Can you define profanity?

[SueJB]

Right.

Called em what you like, profanities, swear words, cuss words, or naughty words if your childish, etc., they are all the same **** and shizzle.

That's useful to know @Tipetoo. All words have a core meaning and carry a connotation. that's why I'm interested in people's take on the word. As a linguist, I find the use of language everything people post really interesting and their idiolect is quite intriguing and revealing in some ways.

 

[Deleted member 308541]

Called em what you like, profanities, swear words, cuss words, or naughty words if your childish, etc., they are all the same **** and shizzle.

You can add "expletive" to this list of meanings as well.

It looks like an anonymous moderator does not like the AOOB being printed out in full, I happen to be one and it does not bother me in the least over the last 74 years.

 

[debs248]

And if your question has come about as a result of having certain words (which you may or may not have considered very mild) edited out of your post by moderators, then that's just the rules of the forums.

I too have fallen foul of this rule and am confused as to what constitutes profanity here. A search of the forum has so far thrown up only this thread. Perhaps a less obscure guide could be provided? I would just like some clarification of the rules.

(mod edit to remove breech of forum ethos)

 

[KennyA]

The "no swearing/profanity" rules have been in place (I think) since the forum was set up. One of the reasons, as I understand it, is that we have people of all ages and backgrounds coming here from all around the world in need of help with a medical condition. No-one should feel put off from joining this forum because of the language used on it.

I can't think of another forum (that I'm a member of) that has any restrictions on language. These are football and "ex-military" generally. The result is that most of those forums are full of people swearing and swearing at each other. This is fine if you're in the club but it is immediately off-putting for anyone else.

So (again, as I understand it, I wasn't around when this forum was set up) to avoid this diabetes forum becoming like the rest of the internet there's a no swearing policy. Because language changes all the time, there's a need for flexibility.

It's a bit like "unparliamentary language" - MPs aren't supposed to use certain words and phrases, such as calling another MP "a liar" - of course they do, all the time, but the record won't ever show it. And if one persists with "unparliamentary language", the MP can be suspended from the Chamber by the Speaker, and may have to apologise to the House before being allowed back.

 

[EllieM]

Probably betraying my age here, but if it's not allowed on Children's Hour (the very old BBC radio program not the film of the same name) it's not allowed on the forum. An exact definition of profanity would be lovely, it could just be added to the forum filter and no one would ever have to think about it again. But language evolves and so does the definition of profanity. We all have to do the best we can.

 

[debs248]

Thank you @KennyA

So basically there is no list of swearwords because they're constantly evolving? How do mods decide whether a word or phrase should be disallowed?

I'm genuinely perplexed because as far as I can recall I hadn't used a banned word until today, so I thought my standards roughly aligned with the forum ethos.

I'm not trying to cause trouble, perhaps some people don't like me asking questions but I just want to understand how to stay within the rules.

 

[debs248]

Probably betraying my age here, but if it's not allowed on Children's Hour (the very old BBC radio program not the film of the same name) it's not allowed on the forum.

I'm too young to have heard Children's Hour, but old enough to listen mostly to Radio 4 these days. They have swearing now so I can't use them as a guide. It's such a minefield.

An exact definition of profanity would be lovely, it could just be added to the forum filter and no one would ever have to think about it again. But language evolves and so does the definition of profanity. We all have to do the best we can.

I'm really not mod bashing, I don't know why some people think I am. I just want to understand the rules, or failing that, the guidelines, so I can try to stay on the right side of them.

 

[KennyA]

Thank you @KennyA

So basically there is no list of swearwords because they're constantly evolving? How do mods decide whether a word or phrase should be disallowed?

I'm genuinely perplexed because as far as I can recall I hadn't used a banned word until today, so I thought my standards roughly aligned with the forum ethos.

I'm not trying to cause trouble, perhaps some people don't like me asking questions but I just want to understand how to stay within the rules.

The "list" is the list of words that will automatically be excluded by forum software, which is run by the admin side. We can't post the list, because the words would be automatically asterisked out. It's the "know it when you see it" issue.

It does change, constantly. Just this morning I've found something that I think there'd be zero disagreement anywhere about it being swearing, but isn't already caught by the filter.

 

[Zhnyaka]

We can't post the list, because the words would be automatically asterisked out. It's the "know it when you see it" issue.

in fact, it's very easy to bypass automatic moderation, and if people don't delete the post later, then you can use any words. For example, I can write the word p-ussy (in the hope that it won't be deleted by you because of the meaning of cat)

 

[Grant_Vicat]

The obscenity/swearing/invective filter is only activated by words that are already in "the bank". There are hundreds of offensive words which have not yet been used on the forum, but would certainly be added to the filter. It is impossible to give an accurate list. There is the added complication of different interpretations, such as American usage causing confusion and amusement over the reverse image of a female torso.