How Did Profanity Start?

Words like "copulation," "excrement," "anus" and "penis" are not inherently considered shocking, but some synonyms of these words are considered obscene. There are words considered so offensive that they are taboo in many public arenas and banned from certain forms of media, with laws mandating their removal even from direct quotes. Why some words are perfectly acceptable, while other words with the same meaning are not, has roots in the development of language.

History

The word "profane" comes from the Latin word meaning "outside of the temple." With these origins, profane things were not necessarily considered offensive or rude; they were just considered something that did not belong to (or could be found outside of) the church. In time, the word strongly became associated with blasphemy, particularly blasphemous language. Eventually, in Western culture, profanity was extended to many words and phrases, particularly slang words or words and phrases favored by the lower classes, which high society and social climbers wished to avoid.

Significance

While polite company has long been offended by various types of profanity, religious blasphemies against God and the Church were originally the most serious forms of offense. Throughout the Middle Ages and even in colonial America, blasphemy was a crime punishable by severe consequences that included stoning, mutilations and even death in the most extreme cases. To this day, the Catholic Church holds that blasphemy is a mortal sin.

Function

Profane language eventually became a rebel's means of shocking authority figures and the upper classes. For centuries, only the crudest and most rude individuals, mostly men, would even dare use profane language in polite company. Today, profanity is more widespread, and its usage is more common and accepted.

Considerations

Most profane language started out quite innocently, but somewhere along the line became offensive. For example, one famous cuss word's origins are an acronym from the Victorian era started by the police. When they arrested prostitutes, they would cite on forms the reason for the arrest: "For Use of Carnal Knowledge," shortening the phrase to mere initials. Calling a toilet bowl a "crapper" and excrement "crap" is now considered mild profanity. The words derived innocently, however, from Thomas Crapper, the inventor of the fill valve (the mechanism used to fill toilets' water tanks).

Features

In modern times, profanity has become a more acceptable form of expression in art, literature, film and music. No longer used as often for its shock value, it's now used to denote an element of realism and to articulate strong feelings and thoughts. While many words and phrases are still censored by certain media outlets, the usage of profanity has permeated Western culture and is no longer considered to be nearly as offensive as it once was.