Question about swearwords for bilingual people.

[m wisdom]

This is a non-BDSM question but interested in what people here think about it.

For those off you that speak two or more languages, do you think that swearwords sounds nastier/worse in your mother tongue then in another language?


I think that swearwords sounds worse in Swedish (my mother tongue) then in English, and apparently so does a lot off other Swedes, so now I'm curious about what other bilingual people think.

 

[canadiancutie]

This is a non-BDSM question but interested in what people here think about it.

For those off you that speak two or more languages, do you think that swearwords sounds nastier/worse in your mother tongue then in another language?


I think that swearwords sounds worse in Swedish (my mother tongue) then in English, and apparently so does a lot off other Swedes, so now I'm curious about what other bilingual people think.

haha french swears aren't as bad as english swears. In french they're more flowy, in english they're more harsh.

 

[SlyKitten]

haha french swears aren't as bad as english swears. In french they're more flowy, in english they're more harsh.

Putain! or Fuck! ? I think they're equally bad, it's just a question of what you have been brought up to feel was more taboo, hence bad.

 

[m wisdom]

Putain! or Fuck! ? I think they're equally bad, it's just a question of what you have been brought up to feel was more taboo, hence bad.

I think you are right. There was a suggestion that the reason a lot off Swedes feel like English swearwords sounds less demeaning is because off two reasons.
1. Lots off English swearwords in movies and TV that would make you more blunted towards them.
2. There is a "distance" to English swearwords, since it's not your mother tongue.

 

[caela]

I think you are right. There was a suggestion that the reason a lot off Swedes feel like English swearwords sounds less demeaning is because off two reasons.
1. Lots off English swearwords in movies and TV that would make you more blunted towards them.
2. There is a "distance" to English swearwords, since it's not your mother tongue.

Interesting points. I think it might also simply depend on the language and how it sounds to your ear. I think the harsher a language sounds to the ear of the listener will probably effect their perception of the swearing as well. I'm with CC in that french swearing just doesn't make much impact because it's almost too flowy without a harsh edge to make it grate on your nerves the way a good swearword will.

 

[chris9]

Italians get very passionate before using swearwords. And it sounds just great
German swearwords don't sound good to me at all (my mother language). But neither do English ones, maybe because they are used all the time by Germans (hearing 'motherfucker' or such being every third word in some conversations going on in public transportation)

To say the truth, I don't like swearwords at all and try very hard to not use them, no matter the language.
What's pretty remarkable for me is the use of *nasty* words. I mostly learned those reading erotica, so 'slut' or 'cunt' don't sound bad to me in a sexual context. I would hate the German words for those, though...

 

[ShyGuy68]

I've never really thought about if swearwords sound more harsh in one language than another. Having lived with both German and English as the navtive language for one year each, I of course did get to learn a few of the swearwords in each language, and in Danish as well of course.

One of the funnier things was that the year I lived in the States, was the year right after I went to a German languaged school here in Denmark. I had of course learned that it wasn't very nice to swear over there, so whenever I needed to do it, I would do it mostly in German instead, since hardly nobody knew that language at all in the small place I stayed in Missouri. The thing was of course when I got back to Denmark, I had gotten used to that, so it stuck with me, until I started working at a gas station with many German tourists in the summer time, then I had to chage my habit!

 

[SlyKitten]

I've never really thought about if swearwords sound more harsh in one language than another. Having lived with both German and English as the navtive language for one year each, I of course did get to learn a few of the swearwords in each language, and in Danish as well of course.

One of the funnier things was that the year I lived in the States, was the year right after I went to a German languaged school here in Denmark. I had of course learned that it wasn't very nice to swear over there, so whenever I needed to do it, I would do it mostly in German instead, since hardly nobody knew that language at all in the small place I stayed in Missouri. The thing was of course when I got back to Denmark, I had gotten used to that, so it stuck with me, until I started working at a gas station with many German tourists in the summer time, then I had to chage my habit!

Sheisse!

 

[chris9]

Sheisse!

Even after we got some changes made in our spelling, it's still Scheiße

 

[SlyKitten]

Even after we got some changes made in our spelling, it's still Scheiße

Right... I had a feeling I spelled it wrong.
How's that letter called again (ß)?

 

[chris9]

Right... I had a feeling I spelled it wrong.
How's that letter called again (ß)?

sz (esszet -or similarly pronounced)
I didn't mean to be bitchy about it, I don't really care how you spell it. Just couldn't help myself... (bit of a language nazi coming out...)

 

[SlyKitten]

sz (esszet -or similarly pronounced)
I didn't mean to be bitchy about it, I don't really care how you spell it. Just couldn't help myself... (bit of a language nazi coming out...)

Oh no, thank you! I like to talk and write properly (even if it's for nasty words).

 

[Xelebes]

I only know a bit of German but what I know od German is that their swear words are about as cacophonous as eah other but Germans seem a bit more stern in their usage of their terms from what I have heard in music. Of course I'd be comparing Black Sabbath and 50 Cent to Rammstein or something.

 

[landcruisergal]

An accent can make a swear word have less or more impact as well.
If a dutch or south african says 'fuck' it sounds more severe, to my ears anyway.
Other accents soften it. Asian accents almost disguise it.

Nothing, however, has the impact of an indigenous australian woman saying 'cunt'.
The intensity and vehemence expressed is amazing.
It was a word I used to on the odd occassion, to emphasise my opinion of something or other.
Now I dont use it much at all, as it sounds pathetic coming out of my mouth in comparison.

 

[graceanne]

On the topic, but also off:

When I was junior (11th grade) one of my best friends was an Armenian exchange student. (Her name was Astjik, but we couldn't pronounce that so we called her star - the meaning of her name.) Anyway, Star could not for the life of her figure out why calling someone a bitch was such an insult. She called everone a 'son of a bitch', and I couldn't make her understand that she was gonna get her ass kicked if she kept that up. On the other hand she would have NEVER called someone a pig.

 

[chris9]

I only know a bit of German but what I know od German is that their swear words are about as cacophonous as eah other but Germans seem a bit more stern in their usage of their terms from what I have heard in music. Of course I'd be comparing Black Sabbath and 50 Cent to Rammstein or something.

I really have to object to your knowledge of the German language that you got by listening to Rammstein.
They want to shock (I must be getting old, or else they aren't around much anymore, because I don't know of any newer songs) and they use words most Germans wouldn't. The young ones who might still be listening to them usually use English swearwords (as I mentioned above).

 

[Burokrat]

Interesting question (I am french/english bilingual)

Depends.

Swear words over here, in french, are more church oriented, whereas in France (like in most anglo-saxon countries), they are more sex-oriented.

I used to date an english speaking woman and it appeared to me that, in the bedroom, most english people tend to use dirty words more naturally. I sure did.

However, I also noticed that outside of the bedroom, Anglos are much more prude about swearing, for instance, in saying FUCK in a non-aggressive public conversation. French speaking people, even in France, are generally more relaxed towards swearing publicly, say, again, in a non-aggressive conversation.

Personally, I do use like using french dirty words in a sexual context with my french speaking partners… it really turns me on! And it feels more natural+easy flowing then using medical or anatomical descriptions

 

[Little Bird]

I think german is not a beautiful language, but it is one of the best if you yell an course.

Swaering in german is much less sexual orientated than in other languages, it's more "dirty"... Sure, we too have the Son of a Bitch and the Wankers but that's about all.
If you want to translate the word "fuck" you are more close to the meaning when you translate it as "shit". It's the case even if you want to translate "fuck it".
You could translate "damn" directly (verdammt) but in most cases we use another word for "shit" (Mist).

What I think quite funny are the many, many words to translate "shit". I think the majority of german swearwords are more or less colosely related to it.

 

[Guest]

 

[chris9]

I think german is not a beautiful language, but it is one of the best if you yell an course.

Swaering in german is much less sexual orientated than in other languages, it's more "dirty"... Sure, we too have the Son of a Bitch and the Wankers but that's about all.
If you want to translate the word "fuck" you are more close to the meaning when you translate it as "shit". It's the case even if you want to translate "fuck it".
You could translate "damn" directly (verdammt) but in most cases we use another word for "shit" (Mist).

What I think quite funny are the many, many words to translate "shit". I think the majority of german swearwords are more or less colosely related to it.

You're right! I never really thought about the whole swear thing in German to be around 'shit'... 'Mist' isn't really bad, though, is it?!
And we use 'Arsch' (ass) against a person.

Now that you said this I realized that in Italian much of the swearing relates to the penis (cazzo). I never dared using it, though...

 

[chris9]

I hope that by bilingual people are meant those that know two languages, not those who have two mother languages, because then I would be wrong here.
I'm wrong here anyway, as I speak three languages, thus I'm trilingual

 

[sphynx's dragon]

I hope noone laughs at this...

I'm bilingual, and I don't find the swearwords in my second language intimidating at all. For some reason I just can't make Tagalog sound mean. Don't know exactly what it is about it but it just doesn't.

 

[wolf2002]

I have also noticed that each culture has its own set of insults... in Holland, we like to wish each other deadly diseases... to tell someone he's a kankerlijer is pretty common (best translation I guess is cancer patient)...

As mentioned above, Americans definitely prefer sex related insults... my guess is you guys are just obsessed with it...

Latinos (and arabs) like to involve your parents... one of the best I ever heard is a Colombian insult: 'Hijo de quatro leches'... meaning something like 'son of four kinds of milk'... which means your mother slept with at least four guys before she got pregnant with you... in other words, she's a whore...

 

[timberwolf05]

now lemme try.......to understand this?

normally if i am anywhere u.s.a. and i start spouting out cuss words..people get all pissy over it.

yet here you are wanting to do what social rules frown on.

is it just me or did something change in in society and no one told me. are we allowed to say the-7-dirty-little-words that are not allowed on tv?

hmmm

wolf

 

[Miss Diva]

I speak French, English and Italian and can swear in all three of them. And my favourite is to swear in my mother's Italian dialect from Southern Italy (most Italians cannot even understand it)!

I love to swear at people in my mind, not out loud, in my mother's dialect. It's great. I have this fear that they can read my mind so swearing in a dialect would make it more difficult.

BTW Italian swear words are both religious and sexual in nature.