(no subject)

[prairiedaun]

I don't know why I'm stuck writing this fucking paper. Maybe because so much that we can say about the word fuck is anecdotal at best.

Can I say that it is a euphemism for copulation, when copultion is the word that ended up replacing it? And how do I go into the whole aspect of folk etymologies? And where can I find a transcript of The Use of the Word Fuck, and just... arrgh.

And I doubt I'll be able to use my original thesis, that in Protestant English cultures swear words are generally related to the body and functions, while in Catholic English cultures swear words are predominantly religious in nature.

Also, for my Brit friends on LJ- just how bad is the word bloody? And what do you generally interpret it as meaning? Because I'm having a hard time finding a meaning other than standing for "young royal blood" back in the day.

...I'm starting to think I should have stuck with ships.

Comments

[damned-colonial.livejournal.com]

"Bloody" is used in Australian culture in roughly the same way as in British culture, I think, so I'll offer my opinions for what they're worth.

It's about on par with "damn" or perhaps a smidge ruder. Considerably less rude than "shit". I was discouraged from saying it when I was a small child, but my parents and relatives used it all the time, and I don't think they would have blinked at me using it as a teenager providing I wasn't using it about *them*. People (politicians, celebrities, random human interest subjects) are publicly quoted using it, and it's commonplace on TV, and it's even used in some advertising campaigns. "If you drink, then drive, you're a bloody idiot" is the most famous around here.

My understanding of the word's etymology is that it's a bastardized form of "By our lady", circa early modern English.

[j-daffodil.livejournal.com]

Yeah (points up). Bloody is super common over here. Especially in my vocabulary. People barely twitch if you say it in conversation - well, maybe older people.

I always use it along the lines of "where are the bloody car keys!?" that sort of exasperated moment where I'm verging on pissed off.

[itsonlyamodel.livejournal.com]

that video is fantastic.
the vivaldi in the background is a nice touch.

[thegiantkiller.livejournal.com]

Is there any way you can narrow it down further without throwing armloads of research out the window?

[http://users.livejournal.com/_jibberish_/]

I'm sorry it's going so badly, but this topic is way cooler than ships!

Do you need a transcript of that video for citation purposes or just to make your life easier? (because normally, isn't using non-print sources okay?)

good luck!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_mens_rea_/]

May not help , but i found the following 2 "explanations" :

Today's word bloody comes to us from Old English, where it was blodig. The Old English version comes ultimately from the Germanic *blotham, whose derivative *blothjan gaves us English bleed. German blut, Dutch bloed, and Swedish blod all come from *blotham, as well. Blood in the Romance languages comes from Latin sanguis (from which English gets sanguine), and the Greek word for blood was haima (English hemorrhage, hematoma, etc. come from the Greek source). As far as bloody being used as a chiefly British expletive, that dates from the 17th century. There is not a widely accepted explanation for its origin. One suggests that the word is a contraction of by our Lady, our Lady being Mary, the mother of God; another explanation is that the word became an `intensive,' as linguists call such words, by way of the nickname for Mary I of England, Bloody Mary

and

Dear Word Detective: I am wondering about the English expletive "bloody." I understand it's derived from "By Our Lady" Is this true? -- Mizoe, via the Internet.

Almost certainly not. No one knows for sure where "bloody" came from, and although many theories have been proposed over the past few hundred years, no solid evidence has ever emerged to settle the question. That mystery about the origin of the word, however, doesn't stop the story of "bloody" from being one of the stranger word tales around.

To Americans, "bloody" means next to nothing -- it's simply a word we hear in British movies and vaguely recognize as some sort of intensifier ("It's this bloody heat that's driving the men mad, Colonel."). To a Briton, however, "bloody" is a heavy-duty expletive, one that even in these liberal times could probably not be used in polite society without shocking at least a few of those present. There's really no equivalent to "bloody" in American English, but if there were I'd probably not be able to print it in this column. Even today, British newspapers usually will only print "bloody" if it is contained safely within a direct quotation. Among the working class of Britain, however, "bloody" is as popular as our familiar four-letter expletives are on American loading docks (or in certain Oval Offices). "Bloody" is even more popular Down Under, where it is known as "The Great Australian Adjective."

What is truly odd about upper-class Britons' "bloody" squeamishness is that until about 1750, "bloody" was considered a acceptable if somewhat unpleasant word, often used as an intensifier in everyday conversation. The emergence of violent gangs of aristocratic thugs known as "bloods" (probably from "blood thirsty") in the 18th century may have been the impetus for the public banishment of "bloody" from polite speech, but in any case the exile lasted for more than 200 years and is only now easing. All of which proves that the history of words is every bit as irrational as the people who use them.

As a brit i do consider this pretty mild , but it's still not something i would use in everyday speech around my parents etc. (my nan still gives me a clip round the ear if i do !) With friends - fine. Its pretty common place on pre-watershed tv too.