Is it possible to swear, but be branded as a cultured person, or Why is Russian swearing so popular today?

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

It would seem that the answer to this question is unambiguous, and most are sure that culture implies the limitation of obscene language in speech. A cultured person is distinguished by an understanding of where it is possible to give free rein to feelings, and where it is not worth doing. However, why is mat so widely used in modern medical space? Perhaps only the official TV channels are free from it, while the work of very popular artists is replete with words that are usually "beep", and TV shows and bloggers are not at all shy in expressions.

If during some television shows they try to squeal obscene words, which is also very controversial, then Shnurov's verses, which are so popular on Instagram, Oksimiron's creations are distributed on the Internet by millions of views in their original form, and this is only a small fraction of what can be found in the media space, which is home to a huge audience. Really, no one is now confused by swearing and swearing, which is not just an alternative cultural direction, but claims to be a serious role?

Why do people swear at all and where did it come from?

Much has been said about when and why Russian swearing arose. Baptized Russia had a negative attitude towards such words and they were forbidden for use, however, they did not disappear anywhere, since during the reign of Peter the Great, along with the flourishing of culture, military training began to be actively used, especially among the military. However, this is not surprising, because since then little has changed - the limited male environment is still a breeding ground for the choice mat, on which they do not swear, but talk.

Here one cannot underestimate the role of Peter himself, who was distinguished by an explosive, impulsive character, a strong word for him was a very common occurrence. And if the sovereign himself scolds, then the slaves should even more so. There is an opinion that it was Peter who invented to bend the swear word into several floors,

For a long time, it was believed that strong expressions were not used among the peasants, and obscene words began to come into use when the army became massive, and the soldiers managed to "pick up" expressions from the military leadership during the years of service. After the First World War and the October Revolution, everyone began to swear, despite the fact that the authorities tried to stop it with some kind of propaganda and cultural sermons, they did not succeed.

However, this theory fails if we turn to the collection of Alexander Afanasyev "Russian cherished tales". He wrote them down as evidence of a living, genuine speech, but at the same time Afanasyev's tales are often characterized as "hooligan", to say the least about what she was, this genuine lively speech of a commoner …

Therefore, it is impossible to say unequivocally whether they swore in pre-revolutionary Russia or not, it is quite likely that the swearing was in the same state as in modern times - it exists, but you cannot speak it. Although if you really want to, then you can. Although the use of the mat was considered acceptable in relation to people of the lower class, for example, in relation to the nobles to the peasants.

Profanity and classic literature

This is now we are looking at Sergei Shnurov, quite possibly the future classic, and we are sure that sometimes he definitely overdoes it with obscenities. At the same time, while agreeing that his sayings are often "not in the eyebrow, but in the eye", it is possible, however, that this is the merit of a strong word. But if Pushkin, Yesenin and Mayakovsky had the opportunity to publish to a millionth audience what came to their mind, without the censorship of the authors of the school curriculum methods, it is quite possible that they would be known as much more swearing. It is known that Lermontov, Bunin and Kuprin were also not averse to screwing in a strong word.

However, for quite a long time, obscene expressions remained exclusively a male prerogative, and in a narrow circle, it was unacceptable to use such words in front of ladies. As well as in society, in a crowded place, this could only be afforded in a narrow circle, on the sidelines. Although, of course, this rule was often violated, Bunin, for example, could use checkmate with his wife. Although he could also bring his mistress to the house of a living wife.

Pushkin often used obscene language in his works, but it was always removed, and the educated Pushkin knew not only Russian, but also French obscenity (Ay, yes, Pushkin, oh yes, son of a bitch!) extremely upset the creator. Pushkin treated this kind of abuse with special love and often included a strong word in his correspondence with friends. Motivating this by the fact that "what the company is, so is the conversation" and it is difficult to disagree with this.

Now you can find a huge number of obscene poems that are attributed to Sergei Yesenin, yes, he was a famous freethinker and used expressive vocabulary, among other things, to complete the expression of thoughts. Alas, he did not write down all of his poems, especially those that came to mind in the form of an answer to this or that question, as a reaction to an acute situation. It was then that swear words most often slipped through.

Mikhail Lermontov was part of the army, and therefore he should have expressed himself almost by rank. In addition, he had an explosive disposition, one might even say reckless. He often used obscene language in his works, which was then removed. But Lev Nikolaevich left no written evidence of his passion for foul language. But his contemporaries asserted that Tolstoy was still that motherfucker.

If the previous classics still restrained themselves in a decent society and allowed themselves to relax only in a very narrow circle, then Bunin, the Nobel laureate and honorary academician, by the way, loved to swear very hard. Once he filled up Blok's book with obscene statements and called it a review, another time he did not understand Nabokov's joke and immediately overlaid him from head to toe. Moreover, these cases were not something out of the ordinary, he swore often, a lot and hard. It's funny, but Bunin decided to donate his dictionary of obscene words to the academy, after he was awarded the title of honorary academician. A kind of gratitude with a trick. But at the same time, Bunin himself envied Alexander Kuprin, who, according to his assurances, swore just brilliantly.

It's not even worth talking about Vladimir Mayakovsky, because he was a lover of swearing hard, and not only in life, but also in his poetry. However, almost every schoolchild is well aware of this. Mayakovsky and Yesenin are perhaps the most famous swearing words, although history, as mentioned above, knows the classics who used swear words in their vocabulary much more often and more actively.

From the foregoing, the conclusion suggests itself that if such masters of literature did not find any other way to express emotions than to turn to obscenities, then what can we say about ordinary people, not endowed with a literary gift and a high sense of style?

Why are they not swearing now, but they are talking on the mat?

Despite the fact that in Soviet times, swearing was actively used in colloquial speech, it was not found in newspapers or on television in any form, either in a veiled or in a "beep". After the country collapsed, swearing began to penetrate fiction, and it was about penetration through censorship. Modern philologists put forward several reasons why mat is so actively used in modern times, and it is perceived as the norm even in the media space.

• A drop in the general level of culture of native speakers. Perhaps not only the most obvious, but also the saddest reason. After all, Pushkin's rule “what the company is, so is the conversation” clearly demonstrates that the company is now just “like that.” • The growth of aggression in society, any social dissatisfaction can provoke such behavior. Here we are already talking about problems of a national scale. Freud owns the phrase that the first person who threw a curse instead of a stone was the creator of civilization, and it only confirms the fact that abuse is a way out of accumulated aggression. • Do not discount the massive use of technology in everyday life, now anyone can go online and leave their cultural mark there. This cannot but change the situation, given that all this, in the end, is perceived as a media space. In addition, the Internet pushes to reveal the dark sides of the person due to the possibility of anonymity and impunity, thanks to the use of nicknames and fake accounts. And in general, sitting at home on the couch, more and more decisive and brave.

Perhaps only the mat has such a unique feature. It exists, almost everyone knows it, a huge number of people use it every day, but at the same time it is prohibited. Considering these contradictions, the conclusion suggests itself that it is necessary for something. On the one hand, this is the most accessible way to assert oneself, because the prohibition is violated, and no punishment should be given. Despite the fact that it is prohibited by law to swear in public places, rarely does anyone take this restriction seriously.

It is not surprising that the mate seems especially attractive to adolescents - that category of the population that loves to walk on the edge and always try the bans on strength. In addition, it is during the formation of a personality that tools are needed in order to feel more independent and strong, aggression is an excellent accomplice in this. In addition, the erotic subtext of such words plays a special role, because this adds a special sweetness to the prohibition.

Freud argued that not a single word is pronounced just like that, because a person prefers one or another expression, revealing his deep subconscious. Replacing physical aggression with a curse, a person, to some extent, shows himself to be modern and fully culturally developed. After all, you must agree, it is better to have a verbal quarrel than to "beat each other in the muzzles." But the general level of aggression in society is no longer the concern of an individual citizen, it will not work to remain a "fairy" among the monsters, because if everyone around is full of aggression, then in order to defend your interests you will have to behave in exactly the same aggressive manner.

To be honest, many peoples have swearing that belittles the dignity of the opponent, attributing flaws, even if they do not exist, is a very classic way to hurt the enemy without using physical force. If at the same time touch on the topic of gender differences, which is the most painful and intimate for a person, then the resentment will be stronger.

However, swearing is not always used as a swear word. "For a bunch of words" or as a reaction to surprise, fear, pain - these are the most common variations when mat is used. Here, the reasons for using such curses are much wider.

• Demonstration of aggression and emotional release. Most people live in constant tension, perceiving the world as hostile, for them a constant state of protection is normal. Realizing that the best defense is offense, people subconsciously use tricks that show them as the most aggressive (read dangerous) specimen. • Children begin to use mate, repeating after adults. Having received an emotional reaction from them, they understand that these are special "magic" words that can evoke emotions in adults, which means they need to be remembered. However, most adults use mate because they are infantile, the habit of swearing is already deeply ingrained in the head and it is not so easy to get rid of it. • Low level of culture. Often obscene words are used precisely for a bunch of words. If someone hums and echoes, then the other will insert a couple of other strong words, because others do not come to mind because of the stingy vocabulary.

It is clear who is to blame, and what to do?

Only a deep understanding of the reasons for the widespread use of swear words can reduce the scale of this phenomenon. The easiest way is to prohibit, but it will allow you to remove such expressions from screens, periodicals, even with a beep. For, you must admit, even a muffled mat is, after all, a mat.

Here it would be correct to note that everything begins with the family, however, there is a very true statement that, they say, in decent families, adults do not swear in front of children, and children - in front of adults. Therefore, the fact that the family does not use foul language and does not use any curses when communicating does not mean absolutely nothing. With the same success, a schoolchild can pick up words with a spike in the yard, at school recess from friends, whose parents are more free in their verbal battles.

Another question, where should compatriots put the accumulated aggression, if suddenly they cannot use obscene words under any pretext. Indeed, despite the fact that the word sometimes hurts very badly, verbal battles are the only possible civilized way to resolve the conflict.

By the way, one of the popular social networks has limited the use of swear words, for the use of profanity it is quite possible to get a “ban”. Moreover, this affected the most popular interest groups among young people. And this is, perhaps, a much more effective step towards the culture of speech in the youth (and not only in the environment), which was made in the media space.

To be very frank, it is impossible to become a cultured and decently speaking person just on the grounds that there is no swearing in speech. And the main problem that mat is too widespread is not at all that it is used at all. This is a layer of living language, and its most vivid and expressive part. The problem is that swearing is by those people who have not mastered literary Russian, and for them, it is just swearing that is colloquial speech. This is actually blameworthy. When the mat is used tastefully, as a peppercorn, for the correct placement of accents and imparting emotion, it is certainly felt.

VTsIOM published the results of a poll, according to which every fifth person uses mat in his vocabulary every day. Perhaps, many do not even suspect what lies at the basis of certain abusive expressions and what promises actually occur when a person uses them..