The Irish relationship with strong language

DazMarz · 14-09-2014 08:38PM

I can switch it on and off like a tap. In certain company, I will never, ever swear. When around friends and certain family members, I'm a fierce thing for swearing and I am very creative with it. "A foul-mouthed Shakespeare" was how one person described me once.

And if I wasn't able to swear, I'd have died of a stroke years ago. It's a great way to let off steam.

ElvisChrist6 · 14-09-2014 08:42PM

KingOfFairview wrote: »

A perception exists that Irish people are unusually fond of doing "strong" language, i.e. cursing. It's a trait we share with the Scots.

So my question is this? Why? We are a nation of literary big-hitters, yet often find ourselves reduced to dropping f-bombs, rudely cursing at each other down the pub or telling people to 'ask my ass" when a simple no would do.

So; why?

I don't know if you meant reduced to as I read it, but many people do. We are not reduced to (as you put it) "f-bombs"; it's purely a way of speaking that our country has taken to. It's the way we are and there's nothing that someone should be talked down to for. A lot of people I know, me included, use fucking as an expletive, just a filler word, like indeed or something - it doesn't take away from language and does not mean a person is not eloquent as some suggest. It's just a way of speaking that many in this country grow up with and into. As some are saying in this thread, it's not uniquely Irish, but I've met many people from different countries who were quite surprised by our level of swearing.

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

I never curse. I hate it and would find it hard to take anyone who does seriously.

Here's an example of that, someone is too precious to listen to someone curse. By saying "Grow the **** up" I'm using two more words than I could have otherwise, and it's a lot more effective.

Skylinehead · 14-09-2014 08:45PM

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

What?

"It's the truth" referring to a minority being swearing?

Iwasfrozen · 14-09-2014 08:48PM

ElvisChrist6 wrote: »

Here's an example of that, someone is too precious to listen to someone curse. By saying "Grow the **** up" I'm using two more words than I could have otherwise, and it's a lot more effective.

I can't take anyone seriously who curses. If you can't get your point across without resulting to curse words then your point probably isn't worth much to begin with.

Iwasfrozen · 14-09-2014 08:50PM

Skylinehead wrote: »

"It's the truth" referring to a minority being swearing?

Go back a couple of posts. What was my original statement? The one Krudler was responding to.

It was my second post. I can't link it on my phone.

Lenin Skynard · 14-09-2014 08:51PM

A well placed curse can colour a sentence nicely. When overused though it is a bit annoying to listen to. I know a lad who between thoughts where most people would say something like "erm...", he says "erm.. sure ****in'..."erm.

It's a bit overkill. Would hate to let him anywhere near my granny or the local priest.

Mardy Bum · 14-09-2014 08:52PM

For the vast majority of people it is down to a limited vocabulary and a fear of expressing oneself articulately in case they would be ridiculed. There are few Armando Iannucci's among us.

krudler · 14-09-2014 08:57PM

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

I can't take anyone seriously who curses. If you can't get your point across without resulting to curse words then your point probably isn't worth much to begin with.

Anyone? really?

deseil · 14-09-2014 08:57PM

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

I can't take anyone seriously who curses. If you can't get your point across without resulting to curse words then your point probably isn't worth much to begin with.

But it is funny sometime,
my mam is a very well spoken lovely, kind, gentle woman but when she loses the head the profanities that come out of her are unbelievable.
It's like she stores it all up and then blows and you can physically see her calm down with each curse its hilarious.
Jesus Mary and f%%king Joseph is my personal favourite.

Iwasfrozen · 14-09-2014 08:59PM

krudler wrote: »

Anyone? really?

Yep.

krudler · 14-09-2014 09:01PM

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

Yep.

Plenty of scholary, intelligent people swear occasionally. What about them? or comedians?

ElvisChrist6 · 14-09-2014 09:04PM

Mardy Bum wrote: »

For the vast majority of people it is down to a limited vocabulary and a fear of expressing oneself articulately in case they would be ridiculed. There are few Armando Iannucci's among us.

That's just not true.

Iwasfrozen · 14-09-2014 09:07PM

krudler wrote: »

Plenty of scholary, intelligent people swear occasionally. What about them? or comedians?

If a scholary person started cursing in the middle or a debate or presentation I'd think very little of them and couldn't take them seriously.

As for comedians, you're not supposed to take them seriously and their cursing actually helps to trivialise and juvenilize them.

14-09-2014 09:08PM

I can definitely switch it on and off. Professionally, and around people I don't really know, I wouldn't say a thing. Yet, if you know me and I'm comfortable around you, I blurt them out left, right and centre.

krudler · 14-09-2014 09:12PM

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

If a scholary person started cursing in the middle or a debate or presentation I'd think very little of them and couldn't take them seriously.

As for comedians, you're not supposed to take them seriously and their cursing actually helps to trivialise and juvenilize them.

I dont mean in a professional sense, blurting out swear words in the middle of a lecture, just in general. Like I said the company you're in affects people's swearing. I worked with someone who cursed like a sailor but not in front of customers, didnt mean she couldnt be great at her job.

FunLover18 · 15-09-2014 07:02AM

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

I never curse. I hate it and would find it hard to take anyone who does seriously.

I understand that there are a lot of people who use swearing just for the sake of it, but to reduce all swearing to that level is quite prudish and is the equivalent of me saying "I can't take people who don't use swear words seriously, because they're all prudes". I think everyone puts their own meaning on swear words, but I think this attitude of "not taking people who swear seriously" is almost as immature as replying to said people with "Grow the fúck up".

truedoom · 15-09-2014 07:11AM

to quote tommy tiernan.

"The english language is a wall between you and me, and f**k is my chisel"

fryup · 15-09-2014 09:22AM

KingOfFairview wrote: »

A perception exists that Irish people are unusually fond of doing "strong" language, i.e. cursing. It's a trait we share with the Scots.

So; why?

it dates back to our colonial past, we are the inheritors of a peasant mentality i.e. chip on shoulder/begrudgery

and i bet those scots you refer to would have an irish background

csallmighty · 15-09-2014 12:15PM

Ever told someone to "f*ck off"?

If you're angry with someone and need them to leave you alone there is no better way to express it. A sentence sometimes can lack conviction without swearing.

beks101 · 15-09-2014 12:43PM

I think it's about time and place. Obviously you're not going to go into a job interview or work presentation effing and blinding like an idiot, but sometimes there's just no other way to describe someone than as an absolute fcuking arsehole.

I'll sometimes throw a well-placed swear word into a sentence when I'm with at work or with my folks or some other kind of authority figure and in a sense it can break the ice and help people to relax in your company a bit more, lead to more informal banter.

I find it hard to be around people who never swear as a matter of principle, which is ultimately probably why I found living in Canada a bit difficult at times. They can be the nicest person on earth but it's like being in the company of Ned Flanders, you have to sanitize your conversation and censor everything you say because it's more 'alarming' to throw out an aul 'bollix' or 'fcuk that' that it would be at home. It was 'aw shoot' and 'yikes' for more than three years.

Galwayguy35 · 15-09-2014 12:58PM

If I'm having a bad day at work I curse like a trooper, I would have thought most people no matter what backround they come from would let off a few swear words if things are not going right.

languagenerd · 15-09-2014 01:13PM

At the end of the day, words only have the meaning that we give to them. Swearwords are only offensive if the people involved in the conversation both give them that significance. It's not a uniquely Irish thing, but some cultures definitely award more meaning to swearwords than others.

I often find myself saying "f uck" around people I'm comfortable with, particularly people my own age. It's just part of my way of speaking and generally, people I know use it too. It's just a word, it colours sentences & adds nuances. It's only offensive if it's deliberately used in such a way...

There are a lot of other words that aren't expletives that are far more wounding than f uck anyway...

o1s1n · 15-09-2014 01:44PM

I don't mind swearing, but it does have a limit. Angry swearing, joking swearing, swearing for emphasis - grand.

Swear every second word like your vocabulary lacks anything else or forced, almost hyperbolic swearing (ie http://i****inglovescience.com/) annoy me to no end.

statesaver · 15-09-2014 01:51PM

I give you the great man;

Stephen Fry on the Joys of Swearing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_osQvkeNRM

The_Captain · 15-09-2014 02:23PM

KingOfFairview wrote: »

We are a nation of literary big-hitters

That's not really true though, is it.

CrazyRabbit · 15-09-2014 02:27PM

RedemptionZ wrote: »

Gonna be a cynical cnut here and say this is yet another example of thinking something is uniquely Irish when in fact, it's the same in nearly any place.

In general(and this is a generalisation I know) 'strong language' will be a lot more common the more working class the area is. Worldwide.

Been to Spain? When you are able to speak spanish you learn very quickly that they are, shall we say, very creative with some of their swear words. Same with Russian. Then closer to home we have the British, 'are you avin a fuckin laff' types.

Basically we have no special relationship with strong language. And going to the pub isn't an exclusively Irish thing either.

KingOfFairview wrote: »

Nonesense.

I believe you mean; '****ing nonsense'.

telecaster · 15-09-2014 03:01PM

Quote from article in Foreign Policy magazine this month referring to US National Security Advisor Susan Rice:

In one meeting Rice pressed the German delegation relentlessly for leadership within the European Union. The Germans sought more time and consultation with the other EU states, frustrating Rice to the point where she lost her cool and reportedly launched into a profanity filled lecture that featured a rare diplomatic appearance of the word "motherf**ker"

This amused me.

FP magazine did not censor the word incidentally.

conorhal · 15-09-2014 03:41PM

truedoom wrote: »

to quote tommy tiernan.

"The english language is a wall between you and me, and f**k is my chisel"

I never minded it being used as a chisel, it's the use of the word as punctuation that bothers me. There's nothing as effective as a well placed f-bomb, but those that can't form a fookin' sentence without fookin every other fookin word bein' a fook, can... well, franky, fvck off.

I Heart Internet · 15-09-2014 04:04PM

I try to avoid using it. I don't love being in the company of people who use it in every second sentence. Like, you're out for a nice meal and people are using two f-words a sentence in an effort to make a "hilarious" point.

With young kids in the house now, I'm even more intolerant of bad language being thrown about. Yeah, I'm loads of fun.

Fat Christy · 15-09-2014 04:36PM

Bobblehead Panda wrote: »

I've never heard anyone saying 'ask my ass'.

I love cursing though. It's fcuking awesome.

Everyone knows the correct terminology is 'Ask me fanny'. It has a better ring to it.

The Irish relationship with strong language

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