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On Thu, 4 Aug 1994, Doug, Data Librarian at Ext 4225 wrote:
> What did the Saxons use for profanity? I find it difficult to believe
> they drove the Celts from southern Britan saying the Saxon equivalent of
> "Gosh, those son-of-a-guns have broken though our line again, let's move
> it and try to cut them off."
> I somehow think that profanity is a bit more than linguistic class
> consciousness; it seems more fundamental than that.
Well (I'm going to step totally beyond the bounds of any information I
have and into the realm of idle conjecture [so sue me :-]), whose to say
that they had to consider anything profane? Does an oath have to be an
otherwise taboo word to be effective? I don't think so. Your example of
`gosh' is, I assume, a substitute for `God', but `gosh' itself is
perfectly acceptable to most anyone (not to a few sects, I'm sure) and
serves adequately for those who use it. And how about those three
innocent little pigs: "Not by the hair of our chinny chin chins."
Now you've got me thinking about the evolution of these curse words (with
apologies to the pedants among you). I guess the word "shit" used as an
oath must derive its popularity from its unacceptableness (ugh! [there's a
good interjection] what a word). But if you had no other word for it (or
it was no more or less objectionable than its synonyms) saying "Shit,
they're getting away" would probably cause more than a few raised
eyebrows from those wondering how spontaneous defecation would impede
rather than accelerate their retreat.
My suspicion would be that Saxon oaths (if they existed) would have been
related to their religious beliefs, about which I know nothing so I'll
make up a few (and borrow one from Conan the Barbarian): "Crom! I dropped
a stone axe on my foot." "By the horns of Doktar, I'll have his head."
"What in Shermak's pit? I told that boy to drag the carcasses to the edge
of town before he went out to play." You get the picture. These would be
considered blasphemous(?) rather than profane.
Well that's about enough of that, I guess. Later.
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Matt Hicks, Tech. Writer, Unidata * "Your brain is in my refrigerated
Boulder, CO, (303)497-8676, ******* centrifuge."
matt -at- unidata -dot- ucar -dot- edu ************* -My girlfriend (don't ask me why)
