How the word f*ck has become important

[negar]

i coudnt see the movie because they have blocked the utube in my country

f*ck

[Shakespeare's brother]

I think there is still an element of vulgarity to it, which is why so many people seem unable to say things without using it - because, dare I say it, many of them are vulgar themselves!

This word was banned in our dictionaries up until very recently but there is now a general misconception that it is accepted. But question: how many right-minded people would use it naturally at an interview for a job? Or when talking to someone we respect? Or when writing for a newspaper?

It is not an acceptable word and personally I don't think it ever will be.

SB

[riverkid]

I agree with Mike. These are just words. This particular one is actually pretty damn, oops, darn valuable for expression in the English language. Does it have to be available to all situations for it to become "acceptable". Of course not. If that were to happen it would lose its "cachet".

There not many other single words that can express as succinctly the feelings that Negar wanted to express and did express with that one word.

Here is a list of what fuck can do. The list is not mine. I can't recall where I got it from. And when we use this valuable little word, it carries no sexual meaning. If it actually did, I'd probably use it more than I do.

Aside from its sexual connotations, this incredible word can be to describe many situations:

1. Greetings "How the fuck are ya?"
2. Fraud "I got fucked by the car dealer."
3. Resignation "Oh, fuck it!"
4. Trouble "I guess I'm fucked now."
5. Aggression "FUCK YOU!"
6. Disgust "Fuck me."
7. Confusion "What the fuck...?"
8. Difficulty "I don't understand this fucking business!"
9. Despair "Fucked again...."
10. Pleasure "I fucking couldn't be happier."
11. Displeasure "What the fuck is going on here?"
12. Lost "Where the fuck are we?"
13. Disbelief "UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLE!"
14. Retaliation "Up your fucking ass!"
15. Denial "I didn't fucking do it."
16. Perplexity "I know fuck all about it."
17. Apathy "Who really gives a fuck, anyhow?"
18. Greetings "How the fuck are ya?"
19. Suspicion "Who the fuck are you?"
20. Panic "Let's get the fuck out of here."
21. Directions "Fuck off."
22. Disbelief "How the fuck did you do that?"

[Shakespeare's brother]

So Riverkid a challenge: spend a day using the word in every single sentence you utter and see what kind of day you have.

Let me know if there really aren't any other words which you could use to express yourself, and let me know if its 'cachet' benefits your existence!

Actually, 'f**k it' I already know the answer.

[riverkid]

Originally Posted by Shakespeare's brother

So Riverkid a challenge: spend a day using the word in every single sentence you utter and see what kind of day you have.

Good day, S'sB.

I never suggested that it had to be a word that is commonly used, nor did I suggest that it is suitable for all situations. It serves a purpose for some situations, yours below is but one example.

Let me know if there really aren't any other words which you could use to express yourself, and let me know if its 'cachet' benefits your existence!

Actually, 'f**k it' I already know the answer.

Yes, certainly there are other words. English is full of synonymous choices for words.

[Devil's tear]

Sometimes, it helps a lot. It has nothing to do with sex in all sentences. We use it to swear as well. We can use it with our friends. But in business, dealing with teachers or parents and formal dealings I think it's a bit hard to use it. I feel I'm impolite and rude.

[Batfink]

Originally Posted by Harry Smith

All the people in Germany are Saints. They haven't got such a word.
And if English speakers use this word instead of fullstop, here in Russia they say it three-four times in one sentence. I mean not f*ck, but its Russian translation. What's interesting,not only men but also women use it.

Most think that the word is of Germanic origin.

The use of the word denotes a lack of vocabulary. But when you are angry, hurt, it has an excellent sound. In other words, used sparingly, the word has impact.

[Batfink]

Originally Posted by negar

i coudnt see the movie because they have blocked the utube in my country

f*ck

[Batfink]

Originally Posted by mary joe

I agree to that. We are not perfect so it is impossible to live without sin [in this case using bad language].

mmm...

Originally Posted by mary joe

I don´t know, I think it comes bad by how you use the word ¨fuck¨. When you use it just by annoying people it becomes bad, especially when you are shouting the word. When you use it to express your deeper feelings, that the person feels that you really mean what you say, I think then it can be termed as ¨acceptable¨ but not a really good word. Good and bad words are categorized by people with different standards.

Using the word "fuck" is not a sin. Annoying people might be. I have yet to see a reference in which a word is a sin. Unless, of course, it is a blasphemous word, but I pay no attention to psychobabble.

[iconoclast]

The word 'f*ck' does seem to have a cognate in German 'ficken', whose use is restricted to the physical side of things, although perhaps 'bumsen' is (or was) the true equivalent for that.

As riverkid's excellent examples show, it's an awfully versatile little word: it functions as a verb (plus phrasal spinoffs with 'up', 'over', and 'around/about', as well as its incorporation into set expressions), as a noun (plus derivative '-er' agent noun), and as an adjective using both the present and past participles. The present participle also morphs into an adverb as in 'I couldn't f*cking care', which is sometimes expanded to 'f*cking-well' as in 'I couldn't f*cking-well care').

It and 'bloody' are the only (?) words used as infixes in English (admittedly not as a morphological feature), as in 'un-bloody-believable' and riverkid's equivalent example with the F word, as it's euphemistically called when the need arises in polite society.

The verb's even acquired a slightly mocking (?) euphemistic variant 'effing and blinding' as in 'He was effing and blinding all afternoon', and 'effing and blinding' may occasionally crop up as a gerund as in 'There was much effing and blinding in response to the announcement'.

A national treasure, no less.