Quote wigan_knight="wigan_knight"what makes a swear word actually a swear word ? who decided that a swear word should be a swear word. and at what point in history did what we know class as a swear word today become a swear word..i have always wondered what makes a swear word a swear word every time a use a swear word or hear a swear word...swear word.'"
The answer would probably be different for each word. It's strange that a lot of swear words refer to things that are completely natural with regards to humans and their nature. F**k, c**t, s**t, d*ck, tw*t, w**ker. Seems to have a lot to do with a bizarre prudishness with regards to sex and bodily functions.
Why those words are deemed more offensive than a word like torture which describes something awful and despicable I'll never know. To me it doesn't make much sense.
I'm not sure whether the words censored with asterisks will be allowed. If they are then it's a bit weird because people know what the word is and they still read it as if the word was there. A newspaper could get away with swearing using asterisks and it's commonly used to censor words. It still conveys the same meaning though. What if someone wrote the words f-c-u-k? C-n-u-t? Would it still be offensive because it's conveying the same meaning, or is it the spelling that's offensive? What if someone replacing the swear word with a similar sounding word? Is fluck off offensive?
Why is f*** offensive but 'coitus' not when they have the same meaning? Why is excrement fine but s*** is terrible when used to describe the same thing?
I surely can't be the only person who thinks the whole idea of 'swear words' is completely ridiculous and nonsensical.