Bad words (Re: Some finer points of grammar)

[Umberto Rossi]

> I have been told that northern European cultures have tended to
> frown more on obscenity than profanity, while Mediterranean
> cultures are the other way around.  This suggests a southern
> relaxation about body functions but greater seriousness about
> religion, and a northern uptightness about sex, excretion, etc.,
> but more tolerance of "blasphemous" language.
> 
> Can anyone else offer any insights?  By the logic of what I just
> posted, M and D, being Brits, should be more uptight about "fuck"
> than "Devil" or "damn."  Maybe "D----" and "d---'d" are just
> 18th-c. conventions in English printing/writing... 

It is difficult to find a place where blasphemous language is used 
more often than in Italy.  And I'm not speaking about obscene words.  
God, Christ, the Saints, the Virgin Mary, are all equally present in 
what we call "bestemmia" here (which can be only roughly translated 
with swear).  During all my trips to UK or US I never found anything 
similar.

This kind of blasphemous expression is obviously forbidden (there's
even a law against that, and if you're a professional soccer player
you can be expelled because you swore), but many people use those
expressions in some moment of their life, be they believer or
non-believers.  (I will add that the Tuscanians are the most 
famous and most creative swearers in Italy.)

In case you're interested in some examples--but they can be quite 
shocking for non-Italian ears--I can send you something privately.

As for the obscene language, it is quite popular here.  Unpolite--but 
in some cases almost necessary.  But this is probably true in all 
cultures.

Umberto Rossi

"A commission is appointed 
To confer with a Volscian commission 
About perpetual peace"--and nobody told me!