Essay On Foul Language

The phrase foul language, can be described as a selection of words that is likely to cause offence to someone when used in conversation (McEnery, 2006). Foul language is something that is becoming more accepted in general. Swearing can be heard in music, various celebrity channels like Television and even the news (Hughes, 2006). Despite this, swearing is not a new idea, but is something that people have been doing for a very long time (Bryson, 1990).
A short history
In a study done by Dr. J.N. Adams it was found that the Romans had more than eight hundred words that were considered to be dirty. There are usually two levels of swearing in most cultures. The first level is words that are considered merely impolite, but still acceptable in conversation, and secondly, there are the

Where those words came from is difficult to trace because it was just not really something people, or scholars, wanted to record (Bryson, 1990). The idea of putting foul language into print, like adding the words in a dictionary, was something that scholars were against on academic grounds. The main reason was that it was considered slang, and recording it in a printed version would be a false version of the language (Hughes, 2006).
Swearing usually includes what is considered forbidden or filthy and occasionally sacred, or at times even a combination of these. In his study Dr. Adam found that even after a thousand-five-hundred years people were still using words that describe genitalia or sexual intercourse as a means of insulting someone else, or expressing themselves. However, it is important to remember that the emotions attached to words can change over time. A word that might have been seen as extremely rude two hundred years ago might be used without blinking an eye today, and the same can be said for words we consider extremely rude today (Bryson, 1990). In earlier times religion played a big part in defining and