From ‘taking the p***’ to ‘bl**dy’, Brits are known for their array of colourful swear words.
Now, a linguist has revealed why some swear words are considered more offensive than others.
According to Dr Chris Montgomery, a Senior Lecturer in Dialectology at the University of Sheffield, words like ‘f***’ and ‘c***’ make us cringe because our ears are highly sensitive to the short ‘u’ vowel.
This vowel, also known as the ‘STRUT vowel’, varies across the UK, with people in the north tending to use a longer ‘u’ sound than those down south.
This could explain why the words ‘f***’ and ‘c***’ are seen as more offensive to Southerners than they are to Northerners.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dr Montgomery explained: ‘One of the fascinating things about swearing is that people do not always agree on how offensive particular words are.
‘For example, the word ‘c***’ is often reported as being used more casually in parts of Scotland and Northern England than it is in Southern England, where many speakers still regard it as one of the strongest insults in the language.’
However, he added: ‘What counts as offensive is shaped not only by the word itself, but by local culture, history and patterns of use.’
According to Dr Chris Montgomery, a Senior Lecturer in Dialectology at the University of Sheffield, words like f*** and c*** make us cringe because our ears are highly sensitive to the short ‘u’ vowel
Dr Montgomery’s team is in the process of creating the UK’s first–ever national swear word census.
As part of the work, Dr Montgomery has been considering why ‘f***’ and ‘c***’ are deemed more offensive than other swear words.
‘The main reason these words are so offensive is their social and cultural history,’ he explained.
‘Both have been associated with strong taboos for centuries, and speakers learn from an early age that they carry a great deal of emotional force.’
However, beyond their social and cultural history, Dr Montgomery suggests the sounds of the words may also contribute something to how they are experienced.
‘We know from research on sound symbolism and accent perception that speech sounds can carry social meaning,’ he added.
‘So it is interesting that two of the strongest swear words in English share a vowel that is also central to one of the most important North–South accent differences in England.’
Beyond ‘f***’ and ‘c***’, several other swear words contain the STRUT vowel – including ‘motherf***er’, ‘slut’, and ‘b***er’.
Many TV shows set in the North of England are littered with swear words – including Brassic, set in the fictional English town of Hawley, which is inspired by Chorley
However, Dr Montgomery points out that these are usually seen as less offensive than ‘f***’ and ‘c***’.
He said: ‘That is why I see this as an interesting observation rather than a definitive explanation. The social meaning of a swear word is always more important than its individual sounds.’
At the other end of the scale, Dr Montgomery’s research suggests that the least offensive terms tend to be milder insults such as divvy, pillock, berk, muppet or daft apeth.
‘Many of these have become playful rather than genuinely abusive, and are often used affectionately among friends and family,’ he explained.
‘The strength of a swear word depends heavily on context, and some terms have lost much of their original sting through everyday use.
‘”Piss” is a good example, I think, as this seems to be much less offensive now than it was when I was growing up.’
So far, the researchers have received hundreds of submissions for their census – and it suggests that some regional words are already dying out.
‘Examples of regional words that appear to be dying out include crozzils (half–burnt coals), pyinate (magpie), and tew (to labour in vain), which are largely unknown among younger speakers,’ Dr Montgomery explained to the Daily Mail.
‘Others like clarty (dirty/sticky), mizzle (light rain), and lig (to lie down) are still around but seem to be fading and used less consistently by younger people.
‘At the same time, some words remain very robust across generations. For example, nesh (sensitive to cold) and fettle (condition, to put right).
‘This shows that dialect isn’t disappearing entirely, but changing over time.’
If you want to submit your own favourite swear word, you can get involved with the project here.
