It could have something with what the words could correspond to. For example there is winnie the pooh, but is there winnie the sh#t? That is just my thought but in reality humans need an identifying word for objects. With this in mind we just choose the least offensive sounding one to use, and even with this the subjects are usualy taboo.

I went looking online to see if I could find some information and found this: Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 3:54 pm Post subject: Taboo or not taboo? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read the text and complete the Quick Quiz below it. Taboo or not taboo? (That is the f**king question!) Taboo words exist in most, if not all, languages in the world. But why are some words considered to be ‘taboo’? Bad language in English can be divided into three broad categories. Firstly there are the religious words. Many people consider these words to represent holy or sacred subjects and so they are offended when the words are used out of context or in a disrespectful way (i.e. when names are ‘taken in vain’). Hence words such as ‘God’, ‘Jesus’ and ‘Christ Almighty’ become taboo. The second category of taboo (or ‘swear’) words concerns the functions of the body, specifically lavatorial words connected with things produced by the body. People generally do not like to speak openly about toilet functions – human dignity is linked to this and is partly preserved by the privacy surrounding our activities in the toilet. Thus, disregard for this social nicety is perceived as offensive by many. Words such as ‘piss’ or ‘fart’ are therefore taboo, (though their medical equivalents are not). The third category of swear words tends to contain the strongest words in the language. These words are all related to sexual acts and the sex organs. Most of them are punchy in style – often only one syllable long - and are intended to shock or offend in the most emphatic way. These words are generally avoided in polite conversation as well as on TV and radio and in the newspapers, although as time goes by and society changes more and more swearing can be heard and read in the media. http://www.englishclub.com/esl-forums/viewtopic.php?t=38114

I went looking online to see if I could find some information and found this: Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 3:54 pm Post subject: Taboo or not taboo? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read the text and complete the Quick Quiz below it. Taboo or not taboo? (That is the f**king question!) Taboo words exist in most, if not all, languages in the world. But why are some words considered to be ‘taboo’? Bad language in English can be divided into three broad categories. Firstly there are the religious words. Many people consider these words to represent holy or sacred subjects and so they are offended when the words are used out of context or in a disrespectful way (i.e. when names are ‘taken in vain’). Hence words such as ‘God’, ‘Jesus’ and ‘Christ Almighty’ become taboo. The second category of taboo (or ‘swear’) words concerns the functions of the body, specifically lavatorial words connected with things produced by the body. People generally do not like to speak openly about toilet functions – human dignity is linked to this and is partly preserved by the privacy surrounding our activities in the toilet. Thus, disregard for this social nicety is perceived as offensive by many. Words such as ‘piss’ or ‘fart’ are therefore taboo, (though their medical equivalents are not). The third category of swear words tends to contain the strongest words in the language. These words are all related to sexual acts and the sex organs. Most of them are punchy in style – often only one syllable long - and are intended to shock or offend in the most emphatic way. These words are generally avoided in polite conversation as well as on TV and radio and in the newspapers, although as time goes by and society changes more and more swearing can be heard and read in the media. http://www.englishclub.com/esl-forums/viewtopic.php?t=38114

I went looking online to see if I could find some information and found this: Posted: Sat Jun 24, 2006 3:54 pm Post subject: Taboo or not taboo? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Read the text and complete the Quick Quiz below it. Taboo or not taboo? (That is the f**king question!) Taboo words exist in most, if not all, languages in the world. But why are some words considered to be ‘taboo’? Bad language in English can be divided into three broad categories. Firstly there are the religious words. Many people consider these words to represent holy or sacred subjects and so they are offended when the words are used out of context or in a disrespectful way (i.e. when names are ‘taken in vain’). Hence words such as ‘God’, ‘Jesus’ and ‘Christ Almighty’ become taboo. The second category of taboo (or ‘swear’) words concerns the functions of the body, specifically lavatorial words connected with things produced by the body. People generally do not like to speak openly about toilet functions – human dignity is linked to this and is partly preserved by the privacy surrounding our activities in the toilet. Thus, disregard for this social nicety is perceived as offensive by many. Words such as ‘piss’ or ‘fart’ are therefore taboo, (though their medical equivalents are not). The third category of swear words tends to contain the strongest words in the language. These words are all related to sexual acts and the sex organs. Most of them are punchy in style – often only one syllable long - and are intended to shock or offend in the most emphatic way. These words are generally avoided in polite conversation as well as on TV and radio and in the newspapers, although as time goes by and society changes more and more swearing can be heard and read in the media. http://www.englishclub.com/esl-forums/viewtopic.php?t=38114