Okay, so I just wanted to do a little poll for some fiction I’m writing.
I really only know how *I *swear, but I was born and raised in Southern Michigan, so I imagine there has to be some change-up in the pattern depending on the region you’re from.
For example, I curse like a sailor, liberally, and often attach no import to the use of swearwords.
Examples:
Fuck yeah!
What the fuck are you talking about/What the hell are you talking about?
Give me a fuckin’ break.
What the fuck is up with this shit?
those are a few examples of phrases that frequently come out of my mouth when I’m conversing with my peers. To a lesser extent, I might say damn or bitch
(though ‘‘bitch’’ is really a verb) – i.e. he/she bitched me out
One thing I suspect might separate me from my southern brethren is the fact that these swears are often accompanied by a lot of other words, kind of in a ‘‘ranty’’ way, whereas I’m guessing rural/southern folk might use words more sparingly in general.
For example, I can see the single exclamation, ‘‘Hell!’’ as having more meaning than it would in the Midwest. But I don’t really know. Which is why I’m asking you, fair Dopers of the south! How do you swear? What would a total temper tantrum sound like where you’re from? How about casual swearing among friends? What if you were threatening to kick some guy’s ass in a bar?
I am really sorry if I offend anybody with this thread–it is all language to me, and all language is a tool, so I will find your responses very valuable. I swear!
I’m the same, but I was born and raised in Memphis, which is Southern, but urban. My parents swear, but certainly more sparingly. They’re not likely to use profanity in conversation, but say if my mom drops something on her foot… she wouldn’t be shy about using a damn or fuck.
They both loved Deadwood and Sopranos. My dad is obsessed with the Wire right now. Neither of them have virgin ears. They’ve just tried hypnosis to stop smoking. It’s working on my dad great, thankfully, but the guy couldn’t get my mom to relax. She does, however, claim that she’s been cursing like a sailor ever since.
-Lil
Ah’m sick ‘n’ tahd of all this Yankee-fahd po-liddicly co-rrect bull shit. Som-bitchin’ Yankee politicians jess rahl mah aayuss. A cuss awn the basstuhd spawn o’ them unrahtchess Yankee cuhds, suckin’ the lahf outta owuh Gawd-given Southuhn hehutage. Gitchuh asses in geah, you Yankee tuhds, and head the fock back nowuth.
In the Midwest werhe I was raised, “That’s Bullshit” had equal stress on “that’s” and “Bull,” with the “shit” coming out as an unvocalized “sht” as if out of reticence on the swearer’s part.
Down here, there the mountians meet the piedmont, you can tell at what elevation someone was raised by their pronunciation:
“Thah-yet’s BOW-SHET” from someone closer to the Atlantic seaboard
“Thet’s BUHL-SHEE-YET” from those of the more hillbilly persuasion.
My dad, like many men of his age, does not swear. When he drops a hammer on you he shouts “DADGUMMIT!” really loud. That’s “goddamn it” spelled sideways.
Well, I grew up in the South (TN to be precise) with liberal travel to Michigan. My dad never swore, and my mother tried not to but when she did it was pansy swearing. I, however, have turned it into a fine art.
For me, a typical sentence might be:
“How the fuck are our guys supposed to fucking do their gotdayumed job over there? I mean, if they fucking try to shoot the fuckers to save their own (or their comrades’) life, then it’s “murder”? Fuck that bullshit! What the gotdayumed fuck do these pussies think those assholes are doing to us – kissing us? Fuck that shit.”**
Now, I don’t speak like that in professional settings or around other people’s kids, but in private conversations, yeh. The thing is, having lived all over the place, I don’t really see a big difference in how people swear other than I think here in the South people tend to insert words into the middle of other words more than in other parts of the country. Examples include “unbefuckinglieveable,” “imfuckingpossible,” and “refuckingdiculous.”
**cut and pasted from an IM with my husband a few moments ago.
In the deep South here you can skip some of the non-curse words, lengthen the vowel and add a diphthong or two for emphasis.
So, “That’s bullshit.” becomes “Buuulll shieeyet.” If you lengthen the vowels in both words and emphasize the u in bull, its more of a dismissive statement like catching someone in an obvious lie. But if you if emphasize the vowel in shit and raise the inflection at the end, its a precursor to further explanation of whatever it is that’s bullshit.
Similarly the u in fuck in the phrase “fucked up” can be lengthened and modulated to change the meaning and tone (generally the longer and more modulation, the more serious the situation–e.g. I can use the word fuck with the u comprising two syllables for extra emphasis)
Sorry, obviously not a linguist here, but I do cuss in the South.
You put on a stern face, take a quick breath, and let loose slowly but purposely.
BULL, FUCKIN’, SHEEEIT!
Then you launch into your tirade as to how the previous person is wrong.
It’s all in the delivery. The potential cusser will forcefully pull a cigarette out of his mouth, left the bill of his cap, or take it off entirely, before he exclaims “Well GOD DAAMMMMMNNNNN!” Depending now hick the cusser is, “damn” can have two syllables.
A southerner who can’t think of a good retort will usually draw out a simple “Fuck yewwwwww.” Plus, the short fuck is really more like fuh-uck. When expressing disappointment, that’s the long fuck. IE: “Fuuuuuuuuuuck!” with a really hard F.
Shit is pretty popular, as in “Ain’t that some shit!” “I shit you not!” and “You shittin’ me?”
And of course shit can be expressed as disappointment, as in “Sheeeiiiiiiiit.”
Ass is also good, but you gotta say it almost like ice. Begin with a as in fact, then up to a long e as in feet*. Like, “Git off yor aiss and git back to work!” “Kiss my aiss!” and “I’m gonna kick yor aiss if you don’t shut up!”
In the Bible Belt part of the South, “God damn” is considerably stronger than just plain “damn”. And “Jesus Christ,” which was hardly considered a real swear in my midwestern upbringing (unless you included one of His more colorful middle names), is definitely a real swear in the Bible Belt. This has to do with people being serious about not taking the Lord’s name in vain. So your Southern characters might be more likely to hold back on those two in the presence of their elders or people they know to be Christians. And the more outspoken Christians will call the cussers out on it if they are offended.
I’ve actually heard someone here in Memphis say, “Those motherfuckers better not give me that G-D story again.” Apparently this guy who would drop a casual “motherfucker” was afraid to say “God-damned.”
Well, I live in the South (south Arkansas), but I don’t know if I count as “country folk”. I use a lot of “Jesus (fucking) Christ!”, “Holy freaking Jesus!” and “Goddammit!” My dad uses “Fuck!” a lot. Even when it doesn’t make sense.
A cop was shot at by some perps with a semi-auto. First off he comes out with “Gosh damn!”. Then they shot at him again whilst speeding off in their truck. The next words out of his mouth were “Gosh damn MOTHERFUCKERS!”
I was born in SC, raised in TX and Florida, graduated from ECU (aww shaddap)
I have taken strides to curb my swearing in the past few years, not 'cause it 'aint fun to swear, but I believe that to really express displeasure at a person or situation, less is more.
I admit I have practiced a few phrases should I ever need them. One of my favorites is “you have a fundamental misunderstanding of how things operate here”. I especially like the way “fundamental misunderstanding” rolls off the tongue. Haven’t used it yet and I’m not big enough of a dick to actively look for an opportunity to use it.
If I’m truly pissed “Jesus God” slips out a lot as does “What the FK Over?" as if spoken through a CB radio - “Good Lord” and “That’s Bullcrap” too. I say “Bullcrap” over "Bullst” because “Bullcrap” sounds so 3rd grade and drives home to me how stupid swearing can sometimes sound, especially over minor annoyances.
“Unbelievable” is a good one too - it’s all in the delivery. Multiple syllables to roll around the tongue. In my work hierarchy jerk < asshole < jackass < clown. Kind of a work culture thing. A clown is an asshole who doesn’t care he’s an asshole = completely worthless. I’d rather be called an asshole than a clown. Hope this helps. If’n it don’t then faaawk yeeew!
I just wanted to add that ever since she saw an episode of Futurama in which Bender used the phrase my daughter (who is areligious like I) has been using “Oh your god!” as an exclamation. She thinks it conveys a lot more offense than any other, considering how extremely religious the people at her school are. We are zoned for one of the wealthier school districts in the area, which also happens to be very redneck – rich + redneck = militaristically religious!
Oh, and just wanted to add that, yeh, a Southerner can make “bullshit” a 12 syllable word if the situation warrants. You want to know just how badly you pissed me off? See how long it takes me to finish 1 curse word
