I recently came across an article suggesting a link between higher-than-average intelligence and swearing. Since this contradicts what is called in linguistics the poverty of vocabulary (POV) hypothesis, I decided to investigate this further. The POV hypothesis says that if a person is lacking in vocabulary, he or she is likely to fill in theContinue reading “Why Do People Swear?”
Tag Archives: taboo words
Watch Your Language!
It has been my impression over the years that foul language of various kinds has been increasing, especially among younger generations. A couple of recent incidents–one I overheard that was profoundly wonderful and another that I heard about on the news that was profoundly disturbing–prompted me to research the use of profanity and people’s attitudesContinue reading “Watch Your Language!”
