African-American culture to redefine the term as positive. “Nigger” came into the culture as a neutral label for Africans and was made into an obscenity, so is it possible to unmake it? One way that this reclaiming is being done is by changing “nigger” to “nigga”. In a sense, “nigga” goes back to “niger” as a label, and it is generally agreed upon that “nigga” has much more positive implications than “nigger,” possibly because, as Sagarin stated before, “-ga” sounds less offensive and more casual than “-ger”, which can sound harsh and violent, relating to a growl, but also because it is more formal and therefore “uncool” to rappers. Both can still be shocking, though, since not all African-Americans appreciate the reclaiming of the terms, and because the difference in endings has created confusion and further separatism between races. While “nigger” is universally considered racist, “nigga” is only racist if a Caucasian uses it. Because it is a reclaimed term, African-Americans who use it with positive connotations are reluctant to allow Caucasians and, sometimes, other races the same rights. The definition and intentions of this term have changed so often throughout history that it is difficult to pinpoint exactly what it means in the present, and so it is up to the individual to decide whether or not it is an obscene word. As Stephanie Smith points out about the word “nigger,” “Who you imagine I am and who you imagine you are will determine, at least in part, how this […] is read” (123). And so it is that this word, which could mean so many different things, has become one of the most volatile obscenities in English. It is difficult to know whether or not an audience will understand how the term is being used, especially when the speaker is not African American. Consider Chris Rock or Richard Pryor. Both are African American comedians known for raunchy acts and using “nigger” or “nigga” multiple times, but it is usually accepted not only because they are black, but because the audience knows their intent with the word and they know that it will be used often. However, in a 1986 episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” a mostly white town afraid of incoming African Americans continually used the word, and their motives were unclear. It appeared that the people were using it as a racist slur, so one guest elaborated saying:
“You have blacks, and you have niggers. Blacks stayed at home during the march, the niggers are the ones that marched in Forsyth County […] I’ve talked to black people. Black people, they don’t want to come up here-they don’t want to cause trouble. That’s a black person. A nigger is the one […] wants to come up here and cause trouble all the time. That’s the difference.”
Though to some it may still appear that “nigger” was meant as racist, for the people using it on the show, it had taken on a different meaning. Certainly, a racist would want to use the term to offend the black community which, given the present state of the word, it would, but there are others who wish to see the word as no longer shocking. One could say that “nigger” has narrowed throughout history, but the definition today is specific to the person using it. Since the word “nigger”, or “nigga,” do carry certain emotions and do not have an absolute, concrete meaning, it may well always be an obscenity, and, unlike “fuck,” could intensify in taboo in the future.
Lastly, “goddamn” or “goddamnit” is a combination word of the noun “god” and the verb “damn,” both which existed centuries before they became one of the more blasphemous obscenities. God” is an Old English word which corresponds with words from Old Frisian, Old Scandinavian, Dutch, Old Hungarian, Old Norse, and Goth (“God”). It is probably one of the more powerful words in the English language since it represents not only an all-powerful being, but it is a term that is present in almost every religion on Earth. The idea of God has been one of the longest and most ardently protected themes in human existence, besides survival, and so it is no wonder that the root of the word “god” has never undergone any change (“God”). “Damn” on the other hand stems from Old Frisian “dampen” and eventually became “damn” in the seventeenth century (“Damn”). It was around the same time that “god-damn-me” became a common obscenity. The etymology is simply a combination of the words “god” and “damn” with the emphasized meaning of the word going towards “damn”, but the inclusion of “god” gives it all of its taboo power (“God-damn (-me)”). There is little question as to why “Goddamn” is considered a curse word as it breaks one of the major rules in a few different religions: not to take God’s name in vain. This term blatantly defies that with two words that are considered curses, when used in the context, and combining them. Generally, blasphemous terms are not considered, by today’s society, to be as obscene as “fuck” or “nigger” since they are merely exclamations with no offensive sexual or racist meanings, so it is not uncommon to hear any range of these words on television or in public with no consequence. “Hell,” “oh my God,” and “Jesus Christ,” despite being considered among the milder curses, are still given their respective euphemisms, “heck,” “oh my gosh,” “gee whiz” (Sagarin, 41), and “cripes”. The sounds of these words, unlike the pure shock of “nigger” or “fuck,” are offensive because of the underlying sinfulness. So, it should be a paradox that these words need any alternate terms at all, especially in the present when, as described above, even words akin to “fuck” are losing their edge, but this is most likely because “goddamn” and others are found to be sacrilegious for a large group of people. Interestingly enough, “goddamn,” the double whammy of all blasphemous curses, is considered one of the harsher of all curse words and often finds itself being censored. Most likely, this is because it employs two different curses, breaks one of the Ten Commandments, and is therefore very offensive to one particular but large group of people. This has permeated throughout all of society, since, as in “fuck” particularly, much of the power is found in the rarity of its use. One doesn’t have to be religious to know that “goddamn” is a curse, though it certainly strengthens its offensiveness, for the obscenity label placed upon these words is all a person needs to blindly accept the taboo.
It seems that the only common denominator with these words is the fact that they are categorized as obscene, and that really seems to be the place where any curse gains its power. For “fuck” and “goddamn,” it cannot be the definitions of the words, for there are euphemisms that one uses to present the same meanings, and as for “nigger,” some of the community has disregarded the negativity. The reason that a person does not like the sound of a word is because they know that it should not be a pleasing sound. So called “obscene” music and entertainment counts on this learned aversion to “fuck,” “nigger,” and “goddamn” to offend others instead of their intended purpose. There must have been a need for cursing, if for no other reason than to effectively express anger. “Fuck’s” popularity and commonness as an exclamation will ensure that it will never leave the language, but it will progressively become less and less offensive, yet to describe a particularly violent form of consensual sex, it has a use which no other word can evoke. Depending on where the definition of “nigger” falls, it may either become obsolete for being offensive, or it could be a controversial, but positive term for friendship. Most likely, “goddamn” will undergo no change at all, for it is unlikely that it will ameliorate, but it is not so offensive that there will be great movements to have it stricken from the language. Since cursing is a form of rebellion, there is no doubt that obscenities will survive and have a purpose, but they will be perpetuated as offensive for it is has been engrained in our, and therefore in future generations, minds to be shocked at their utterance, no matter what their purpose is.
Works Cited
“Damn” Oxford English Dictionary. 2007. Oxford University Press. 15 April 2007. .
“Fuck”. Oxford English Dictionary. 2007. Oxford University Press. 15 April 2007. .
“God” Oxford English Dictionary. 2007. Oxford University Press. 15 April 2007. .
“God-damn (me)” Oxford English Dictionary. 2007. Oxford University Press. 15 April 2007. .
“Nigger”. Oxford English Dictionary. 2007. Oxford University Press. 15 April 2007. .
“Racial Tension in Georgia”. Oprah. ABC. WEWS, Chicago. 9 Feb.1987. Transcript.
Sagarin, Edward. The Anatomy of Dirty Words. New York: Stewart, 1968.
Smith, Stephanie A. “Nigger”. Household Words. Minneapolis: Minnesota, 2006.123-48.
The F-Word. Ed. Jesse Sheidlower. New York: Random House, 1995.
McEnery, Tony. Swearing in English: Bad Language, Purity, and Power from 1586 to the Present. Ed. Tony McEnery. London, Routledge, 2006.
[1] Apparently, there is a theory which says that the phrase “puck you”, an insult hoping to emulate the sound of the plucking of a bow and arrow and which meant to wish harm upon a person, was a precursor to “fuck you”. After sound shifts affected consonants such as “P”, it soon became “fuck you”. Whether or not this is in fact true is questionable, but the pure fact that a theory of the sort can be perpetuated shows how little is known about the word.
[2] Once again, it could come from the physical harm intended with the “puck you” possibility, and was later given a sexual meaning.
