Profanity Across Different Cultures, Communities and Age Groups - Research Proposal Example

Profanity has become a widely discussed topic across various social contexts. It is defined as a class of words that are regularly censored within communities, society, and age groups and are viewed as being taboo in various social settings. It is for this reason that this area has attracted a lot of interest in various fields of research including linguistics, sociology, and psychology (McLeod, 2011). Overtime, phrases including hell no! For god’s sake! Damn it! have lost their offensive nature making way for a higher level of profanity.

The main aim of this paper is to study the changes in the social motivation behind the use of curse words over the years. An increase in the use of profanity can be related to the widespread use of the media including television, radio, and the internet, and changes in morality and the socialization process (McLeod, 2011). The use of profanity in certain communities is viewed as a lack of intelligence and moral standing.

Owing to the inconsistent nature of profanity, there has been a wide range of research on the topic. For this study, past literature in different social settings is examined. Profanity is used for different purposes in various social settings. Well-known research on this topic has been done by scholars including Steve (2008) and Alaina and Steve (2001) (McLeod, 2011). They all agree that swear words bear a strong psychological and emotional charge that goes against most beliefs in society. They are used to show disregard for people or show disrespect for them. Other works of literature such as Daly et al. (2004:959) express that profanity serves a wide range of purposes within the social setting. For instance, it can be used to maintain a rapport between individuals of the same group, release tension and show solidarity.

According to Daly et al. (2004:959) team members in a work, environment use swear words to create a positive relationship in the community where they practice. Even though profanity is highly harmful in a workplace, language develops to suit the needs and culture of specific groups of employees.