With the evolution of language, profanity now ripples through conversation, forming a dialect that lacks luster and creativity.
As a mother, I am raising my girls to speak with respect and the knowledge that cussing is an unacceptable part of “our” language.
Language is a wonderful tool when communicating with others. Language enables us to convey thoughts, emotions and ideas. The vocabulary we choose to form our language has continued to evolve throughout generations, each developing a unique defining cant. With this evolution, vocabulary has become littered with slang and cussing. Unfortunately, society has accepted the incorporation of cussing into everyday language, creating a less-than-intelligent vocabulary.
We need to take notice of the lackadaisical way in which we speak, and begin to raise the standard of acceptable language with word choices in our society.
Television and music are two leading factors in the demise of vocabulary with, but not limited to, children and teenagers.
The “F” bomb has become an adjective, noun and verb used to describe just about anything. Teenagers especially have become passive when speaking, letting anything flow from their lips, and adults are no exception.
Each generation creates new lingo they call their own, defining the time. My parents are products of the Beaver Cleaver days, when manners meant something and cussing was not apart of everyday vocabulary. “Damn” was as vulgar as it got. When I was growing up, we used phrases like “cool beans,” “awesome” and “rad.” “Crap” was a cuss word. If I said something “sucked,” my mouth was washed out with soap. Today those words have been replaced with “F” bombs and “S” bombs.
Comedians like Chris Rock, Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams have made fortunes doing stand-up that incorporates the “F” word and is overlooked by audiences, as we have become numb by words that mean “to have sexual intercourse with, or to treat unfairly.” The reality is, when people choose to say, for example, “I hate ‘F-ing’ journalists because they never get it right,” they are in literal terms, saying, “I hate having sexual intercourse with journalists because they never get it right.”
Since language defines the time of generations, what is it saying about the generation now?
The English language consists of close to one million words in which to draw from. That is one million beautiful words to illustrate thoughts, convictions and provoke emotion that will resonate with others on a deeper, more intelligible level.
People choosing to use cuss words are not only being offensive, they are choosing humdrum, sour-stale speech to relay thought. We have all heard the ‘F’ word. It’s mundane, overused and simply worn out. It takes no thought or creativity to use that lingo.
Let’s try new words to motivate and compel us to elevate our way of communicating. It will open doors to new possibilities, laced with an unlimited potential for success.