I've always wondered why swear words are almost always the first words we learn of a foreign language......

I don't swear much because I just find it not very nice, however, every know and again, these are the only appropriate words in certain situations. Recently I've had to refrain from using a few in another forum here!

Because they often consist of one syllable and are emphasized in speech. In otherwords, they are easily heard and stand out in a sentence.

I agree with the principle "everything in its place". At home and can say what I ________(you decide) please. I'm sure many in my profession would be appalled if they heard me, but oh, well. It's my home! But in public, it's not polite and I'm big on manners.

My husband and I are always saying "ok - no swearing and the first one who does gets a sock in the arm " NEver works - bruised arms.

I think swearing is unnecessarily uncouth and rude and there is always a different word.

I can always manage to use other words in my vocabulary that aren't offensive to others.

However, saying that, I agree with Nina - I too do not swear a lot, so when/if I do it is very effective.

Yes... and there is nothing, I repeat nothing tackier IMO than hearing a little kid use bad language. I don't let my kids say "butthead," much less the real stuff.

Mum washed my mouth out with soap when I was little for telling brother Phillip to 'shut up'! That told me!

Do all countries/languages have forbidden words.
If so, are they all related to sex and waste elimination and religion?
Why?

Why all the guilt?
Why not allow all expression?

As I'm sure many of you know, George Carlin has a notable opinion on this subject.

I agree about the effectiveness of an occasional swear word in the right situation.

At the same time, growing up in the streets of Brooklyn achieved its indelible programming. If I'm with a certain kind of crowd, especially in a setting like a football stadium or a sports bar, the spigot opens and the blue words flow all too effortlessly. And it feels so good!

Who the f**k needs a g**-***ned thesaurus? My vocabulary isn't just a bunch of s**t, you know!

Sorry, couldn't resist! :p :p

(As my grandmother used to say, "I can make sailors[/b] blush!")

I whipped out my handy thesaurus and did a quick, G-rated translation of Matt G's statement:

Who the heck[/b] needs a darned[/b] thesaurus? My vocabulary isn't just a bunch of junk[/b], you know!