Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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In America, the conceptual category of swearing has shifted multiple times in past centuries. The same shift shows up, in wildly different forms, across languages that have nothing to do with each other. Italian still swears with religious categories. Dutch swears with diseases. Indonesian swears with animals. What do they all have in common?
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⏱️ Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro: the shift in English swearing
0:40 – Thanks to Monarch
1:56 – Bergen's four-category theory (and its limits)
2:29 – Italian: swearing at God
3:07 – Quebec French: sacred objects turned profane
3:48 – Dutch: swearing with diseases
4:37 – Indonesian: animal insults
4:57 – Chinese: cursing vs. avoiding
5:33 – English catches up: slurs take the crown
7:13 – Outro
đź‘‹ If you're new here, welcome! I'm Dr. Taylor Jones. I have a PhD in linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania, and on this channel, we explore the fascinating intersections of language, culture, and science.
đź’¬ LEAVE A COMMENT: đź’¬
What's the strongest swear word in your language — and which category does it fall into: religion, body, sex, disease, animals, or something else entirely?
đź”” Subscribe for more linguistic deep dives: @languagejones
Support the channel on Patreon: patreon.com/languagejones
#Linguistics #Swearing #Profanity #Sociolinguistics #Taboo #LanguageJones #LanguageLearning
Thanks to Monarch for partnering with me! Start your free trial and get 50% off your first year of total money clarity using my link monarchmoney.yt.link/ivGPwGW or code jones50 for 50% Off Monarch Core tier.
In America, the conceptual category of swearing has shifted multiple times in past centuries. The same shift shows up, in wildly different forms, across languages that have nothing to do with each other. Italian still swears with religious categories. Dutch swears with diseases. Indonesian swears with animals. What do they all have in common?
👉 Join the waitlist for my course, the Language Learning Accelerator: languagejones.com/accelerator
⏱️ Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro: the shift in English swearing
0:40 – Thanks to Monarch
1:56 – Bergen's four-category theory (and its limits)
2:29 – Italian: swearing at God
3:07 – Quebec French: sacred objects turned profane
3:48 – Dutch: swearing with diseases
4:37 – Indonesian: animal insults
4:57 – Chinese: cursing vs. avoiding
5:33 – English catches up: slurs take the crown
7:13 – Outro
đź‘‹ If you're new here, welcome! I'm Dr. Taylor Jones. I have a PhD in linguistics from the University of Pennsylvania, and on this channel, we explore the fascinating intersections of language, culture, and science.
đź’¬ LEAVE A COMMENT: đź’¬
What's the strongest swear word in your language — and which category does it fall into: religion, body, sex, disease, animals, or something else entirely?
đź”” Subscribe for more linguistic deep dives: @languagejones
Support the channel on Patreon: patreon.com/languagejones
#Linguistics #Swearing #Profanity #Sociolinguistics #Taboo #LanguageJones #LanguageLearning
