As sad as it is to realize, mat is an integral part of every language, without which it is impossible to imagine. But for many centuries they actively fought with obscene language, but they could not win this battle. Let's look at the history of the emergence of swearing in general, and also find out how mats appeared in the Russian language.
Why do people slander?
No matter what anyone says, absolutely all people without exception use swear words in their speech. Another thing is that someone does this very rarely or uses relatively harmless expressions.
For many years, psychologists have studied the reasons why we swear, although we know that it not only characterizes us badly, but can also become offensive to others.
Several main reasons why people swear are highlighted.
- Insulting an opponent.
- Trying to make your own speech more emotional.
- As an interjection.
- To relieve the psychological or physical tension of the one who speaks.
- As a manifestation of rebellion. An example of such behavior can be seenin the movie "Paul: The Secret Material". His main character (whom her father brought up in a strict atmosphere, protecting from everything), having learned that it is possible to swear, began to actively use swear words. And sometimes out of place or in strange combinations, which looked very comical.
- To attract attention. Many musicians use profanity in their songs to make themselves look special.
- In order to successfully adapt to a certain environment in which swear words replace ordinary ones.
- As a tribute to fashion.
I wonder which of these reasons are you arguing for?
Etymology
Before finding out how swear words appeared, it will be interesting to consider the history of the emergence of the noun "mat" or "swearing" itself.
It is generally believed that it was formed from the term "mother". Linguists believe that this concept, so respected by all, turned into the name of obscene language due to the fact that the first curses among the Slavs were aimed at insulting their mothers. It is from here that the expressions "send to the mother" and "swear" came from.
By the way, the presence of the term in other Slavic languages testifies to the antiquity of the term. In modern Ukrainian, a similar name is used "matyuki", and in Belarusian - "mat" and "mataryzna".
Some scientists try to connect this word with its homonym from chess. They claim it was borrowed fromArabic through French and means "death of the king". However, this version is very doubtful, since in this sense the word appeared in Russian only in the 18th century.
Considering the question of where mats came from, it is worth finding out what other nations call their counterparts. So, the Poles use the expressions plugawy język (dirty language) and wulgaryzmy (vulgarisms), the British - profanity (blasphemy), the French - impiété (disrespect), and the Germans - Gottlosigkeit (godlessness).
Thus, by studying the names of the very concept of "mate" in different languages, you can find out exactly what types of words were considered the first curse words.
The most famous versions explaining where mats came from
Historians have not yet come to a unified decision regarding the origin of the abuse. Reflecting on where the mats came from, they agree that they were originally associated with religion.
Some believe that in ancient times magical properties were attributed to swear words. No wonder one of the synonyms for swearing is curses. That is why their pronunciation was forbidden, as it could cause someone else's or one's own misfortune. Echoes of this belief can still be found today.
Others believe that for the ancestors, mat was a kind of weapon against enemies. During disputes or battles, it was customary to blaspheme the gods protecting opponents, supposedly this made them weaker.
There is a third theory that tries to explain where checkmate came from. According to her, curses related to the genitals and sex were not curses, but, on the contrary, prayers to the ancients.pagan gods of fertility. That is why they were said in difficult times. That is, in fact, they were an analogue of the modern interjection: "Oh, God!"
Despite the apparent delusion of this version, it is worth noting that it can be quite close to the truth, because it explains the emergence of sexocentric profanity.
Unfortunately, none of the above theories gives a clear answer to the question: "Who created the swear words?" It is generally accepted that they are the fruit of folk art.
Some believe that curses were invented by priests. And their "flock" learned this abuse by heart as spells to use as needed.
A Brief History of Profanity
Having considered theories about who invented swear words and why, it is worth tracing their evolution in society.
After people came out of the caves, began to build cities and organize states with all their attributes, the attitude towards swearing began to acquire a negative connotation. Swear words were forbidden, and those who uttered them were severely punished. Moreover, blasphemy was considered the most terrible. For them, they could be expelled from the community, branded with a red-hot iron, or even executed.
At the same time, for sex-centric, animalistic expressions or those related to bodily functions, the punishment was much less. And sometimes it was completely absent. This is probably why they were used more often and evolved, and their number grew.
With the spread of Christianity in Europe, obscene language was declaredanother war that was also lost.
Interestingly, in some countries, as soon as the power of the church began to weaken, the use of obscenities became a symbol of free thinking. This happened during the French Revolution, when it was fashionable to vehemently scold the monarchy and religion.
Despite the prohibitions, there were professional detractors in the armies of many European states. Their duties were to curse enemies during the battle and demonstrate the intimate organs for greater persuasiveness.
Today, obscene language continues to be condemned by most religions, but is not punished as severely as it was centuries ago. Their public use is punishable by small fines.
Despite this, the last few decades have seen another transformation of swearing from taboo to something fashionable. Today they are everywhere - in songs, books, films and television. Moreover, millions of souvenirs with obscene inscriptions and signs are sold annually.
Features of the mat in the languages of different peoples
Although attitudes towards swearing in different countries have been identical in all centuries, each nation has formed its own list of swear words.
For example, traditional Ukrainian swearing is based on the names of the defecation process and its product. In addition, animal names are used, most commonly dogs and pigs. The name of the delicious pig became obscene, probably during the period of the Cossacks. The main enemies of the Cossacks were Turks and Tatars - that is, Muslims. And for them, the pig is an unclean animal, comparison with which is very insulting. Therefore, in order toprovoke the enemy and unbalance him, Ukrainian soldiers compared enemies with pigs.
Many English swear words came from German. For example, these are the words shit and fuck. Who would have thought!
At the same time, less popular swear words were actually borrowed from Latin - these are defecate (to defecate), excrete (to excrete), fornicate (to fornicate) and copulate (to copulate). As you can see, all words of this kind are junk and are not often used today.
But the no less popular noun ass is relatively young and became widely known only from the second half of the 19th century. thanks to sailors who accidentally twisted the pronunciation of the term "ass" (arse).
It is worth noting that in every English-speaking country there are curses that are specific to its inhabitants. For example, the above word is popular in the US.
As for other countries, in Germany and France, most of the obscene language is associated with dirt or sloppiness.
Arabs can go to jail for swearing, especially if they offend Allah or the Koran.
Where did swear words come from in Russian
Having de alt with other languages, it is worth paying attention to Russian. After all, it is in it that obscene language is actually slang.
So, where did the Russian mate come from?
There is a version that the Mongol-Tatars taught their ancestors to swear. However, today it has already been proven that this theory is erroneous. A number of written sources of an earlier period (than the appearance of the horde in the Slavic lands) were found, in which obscene expressions were recorded.
Thus, understanding where the checkmate came from in Russia, we can conclude that it has existed here since time immemorial.
By the way, in many ancient chronicles there are references to the fact that princes often quarreled with each other. It does not indicate which words they used.
It is possible that the ban on abuse existed even before the advent of Christianity. Therefore, the official documentation did not mention swearing, which makes it difficult to at least approximately establish where the checkmate came from in Russia.
But given that the most popular obscene words are found mainly only in Slavic languages, it can be assumed that they all arose in Proto-Slavic. Apparently, the ancestors slandered no less than their descendants.
It's hard to say when swear words appeared in Russian. After all, the most popular of them were inherited from the Proto-Slavic, which means they were in it from the very beginning.
Words consonant with some of the swear words so popular today, which we will not quote for ethical reasons, can be found in birch bark letters of the 12th-13th centuries.
Thus, to the question: "Where did obscenities come from in Russian?", we can safely answer that they were already present in it during the formation period.
Interestingly, no radically new expressions were invented in the future. Actuallythese words became the core on which the entire system of Russian obscene language is built.
But on their basis, hundreds of words and expressions of the same root were created over the next centuries, which almost every Russian is so proud of today.
Speaking about where the Russian mate came from, one cannot fail to mention borrowings from other languages. This is especially true for the present. After the collapse of the USSR, an active penetration into the speech of Anglicisms and Americanisms began. Among them were obscene ones.
In particular, this word "gondon", or "gondon" (linguists still argue about its spelling), formed from condom (condom). Interestingly, in English it is not obscene. But in Russian still how. Therefore, when answering the question of where the Russian obscenity came from, one should not forget that obscene expressions so widespread today in our territory also have foreign roots.
Sin or not sin, that is the question
When interested in the history of obscene language, most often people ask two questions: "Who invented swearing?" and "Why is it said that it is a sin to use swear words?"
If we figured out the first question, then it's time to move on to the second.
So, those who call the habit of swearing sinful refer to its prohibition in the Bible.
Indeed, in the Old Testament slander is condemned more than once, while in most cases it refers to just such a variety of it as blasphemy- which is indeed a sin.
Also, the New Testament specifies that the Lord can forgive any blasphemy (slander), except for the one directed at the Holy Spirit (Gospel of Mark 3:28-29). That is, it is swearing directed against God that is again condemned, while its other types are considered not so serious violations.
By the way, one should take into account the fact that not all obscenities concern the Lord and His blasphemy. Moreover, simple phrases-interjections: "My God!", "God knows", "Oh, Lord!", "Mother of God" and similar technically can also be considered a sin based on the commandment: "Do not pronounce the name of the Lord, God yours, in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who takes His name in vain" (Ex. 20:7).
But such expressions (which do not carry any negative attitude and are not curses) are found in almost any language.
As for the other authors of the Bible who condemn the mat, it is Solomon in the "Proverbs" and the Apostle Paul in the epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians. In these cases, it was about swear words, and not blasphemy. However, unlike the Ten Commandments, swearing is not presented as a sin in these passages in the Bible. It is positioned as a negative phenomenon that should be avoided.
Following this logic, it turns out that from the point of view of the Holy Scriptures, only blasphemous obscenities, as well as those exclamation expressions that somehow mention the Almighty (including interjections), can be considered sin. And here are the otherscurses, even those that contain references to demons and other evil spirits (if they do not blaspheme the Creator in any way), are a negative phenomenon, but technically they cannot be considered a full-fledged sin.
Moreover, the Bible mentions cases when Christ Himself scolded, calling the Pharisees "spawn of vipers" (snake offspring), which was clearly not a compliment. By the way, John the Baptist also used the same curse. In total, it occurs 4 times in the New Testament. Draw your own conclusions…
Traditions of using mats in world literature
Although it was not welcome either in the past or today, obscene language is often used by writers. Most often, this is done in order to create an appropriate atmosphere in your book or to distinguish a character from others.
Today, this is no surprise, but in the past it was rare and usually caused scandals.
One of the most striking examples is the Irish novel "Ulysses" by James Joyce, which is recognized as the pinnacle of modernist prose. His characters often swear. That is why this novel was banned for many years.
Another gem of world literature, which is known for its numerous use of abuse, is Jerome Salinger's novel "The Catcher in the Rye".
By the way, Bernard Shaw's play "Pygmalion" was also criticized at the time for using the word bloody, which was considered a dirty word in British English at the time.
Traditions of using obscenities in Russian and Ukrainian literature
As for Russian literature, Pushkin also "dabbled" in obscenities, composing rhyming epigrams, while Mayakovsky actively used them without hesitation.
Among modern authors, one can name Viktor Pelevin, the heroes of whose cult novels can often afford to swear.
Modern Ukrainian literary language originates from the poem "Aeneid" by Ivan Kotlyarevsky. She can be considered the champion in the number of obscene expressions of the 19th century.
And although after the release of this book, swearing continued to be a taboo for writers, this did not prevent Les Poderevyansky from turning into a classic of Ukrainian literature, which he continues to be to this day. But most of his grotesque plays are not only full of obscenities, in which the characters simply talk, but are also frankly politically incorrect.
Fun Facts
- In the modern world, swearing continues to be considered a negative phenomenon. At the same time, it is actively studied and systematized. Therefore, collections of the most famous curses have been created for almost every language. In the Russian Federation, these are two swear words written by Alexei Plutser-Sarno.
- As you know, the legislation of many countries prohibits the publication of photographs that depict indecent inscriptions. This was once used by Marilyn Manson, who got the paparazzi. He just wrote the swear word on his own face with a marker. And although publishno one took such photos, but they still leaked to the Internet.
- Anyone who likes to use profanity for no apparent reason should think about their own mental he alth. The fact is that this may not be a harmless habit, but one of the symptoms of schizophrenia, progressive paralysis or Tourette's syndrome. In medicine, there are even several special terms for mental deviations associated with obscenities - coprolalia (an irresistible desire to swear for no reason), coprography (an attraction to writing profanity) and copropraxia (a painful desire to show obscene gestures).
