# Why is it permissible to swear on the radio in non-English languages? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 27, 2007, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908 "2007-11-27T14:48:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/1 "2007-11-27T14:48:23Z")
Yesterday I heard one radio talk show host use the word “cojones” and later another call a politician a “schmuck”. If either had used the English translation of those words, the FCC would have been all over him like flies on merde. Why is it o.k., cute even, to swear on the radio in a foreign language? ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/2 "2007-11-27T14:54:04Z")
It’s OK to swear on the radio in English in many places- I’ve heard “Shit” and “Fuck” broadcast on some of the non-Big Commercial Radio Stations here in Australia (and also in NZ, to a lesser extent), and even they sometimes let things like _Hollaback Girl_ be played with the swear-words. It’s also perfectly acceptable to use words like “Wanker” and “Dickhead” on-air here as well, I’m told. I think it’s mainly the US that gets a collective attack of the vapours when someone says a Naughty Word on TV or the Radio, FWIW… ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/3 "2007-11-27T14:58:40Z")
I would not think that “schmuck” was a swear word, even though it rhymes with one. Is “cojones” regarded as a swear word in Spanish? Not all references to private parts, and not all insults, are swear words. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/4 "2007-11-27T15:10:31Z")
I’m going to guess that it’s because nobody is complaining about them using that language. Isn’t it that the FCC doesn’t act on such things unless someone points it out to them? ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/5 "2007-11-27T15:10:33Z")
[QUOTE=Ronald C. Semone] If either had used the English translation of those words, the FCC would have been all over him like flies on merde. [/QUOTE] That would depend in part on [the time of day](http://www.fcc.gov/eb/oip/FAQ.html#TheLaw). While “obscenity” is never permissible, “indecency” and “profanity” are less stringently regulated and is prohibited only between the hours of 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM. As to whether either of these instances would rise to the level of actionable had they been in English, that’s decided on a case-by-case basis and only if someone filed a complaint about it. I have certainly heard both “balls” and “dick” on broadcast television, probably outside the “safe harbor” timeframe. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/6 "2007-11-27T15:29:00Z")
[QUOTE=Martini Enfield] It’s OK to swear on the radio in English in many places- I’ve heard “Shit” and “Fuck” broadcast on some of the non-Big Commercial Radio Stations here in Australia (and also in NZ, to a lesser extent), and even they sometimes let things like _Hollaback Girl_ be played with the swear-words. It’s also perfectly acceptable to use words like “Wanker” and “Dickhead” on-air here as well, I’m told. I think it’s mainly the US that gets a collective attack of the vapours when someone says a Naughty Word on TV or the Radio, FWIW… [/QUOTE] I’m sorry. I meant to write “American radio”. Hence my reference to the FCC (The Federal Communications Commission) which regulates radio in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/7 "2007-11-27T15:31:06Z")
[QUOTE=Giles] I would not think that “schmuck” was a swear word, even though it rhymes with one. Is “cojones” regarded as a swear word in Spanish? Not all references to private parts, and not all insults, are swear words. [/QUOTE] “Schmuck” is German and Yiddish slang equivalent to the English “prick”, e.g. “That guy’s a real schmuck!” ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/8 "2007-11-27T15:34:29Z")
Cajones is the Spanish equivalent to balls. Generally speaking, it’s used in the same way as, “He’s got a lot of guts to make that gambit.” It’s perfectly acceptable to refer to genitalia as balls on the radio. Somebody may be able to fight my ignorance, but IIRC it’s now okay to say fuck on TV, as long as you’re not referring to the sexual act. Like **Otto** said, indecent may be okay, while obscene isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/9 "2007-11-27T15:38:01Z")
[QUOTE=Ronald C. Semone] “Schmuck” is German and Yiddish slang equivalent to the English “prick”, e.g. “That guy’s a real schmuck!” [/QUOTE] In German, “Schmuck” means jewelry, and is perfectly standard and non-colloquial. Perhaps the Yiddish is derived from that (cf. the English “family jewels”). ---
**Author:** ![mks57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@mks57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mks57)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/10 "2007-11-27T15:39:48Z")
[QUOTE=Giles] I would not think that “schmuck” was a swear word, even though it rhymes with one. [/QUOTE] It was regarded as an obscene word in my family when I was a child, something that you did not use around children or in polite company. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/11 "2007-11-27T16:15:10Z")
It’s all in how you translate it. “Testicles” can be used on the radio, and that’s a direct translation of “cojones.” Even though “schmuck” means “penis,” that’s not how most people would translate it anymore. And, **Santo Rugger** , you can’t say “fuck” on broadcast television. You can say it on satellite or cable TV, but not on broadcast. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/12 "2007-11-27T16:27:16Z")
[QUOTE=Giles] I would not think that “schmuck” was a swear word, even though it rhymes with one. Is “cojones” regarded as a swear word in Spanish? Not all references to private parts, and not all insults, are swear words. [/QUOTE] I think that in their native languages, schmuck and cojones rise to the level of a very bad work, like cock and fuck in English. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/13 "2007-11-27T18:13:44Z")
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] And, **Santo Rugger** , you can’t say “fuck” on broadcast television. You can say it on satellite or cable TV, but not on broadcast. [/QUOTE] You’re not supposed to, but like everything else that goes on in broadcasting, it’s a judgment call made after the fact. Doesn’t mean you should do it, only that it’s not cut and dried. To the OP: “Cojones” and “schmuck” have more or less entered the English language. Merriam-Webster Online gives “nerve” as the first definition of cojones and defines schmuck as “jerk”. It doesn’t matter what they mean in their original languages. The FCC only cares about what they mean in English, and their English meanings are not obscene. In fact, I’ve known a few people fluent in languages other than English and Spanish who swore on the air. One was in some Asian language and I forget what the others were. But as long as it’s not in English, who cares? Robin ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/14 "2007-11-27T18:22:29Z")
[QUOTE=Santo Rugger] Somebody may be able to fight my ignorance, but IIRC it’s now okay to say fuck on TV, as long as you’re not referring to the sexual act. [/QUOTE] From the same link already posted: > [@FCC](#): > > In its Golden Globe Awards Order the FCC warned broadcasters that, depending on the context, it would consider the “F-Word” and those words (or variants thereof) that are as highly offensive as the “F-Word” to be “profane language” that cannot be broadcast between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The [Golden Globe Awards Order](http://www.fcc.gov/eb/Orders/2004/FCC-04-43A1.html) was issued in response to Bono’s saying “fuck” at that awards show in 2003. I find it ridiculously twee that the FCC refers to “fuck” as “the F-word” throughout. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/15 "2007-11-27T18:33:51Z")
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] …you can’t say “fuck” on broadcast television. You can say it on satellite or cable TV, but not on broadcast. [/QUOTE] I’m not sure that’s so cut & dried. When I lived in Ann Arbor about 25 years ago, a Detroit TV station broadcast “The Deer Hunter” uncut and uncensored, which contains a lot of four-letter words IIRC. I think there is black, and there is white, but there’s also some gray. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/16 "2007-11-27T18:39:22Z")
Howard Stern occasionally complains that Spanish-language morning zoo-type shows regularly broadcast Spanish profanities – _pendejo_, _cabron_, _chingar_, and so on – without any reprisal from the FCC. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/17 "2007-11-27T18:42:56Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] I think that in their native languages, schmuck and cojones rise to the level of a very bad work, like cock and fuck in English. [/QUOTE] I’d get spanked for saying pendejo, cabron, puto, or “a la madre” (of the Mother, similar to saying “Jesus Christ”) growing up, but not for saying cojones. Granted, “Spanglish” is quite common around here, so the use of cojones, specifically, may have devolved from being as severe of a curse word compared to an area that spoke solely Spanish. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/18 "2007-11-27T18:51:16Z")
[QUOTE=InvisibleWombat] \And, **Santo Rugger** , you can’t say “fuck” on broadcast television. You can say it on satellite or cable TV, but not on broadcast. [/QUOTE] From [here](http://www.fcc.gov/eb/Orders/2003/DA-03-3045A1.html): > [@](#): > > As a threshold matter, the material aired during the > `Golden Globe Awards'' program does not describe or depict sexual and excretory activities and organs. The word `fucking’’ may be crude and offensive, but, in the context > presented here, did not describe sexual or excretory organs > or activities. Rather, the performer used the word > ``fucking’’ as an adjective or expletive to emphasize an > exclamation. Indeed, in similar circumstances, we have > found that offensive language used as an insult rather than > as a description of sexual or excretory activity or organs > is not within the scope of the Commission’s prohibition of > indecent program content.15 > [@](#): > > (2) the material > must depict or describe, in a patently offensive way, sexual > conduct specifically defined by applicable law; > [@](#): > > ``` > Indecency findings involve at least > two fundamental determinations. > First, the material alleged to be > indecent must fall within the subject > matter scope of our indecency > definition¾**that is, the material must > describe or depict sexual or excretory > organs or activities**. . . . Second, > the broadcast must be patently > offensive as measured by contemporary > community standards for the broadcast > medium.14 > > ``` Bolding mine. ---
**Author:** ![Merkwurdigliebe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/19 "2007-11-27T19:20:35Z")
Um, because only white people complain about that crap? But seriously, who knows? “Cojones” is pretty strong in Spain at least. I remember hearing the Spanish radio film critic “Carlos Pumares” talking to some lady on the radio once about something called “Fibergran.” By the way, this clip is hilarious for those of you who speak Spanish, check it out here: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/AM6c2NKvJRI/maxresdefault.jpg "🔊 FIBERGRAN original 🔊 [C.Pumares-O.Cero]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM6c2NKvJRI) Anyway, during the course of the interview, Pumares says, “Dónde coj…” He was going to say something like “Dónde cojones saques la ‘L’?!” She kept saying stuff like Filijan and who knows what else. But the point being here that my friends were all laughing about how he almost said “cojones.” Maybe it would be okay to do under different circumstances, but in this particular situation it would have been rude, and Pumares has a reputation for losing his temper. You guys should really listen to it, there’s one point where he says something like, “Si le dices Japonica, me voy. Abro la ventana y me tiro!” Anyway, hope you guys enjoy that. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2007, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908/20 "2007-11-27T19:31:41Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray] I think that in their native languages, schmuck and cojones rise to the level of a very bad work, like cock and fuck in English. [/QUOTE] What’s the native language? In German “Schmuck” is unexceptionable (but it does not mean “prick”). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-permissible-to-swear-on-the-radio-in-non-english-languages/427908.md?page=2)