Why have some swear-words become more offensive than others?
by 
lady fuschia
ANSWERS: 5
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I think it is mainly to do with broadcasting rules (I think the good old Auntie has still got the C word on the ban list) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profanity#Severity This page has a year-by-year list of swearing on TV and radio and I found it childishly funny *giggles* http://www.laughingpoliceman.com/swear.htm Both these links contain A LOT of strong language, so if you are easily offended....
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According to some people, swear-words aren't offensive at all. They are just a different way of expressing yourself. An excerpt from the website above:
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segregation and discrimination laws exist segregation and discrimination are still alive and well even with laws in place. this definitely makes several words more offensive than others.
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When swear words are used more often, they loose their meaning so much. I mean s**t and f**k are still pretty bad, but now we use them all the time it seems, they do not matter so much anymore. I didn't even know tw*t was a swear word until my mum had a go at me. However, the c word I didn't even know until last year because people refuse to say it. So if it is said all the time, it looses it's meaning
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What we now think are vulgar names for genitalia were at one time quite acceptable, as were the vulgar terms for excreta. The lower classes spoke Anglo-Saxon, the upper classes favored the Latin or Norman French. We eventually decided that the upper-classes used the proper names and found the lower-class words to be offensive. These rules have been relaxed somewhat, but now the mose offensive swear-words are racial slurs, and names pertaining to sexual orientation. 19th-early 20th century terms for mental deficiency are also quite offensive by today's standards, as are terms for physical handicaps.
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