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There is a work to be published at some point in the near future. The title of the work includes a very common profanity (the "F word" to be more specific). It was conceived as such in 2004 and since then it grew and it still holds the same meaning for me...

So the question:

Should I go ahead and officially publish the work under the same name (My *ahem* life) or should I abbreviate it as "MFL" instead?

EDIT: Edited out the word completely and replaced it with *ahem*... Hope this doesn't bother the mods, please...

What sort of work? Music? Prose? I think it depends on the target audience, but all things being equal it sounds like a bad idea to use the word in question in the title - unless *bad taste* is what you're going for.

Nope, it definately is not bad taste. It's contemporary classical music for violin duet and I'm quite proud of the work. So I'm not going for the negative sense of the word, but for the 'volume' and 'aggressiveness' it contains...

I find profanity in print even more offensive than verbal profanity prompted by extreme but momentary frustration, and I certainly would not see any need for the use of the "F word" in the title of a composition. Whether you are actually referring to the physical act it describes or whether you are using it as a "colourful" descriptive, are there not dozens of words that could be used in its place?

What does your (potential) editor/publisher think, or are you self-publishing this work?

In any case, I would find the title "off-putting" - but that's just one man's opinion.

Regards,

"... volume and aggressiveness...."?

The proposed title is in bad taste no matter how you slice it. Are you a native speaker of English? When used figuratively rather literally (as with somebody you are doing the deed with while you are doing it), the word has *no* positive sense.

Also, you should consider that MFL is no better. 'MF' has another meaning all its own - and equally tasteless.

I agree with others. If you intend to be provocative, to draw attention more to the title than to the music, and to put off a large number of potential listeners, then go ahead and use the profanity. It will get the point across. If, however, you want to attract a wider group of audience, use another phrase that makes the same point.

Do not use profanity. If you want to appeal to the widest possible audience you must choose a clever, unique and descriptive title that makes people want to listen. Profanity will cause people to make negative assumptions about your character based on your choice of words. It will also cause people to make negative assumptions about the mood of your music. If you use crude language, the assumption might be that the music is crude too. Think how carefully corporations choose their own names and the names of their products. If you want your music to be successful, it must appeal to the widest audience possible. Profanity will turn off a great many people.

Fair enough... I'm not a native speaker so perhaps I'm mistaken.

Just keep in mind a couple of things:

1. I'm discussing it, so this should at least give me a tiny bit of credit (since I'm asking about it).
2. Do not get completely carried away: MF also has the meaning of mezzo forte, right? I mean really... don't get carried away with this...

EDIT: But thanks to all. Your insight has been great thus far!

Ok... I'm not kidding here...

After the comment about me being a native speaker, I just went ahead and translated the title to Greek. And it reads/sounds ugly as it ever can. Crude, awful and rude...

So really for me the new question is how to name the work (which I'll be able to solve... )...

Thanks people!

What- my "hesmeno" life? sounds ridiculous! Don't tell me, I'd rather not know.

I'm glad you decided not to use the profanity. It has, unfortunately, become far too common in today's society and I associate it with poor taste and no class.

You could sell it on Howard Stern's show - probably not anywhere else.

The word doesn't really tranlsate at 'hesmeno', but this thread is turning into something rather funny indeed!

The meaning of MF that was being alluded to is motherf***er, where f*** is the four letter form of your "ahem" word.

So call it "My Mezzo-Forte Life".

Cheers!

I've seen the F word on the front page of a newspaper. If someone here uses that word in an interview, it gets published. I don't think I've ever seen any kind of censorship in Dutch newspapers with the exception of the exclusion of the last name (though not the first letter of the last name) in reported crimes.

I think because the F word is an English word, it has less of an impact that Dutch curse words.

Does that mean that Dutch curse words are not used in media?

I may have misunderstood but do you mean that Dutch papers would publish the said word in English but not its equivalent in Dutch?

Whatever you do, please don't pull a Cee-Lo Green and call it "My motherforget life." Now THAT would be offensive.

right, I guess my parents thought it not necessary to teach me the Greek words for the aforementioned.... ha ha!
(nor did they use them...)