In our never-ending quest to probe deeper into the political economy, sociology and cultural essence of Virginia than any other blog in the universe, we now turn our attention to an important cultural marker: curse words.
Posting in the Strong Language blog, Stan Carey has published maps showing the relative incidence in the use of 18 swear words based upon an 8.9-billion word corpus of geo-coded tweets. Some of the words represent the mildest form of profanity — “gosh” and “darn,” devised in the 19th century as substitutes for words considered profane. Other vulgarities refer to the human anatomy, bodily excretions and, of course, variations on the sex act.
Judging from the maps, Virginians belong to a sub-grouping that cuts a swath from Virginia to Texas, excluding Appalachia and the Florida peninsula. This grouping overlays the Bible Belt but is not synonymous with it. Appalachia has very different swearing patterns. In word after word, Virginians follow the same pattern as other Southerners. (Northern Virginia, which is culturally distinct from the rest of the state is an outlier for some words.)
Virginians east of the mountains are far more likely than other Americans to use the word “bitch” and far less likely to use the word “crap” in their tweets. We strongly favor the word “damn” but are lukewarm in the use of “darn.” We are partial to the words “pussy” and “shit” but far less inclined to describe someone as a “slut” or a “whore.”
One exception to the pattern: Virginians belong to a linguistic block that runs from Virginia north through Philadelphia, New York and Boston in their proclivity to use the word “fuckboy.” Clearly, I am getting old and out of touch because I don’t recall ever having heard the term, much less having ever used it.
And one interesting aside: Despite their cultural conservatism and relative lack of sympathy for gay rights, Southerners are far less likely to use the word “faggot” as a term of opprobrium. Virginia is a border state in that respect, with the religious Southside of the state less likely to use it and the tolerant, pluralistic Northern Virginia more likely to use it. I would hypothesize that the more taboo the “other F word” is, the greater its shock value and the more the reason to use it.
As attitudes evolve, so do the taboos surrounding certain words. The old Victorian-era vulgarities are losing their sting, but new taboos are emerging, such as the “N” word and other descriptors of race, ethnicity and personal identity. Slowly but steadily, PC values are replacing Victorian values.
— JAB
(Hat tip: Larry Gross)