The meaning of swear words. Traditions of using swear words in Russian and Ukrainian literature. Traditions of using obscenities in world literature

Swearing has accompanied Rus' since its inception. Authorities, social formations, culture and the Russian language itself change, but swearing remains unchanged.

Native speech

Almost the entire 20th century was dominated by the version that the words that we call swear words came into the Russian language from the Mongol-Tatars. However, this is a misconception. Swearing is already found in Novgorod birch bark documents dating back to the 11th century: that is, long before the birth of Genghis Khan.

Revolt against matriarchy

The concept of “checkmate” is quite late. From time immemorial in Rus' it was called “barking obscene”. It must be said that initially swear language included exclusively the use of the word “mother” in a vulgar, sexual context. The words denoting the genital organs, which we today refer to swearing, did not refer to “swearing.”

There are a dozen versions of the checkmate function. Some scientists suggest that swearing appeared at the turn of society’s transition from matriarchy to patriarchy and initially meant the authoritative assertion of a man who, having undergone the ritual of copulation with the “mother” of the clan, publicly announced this to his fellow tribesmen.

Dog tongue

True, the previous version does not explain the use of the word “laya”. There is another hypothesis on this score, according to which “swearing” had a magical, protective function and was called “dog tongue.” In the Slavic (and Indo-European in general) tradition, dogs were considered animals of the “afterlife” and served the goddess of death Morena. A dog who served an evil witch could turn into a person (even an acquaintance) and come with evil thoughts (to cast the evil eye, damage, or even kill). So, having sensed something was wrong, Morena’s potential victim should have uttered a protective “mantra”, that is, sent him to “mother”. This was the time when the evil demon, the “son of Morena,” was exposed, after which he had to leave the man alone.

It is curious that even in the 20th century, people retained the belief that “swearing” scares away devils and that swearing makes sense even “for the sake of prevention,” without seeing a direct threat.

Calling the good

As already mentioned, ancient Russian words denoting the reproductive organs began to be classified as “foul language” much later. In the pagan era, these lexemes were commonly used and did not have an abusive connotation. Everything changed with the arrival of Christianity in Rus' and the beginning of the displacement of old “filthy” cults. Sexually charged words were replaced with “Church Slavinisms: copulate, childbearing, penis, etc. In fact, there was a serious rational grain in this taboo. The fact is that the use of the previous “terms” was ritualized and associated with pagan fertility cults, special conspiracies, and calls for good. By the way, the word “good” itself (in the old Slavic - “bolgo”) meant “many” and was used at the beginning precisely in the “agricultural” context.

It took the Church many centuries to reduce agrarian rituals to a minimum, but the “fertile” words remained in the form of “relics”: however, already in the status of curses.

Empress censorship

There is one more word that is unfairly classified today as swearing. For the purposes of self-censorship, let’s call it the “B” word. This lexeme quietly existed in the elements of the Russian language (it can even be found in church texts and official state documents), having the meanings “fornication”, “deception”, “delusion”, “heresy”, “error”. People often used this word to refer to dissolute women. Perhaps during the time of Anna Ioannovna this word began to be used with greater frequency and, probably, in the latter context, because it was this empress who banned it.

"Thief" censorship

As you know, in the criminal, or “thieves”, environment, swearing is strictly taboo. For a carelessly dropped obscene expression, a prisoner may face much more serious punishment than an administrative fine for public obscene language on the outside. Why do the “urkagans” dislike Russian swearing so much? First of all, swearing can pose a threat to “feni” or “thieves’ music.” The keepers of thieves' traditions understand well that if swearing replaces argot, they will subsequently lose their authority, their “uniqueness” and “exclusivity,” and most importantly, the power in prison, the elite of the criminal world - in other words, “lawlessness” will begin. It is curious that criminals (unlike statesmen) understand well what any language reform and borrowing of other people's words can lead to.

Renaissance mate

Today's times can be called a renaissance of swearing. This is facilitated by the boom of social networks, where people have the opportunity to swear publicly. With some reservations, we can talk about the legitimization of obscene language. There is even a fashion for swearing: if previously it was the lot of the lower strata of society, now the so-called intelligentsia, the creative class, the bourgeoisie, women and children also resort to “sweet words”. It is difficult to say what is the reason for such a revival of “barking obscenities”. But we can safely say that this will not increase harvests, matriarchy will not win, and will not drive out demons...

Than from social status and age.

The widespread belief that teenagers swear many times more than mature people fails on Russian roads, in auto repair shops and undignified drinking establishments. Here people do not restrain impulses that come from the heart, splashing out a wave of their negativity on their interlocutor and those around them. In most cases, the use of swearing is due to a lack of vocabulary or the fact that a person is not able to express his words and thoughts in a more cultural form.

From the point of view of esotericism and religion, a scolding person decomposes himself from the inside and has a bad influence on the surrounding space, releasing negative energy. It is believed that these people get sick more often than those who keep their tongues clean.

Obscene language can be heard in completely different layers. Often in the media you can find reports about yet another scandal involving famous politicians or movie and show business stars who publicly used profanity. The paradox is that even those who use swear words to connect words in a sentence condemn this behavior of celebrities and consider it unacceptable.

The attitude of the law towards the use of profanity

The Code of Administrative Offenses clearly regulates the use of swear words and expressions in a public place. A violator of peace and order must pay a fine, and in some cases, a foul speaker may be subject to administrative arrest. However, in Russia and most CIS countries, this law is observed only when swear words were used by a law enforcement officer.

People use foul language regardless of profession, income and level of education. However, for many, the presence of elderly people, young children and work that requires polite communication with people is a deterrent.

Resourceful people found a way out of the situation a couple of decades ago: along with swearing, a surrogate appeared in oral speech. The words “damn”, “star”, “to get out” do not seem to be obscenities in the literal sense of the word and cannot fall under the corresponding article by definition, but they carry the same meaning and the same negative as their predecessors, and such words are constantly being replenished.

On forums and in news discussions, the use of strong words is usually prohibited, but surrogates successfully bypassed this barrier. Thanks to the emergence of an obscene surrogate, parents no longer hesitate to use it in the presence of children, harming the cultural development of their child, introducing the immature to the use of swear words.

Taboo vocabulary includes certain layers of vocabulary that are prohibited due to religious, mystical, political, moral and other reasons. What are the prerequisites for its occurrence?

Types of taboo vocabulary

Among the subtypes of taboo vocabulary, one can consider sacred taboos (on pronouncing the name of the creator in Judaism). The anathema to pronounce the name of the intended game during a hunt belongs to a mystical taboo layer. It is for this reason that the bear is called “master” in baiting, and the word “bear” itself is derived from the phrase “in charge of honey.”

Obscene vocabulary

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One of the most significant types of taboo vocabulary is obscene or obscene vocabulary, in common parlance – obscene language. From the history of the emergence of Russian obscene vocabulary, three main versions can be distinguished. Proponents of the first hypothesis argue that Russian swearing arose as a legacy of the Tatar-Mongol yoke. Which in itself is controversial, given that most obscene roots go back to Proto-Slavic origins. According to the second version, swear lexemes once had several lexical meanings, one of which over time replaced all the others and became attached to the word. The third theory states that swear words were once a significant component of occult rituals of the pre-Christian period.

Let's consider lexical metamorphoses using the example of the most iconic formulations. It is known that in ancient times, “poherit” meant “to cross out a cross.” Accordingly, the cross was called “dick”. The expression “fuck you all” was introduced into use by ardent supporters of paganism. Thus, they wished Christians to die on the cross by analogy with their own god. Needless to say, current users of the language use this word in a completely different context.

Swearing also played an important role in rites and rituals of pagan origin, usually associated with fertility. In addition, it should be noted that most conspiracies for death, illness, love spells, etc. abound in obscene lexemes.

It is known that many lexical units, now considered obscene, were not such until the 18th century. These were completely ordinary words that denoted parts (or features of the physiological structure) of the human body and more. Thus, the Proto-Slavic “jebti” originally meant “to hit, hit”, “huj” - “a needle of a coniferous tree, something sharp and prickly.” The word “pisda” was used to mean “urinary organ.” Let us remember that the verb “whore” once meant “to talk idle talk, to lie.” “Fornication” is “deviation from the established path”, as well as “illegal cohabitation”. Later both verbs merged into one.

It is believed that before the invasion of Napoleonic troops in 1812, swear words were not particularly in demand in society. However, as it turned out in the process, hazing was much more effective in the trenches. Since then, swearing has confidently taken root as the main form of communication among the troops. Over time, the officer stratum of society popularized obscene language to such an extent that it became urban slang.

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Sources:

• how swearing (taboo vocabulary) appeared in 2019
• Taboo words and euphemisms (profanity) in 2019
• (OBVIOUS SPEECH AND OBVIOUS USE) in 2019

Modern dictionaries and reference books explain the term “expletive language” as a category of language related to obscene language. Often a parallel is drawn, or even a complete synonymization of the concepts of “abusive language” and “obscene”. It is assumed that swear words include only obscene, obscenely vile, vulgar words and expressions. And abusive language itself is regarded as a spontaneous reaction to certain events or sensations.

Instructions

According to the definition of swear words as part of obscene language, there is a certain thematic classification of swear words and expressions:
- emphasized negative characteristics of a person, including obscene definitions;
- names of taboo body parts;
- obscene names of sexual intercourse;
- names of physiological acts and the results of their administration.

Everything would be too simple and clear if not for one “but”. You don’t need to be a professional linguist not to trace the similarities in words and expressions: “abusive”, “self-assembly”, “battlefield”, “decoration”. Some linguists explain this similarity by its origin in the vocabulary of the predecessor of the Indo-European language. The lexical unit of the proto-language - “br”, could mean the common property of the tribe, food, and was the basis for the word formation of many terms from which the words “take”, “brushna”, as well as “bor”, “bee-keeper” were derived. It is assumed that the expression “abuse” could come from military spoils, and “battlefield” is a field of spoils. Hence the “self-assembled tablecloth” and, characteristically, “burden/pregnancy/pregnancy”, as well as agricultural terms - “harrow”, “furrow”.

Over time, words associated with the reproduction of offspring were grouped into the category of “swear words,” but they did not belong to obscenity vocabulary. Swear words were classified as taboo; only priests could use them and only in cases prescribed by custom, mainly in erotic rituals associated with agricultural magic. This guides the hypothesis about the origin of the word “mate” - agriculture - “swear words” - “mother - cheese”.

With the adoption of Christianity, the use of swear words was completely prohibited, but among the people, most words in this category were not positioned as offensive. Until the 18th century, modern swear words were used as an equal part of the Russian language.

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note

The list of swear words is not constant - some words go away or lose their negative connotation, such as the word “ud”, which is not perceived by contemporaries as anything other than the root of the word “fishing rod”, but in the 19th century was prohibited for use at the legislative level as a designation of male sexual organ.

The list of dirty words is quite wide. Surely you have had to catch such constructions in the speech of your interlocutor: “in general”, “as if”, “this”, “well”, “so to speak”, “this is the same”, “what’s his name”. The word Ok (“okay”), which came from the English language, has recently become very widespread among young people.

Weedy words are an indicator of general and speech culture

Among the verbal garbage there is also something that is considered indecent in any cultural society. We are talking about profanity. Elements of obscene language, without a doubt, indicate an extremely low level of general culture. Swearing carries a very strong expressive charge. In some cases, socially acceptable substitutes for obscene words are used, for example, “Christmas trees.” It is better to refrain from even such seemingly harmless expressions, even if the situation encourages an emotional reaction.

If you notice signs of dirty words in your speech, try to take control of them. Awareness of a speech deficiency is the first step towards eliminating it. Constantly monitoring the quality of your speech will help you express your thoughts more accurately and become a pleasant conversationalist.

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Related article

As sad as it is to realize, swearing is an integral part of every language, without which it is impossible to imagine it. But for many centuries they actively fought against 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 obscenities appeared in the Russian language.

Why do people slander?

No matter what anyone says, absolutely all people without exception use curse words in their speech. Another thing is that someone does this very rarely or uses relatively harmless expressions.

For many years, psychologists have been studying the reasons why we swear, although we know that this not only characterizes us poorly, but can also become offensive to others.

Several main reasons why people swear have been identified.

• Insulting an opponent.
• An attempt to make your own speech more emotional.
• As interjections.
• To relieve psychological or physical stress in the person speaking.
• As a manifestation of rebellion. An example of this behavior can be observed in the movie "Gender: The Secret Material". His main character (whom her father raised in a strict atmosphere, protecting her from everything), having learned that she could 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, in order to look special, use profanity in their songs.
• 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 you swear for?

Etymology

Before finding out how swear words appeared, it will be interesting to consider the history of the origin of the noun itself “swearing” or “swearing”.

It is generally accepted that it was derived from the term "mother". Linguists believe that this concept, so respected by everyone, turned into the name of obscene language due to the fact that the Slavs were the first to use curse words to insult their mothers. This is where the expressions “send to mother” and “swear” came from.

By the way, the antiquity of the term is evidenced by its presence in other Slavic languages. In modern Ukrainian, a similar name is used, “matyuki,” and in Belarusian, “mat” and “mataryzna.”

Some scholars try to connect this word with its homonym from chess. They claim that it was borrowed from Arabic through the French language 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.

When considering the question of where mats came from, it is worth finding out what other peoples call their analogues. Thus, 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 “mat” in different languages, you can find out exactly what types of words were considered the first curses.

The most famous versions explaining where the mats came from

Historians have still not come to a consensus regarding the origin of the abuse. Reflecting on where mats came from, they agree that they were originally associated with religion.

Some believe that magical properties were attributed to swear words in ancient times. It’s not for nothing that one of the synonyms for swearing is curses. That is why their pronunciation was prohibited, 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 their ancestors, swearing was a kind of weapon against enemies. During disputes or battles, it was customary to blaspheme the gods who protected opponents, supposedly this made them weaker.

There is a third theory that tries to explain where the mats came from. According to her, curses associated with the genitals and sex were not curses, but, on the contrary, prayers to the ancient pagan gods of fertility. That is why they were pronounced 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 may be quite close to the truth, because it explains the appearance of sex-centric profanity.

Unfortunately, none of the above theories gives a clear answer to the question: “Who created swear words?” It is generally accepted that they are the fruit of folk art.

Some believe that the curses were invented by the priests. And their “flock” were memorized like spells to be used as needed.

A Brief History of Obscene Language

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 take on a negative connotation. Swear words were prohibited, and persons uttering them were severely punished. Moreover, blasphemy was considered the most terrible. They could be expelled from the community, branded with a hot iron, or even executed.

At the same time, there was much less punishment for sexocentric, animalistic expressions or those related to bodily functions. And sometimes she was completely absent. This is probably why they were used more often and evolved, and their numbers grew.

With the spread of Christianity in Europe, another war was declared on obscene language, which was also lost.

It is interesting that in some countries, as soon as the power of the church began to weaken, the use of obscenities became a symbol of free thought. This happened during the French Revolution, when it was fashionable to vehemently criticize the monarchy and religion.

Despite the prohibitions, there were professional detractors in the armies of many European states. Their duties were to swear at enemies during battle and demonstrate their private 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 every year.

Features of swearing in the languages ​​of different nations

Although the attitude towards swearing in different countries in all centuries has been identical, each nation has formed its own list of swear words.

For example, traditional Ukrainian swearing is based on the names of the process of defecation and its product. In addition, the names of animals are used, most often dogs and pigs. The name of the tasty pig became obscene, probably during the Cossack period. The main enemies of the Cossacks were Turks and Tatars - that is, Muslims. And for them, a pig is an unclean animal, comparison with which is very offensive. Therefore, in order to provoke the enemy and throw him off balance, Ukrainian soldiers compared their enemies to pigs.

Many obscenities in the English language came from German. For example, these are the words shit and fuck. Who would have thought!

At the same time, less popular curses were indeed borrowed from Latin - these are defecate (defecate), excrete (excrete), fornicate (fornicate) and copulate (copulate). As you can see, all words of this kind are old words that are not often used today.

But the no less popular noun ass is relatively young and became widely known only in 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 curse words that are specific to its inhabitants. For example, the above word is popular in the USA.

As for other countries, in Germany and France most obscene expressions are associated with dirt or sloppiness.

Among the Arabs, you can go to jail for swearing, especially if you insult Allah or the Koran.

Where do swear words come from in Russian?

Having dealt 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 Russian swearing 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 wrong. A number of written sources have been found from an earlier period (than the appearance of the horde on the Slavic lands), in which obscene expressions are recorded.

Thus, understanding where swearing came from in Rus', 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 fought with each other. It does not indicate which words they used.

It is possible that the ban on swearing existed even before the advent of Christianity. Therefore, swear words were not mentioned in the official documentation, which makes it difficult to at least approximately establish where swearing in Rus' came from.

But if we consider that the most popular obscene words are found mainly only in Slavic languages, we can assume that they all originated in Proto-Slavic. Apparently, the ancestors slandered no less than their descendants.

It is difficult to say when they appeared in Russian. After all, the most popular of them were inherited from Proto-Slavic, which means they were in it from the very beginning.

Words that are consonant with some of the curses that are so popular today, which we will not cite for ethical reasons, can be found in birch bark documents of the 12th-13th centuries.

Thus, to the question: “Where did swear words come from in the Russian language?”, we can safely answer that they were present in it already during the period of its formation.

It is interesting that no radical new expressions were subsequently invented. In fact, these words have become the core on which the entire system of Russian obscene language is built.

But on their basis, over the next centuries, hundreds of cognate words and expressions were created, which almost every Russian is so proud of today.

Speaking about where Russian swearing came from, one cannot fail to mention borrowings from other languages. This is especially true for modern times. After the collapse of the USSR, active penetration of Anglicisms and Americanisms into speech began. Among them were obscene ones.

In particular, this is the word “gondon”, or “gondon” (linguists are still arguing about its spelling), derived from condom (condom). Interestingly, in English it is not a swear word. But in Russian it’s still the same. Therefore, when answering the question of where the Russian swear word came from, we should not forget that obscene expressions so common on our territory today also have foreign language roots.

Sin or not sin - that is the question!

When interested in the history of obscene language, people most often ask two questions: “Who invented obscenities?” and “Why do they say it’s a sin to use swear words?”

If we have dealt with 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, and in most cases it is precisely this kind of slander that is meant, such as blasphemy - which is truly a sin.

The New Testament also clarifies that the Lord can forgive any blasphemy (slander), except that 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 less serious violations.

By the way, one should take into account the fact that not all swear words relate to the Lord and His blasphemy. Moreover, simple phrases-interjections: “My God!”, “God knows him,” “Oh, Lord!”, “Mother of God” and the like can technically 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 him unpunished who takes His name in vain" (Ex. 20:7).

But similar expressions (which do not carry any negative sentiment and are not curse words) exist in almost any language.

As for other Bible authors who condemn swearing, these are Solomon in Proverbs and the Apostle Paul in the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians. In these cases, it was specifically about swear words, and not blasphemy. However, unlike the Ten Commandments, these passages in the Bible do not present swearing as a sin. 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 in which the Almighty is somehow mentioned (including interjections), can be considered a sin. But other curses, 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 “brood of vipers” (brood of vipers), which was clearly not a compliment. By the way, John the Baptist also used the same curse. In total it appears in the New Testament 4 times. Draw your own conclusions...

Traditions of using obscenities in world literature

Although it was not welcomed 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 will not surprise anyone, but in the past it was rare and, as a rule, became the cause of scandals.

Another gem of world literature that is famous for its numerous use of swear words is Jerome Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye.

By the way, the play "Pygmalion" by Bernard Shaw was also criticized at one time for the use of the word bloody, which was considered abusive in British English at that time.

Traditions of using swear words in Russian and Ukrainian literature

As for Russian literature, Pushkin also “dabbled” in obscenities, composing rhymed epigrams, and Mayakovsky actively used them without hesitation.

The modern Ukrainian literary language originates from the poem “Aeneid” by Ivan Kotlyarevsky. She can be considered a champion in the number of obscene expressions of the 19th century.

And although after the publication of this book, swearing continued to be a taboo for writers, this did not stop Les Podereviansky from becoming 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 also frankly politically incorrect.

Interesting facts

• In the modern world, swearing continues to be considered a negative phenomenon. At the same time, it is being actively studied and systematized. Therefore, collections of the most famous swear words have been created for almost every language. In the Russian Federation, these are two dictionaries of obscenities written by Alexey Plutser-Sarno.
• As you know, the legislation of many countries prohibits the publication of photographs that depict obscene inscriptions. This was once used by Marilyn Manson, who was pestered by the paparazzi. He simply wrote a curse word on his own face with a marker. And although no one began to publish such photos, they still leaked onto the Internet.
• Anyone who likes to use profanity for no apparent reason should think about their own mental health. 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 to designate mental deviations associated with swearing - coprolalia (an irresistible desire to swear for no reason), coprography (the desire to write profanity) and copropraxia (a painful desire to show indecent gestures).

Annotation

Russian ballet, Russian caviar, Russian vodka, Russian swearing. Which of these national treasures has not become scarce in recent years? Only the fourth and to some extent the third.

And about the fifth - about Russian literature - there is nothing to remember. Unless - in connection with the holiday of foul language on printed pages.

Mat is the most expressive area of ​​the Russian language. Our “three-letter” ones jokingly beat the English “four-letter” ones. They say respectfully about a person: “Talentedly swears!”

Politicians and military leaders, writers and artists, bankers and businessmen swear. Only in the criminal environment are other curse words accepted - innocent to the uninitiated ear.

The new large dictionary of obscenities is not the first publication of its kind, but the most complete and original. It is original, in particular, in that the author of the dictionary managed to mercilessly ridicule in print all the predecessor dictionaries published both in Russia and abroad.

Well, the flag is in his hands!

Alexey Plutser-Sarno

Experience in building a reference and bibliographic database of lexical and phraseological meanings of words

Gratitude

"And it's all about him"

0. Introductory remarks

1. Castration and phallus

2. Phallus and dick

3. Instead of a conclusion

Literature

Language and body

1. Towards knowledge of the hidden

2. Something about Slavic “expletive” lexicography

3. "The most powerful word"

4. Dictionary of one, “the most powerful word” of the language

Literature

Swearing dictionary as a phenomenon of Russian culture

1. Sanctification of the obscene

2. Find in the Department of Manuscripts

3. Lawlessness according to Phlegon

4. American dictionaries of Russian obscenities

5. An amazing story about how the famous writer Pyotr Fedorovich Aleshkin skimmed Russian obscene lexicography, or Notes about the book of the non-existent professor T.V. Akhmetova “Russian Mat: Explanatory Dictionary”, published in the third edition in Moscow by the Kolokol-press publishing house "in 2000 (521 pp.)

b. Checkmate in heaven

7. Plagiarism in Russian

8. Mat in thieves' dictionaries

9. Mat in the dictionary of dialects

10. Dictionary without words

11. Mat in etymological dictionaries

12. The lexicographer’s Procrustean bed

About the semantics of the word "mate"

DICK, m. Neodush. and shower (1-7th digits); and also: unism. in func. neg. places (8th value); adv. (9th digit); in funk, tale. (12th digit), frequent. (11th digit), int. (12th digit);

[Grammar of substantive forms:]

[Meanings, sub-meanings, shades of meaning, shades of use:]

[Phraseology, language clichés:]

The concept of a database of a dictionary of Russian “obscene” vocabulary

General remarks

Russian swearing database structure

List of abbreviations

List of dictionary database sources

A consolidated alphabetical index of handwritten anonymous sources processed during the preparation of the database contained in the pseudo-Barkovian lists, as well as some compilations of these sources published in the 1990s.

Conventional abbreviations in the text index:

Bibliography of dictionaries containing obscene vocabulary and used in preparing the database

List of informants

Alexey Plutser-Sarno

Experience in building a reference and bibliographic database of lexical and phraseological meanings of words

"dick"

19 values,

9 subdivisions,

9 shades of meaning,

23 shades of using the word dick,

523 phraseological articles,

which presents

about 400 idioms and language cliches and more than 1000 phraseologically related meanings of the word dick

Introductory articles by Doctor of Philology, Professor, Head. Department of Slavic Studies of the University of Tartu, Academician A. D. Dulichenko and Doctor of Philology V. P. Rudneva

Gratitude

E. A. Zhdanova took part in compiling the database. She also carried out scientific editing of all dictionary entries in this volume, compiled the “Database Sources” section and verified all citations in this volume with citation sources.

E. A. Belousova took part in compiling the observable part of the database.

The principles of construction were discussed with A. S. Gerd at the Department of Mathematical, Applied and Structural Linguistics of St. Petersburg State University, which he heads. The help and support provided by A.S. Gerd cannot be overestimated.

In 1994, draft materials of the database were edited by I. A. Bogdanova (dictionary department of the St. Petersburg State University Publishing House).

I express my gratitude to Yu. S. Stepanov and Yu. N. Karaulov, who reviewed the manuscript and provided support to the author.

Preliminary materials of the database were discussed in 1994 with A. N. Baranov in the Sector of Experimental Lexicography of the Institute of the Russian Language, which he led.

Yu. D. Apresyan, E. E. Babaeva, A. K. Bayburin, A. D. Dulichenko, E. V. Dushechkina, M. M. Bolduman, Yu. A. Kleiner kindly agreed to read and discuss fragments of the obscene database , V. D. Lukov, S. Yu. Mazur, N. V. Pertsov, V. P. Rudnev, A. L. Sobolev, S. A. Starostin, V. N. Toporov and M. I. Shapir, critical whose comments and advice were extremely valuable for the author.

Thanks to A.K. Zholkovsky (Santa Monica), M.A. Kolerov (Moscow), I.P. Smirnov (Konstanz), A.M. Pyatigorsky (London), who showed interest in this work.

Computer assembly, networking and software have been carried out over the past five years by Alexander Mozhaev, to whom the author expresses his endless gratitude.

V. I. Belikova, A. F. Belousova, Alexandra Brenera, V. V. Gushchina, D. Ya. Kalugina, T. Yu. Kibirova, R. V. Klubkova, V. K. Kondratiev, Vladimir Kotlyarov ( Tolstoy), T. M. Levin, A. I. Mashnina, E. Yu. Podvalnaya, E. I. Revzin,

S. A. Savitsky, A. I. Sosland, V. Yu. Stepantsov, M. S. Trofimenkov, A. E. Shaburov, Y. Shilov and V. I. Erlya.

The author is infinitely indebted to the editor-in-chief of the Logos magazine V.V. Anashvili, the executive secretary of the Logos magazine V.P. Rudnev, the director of the Ad Marginem publishing house A.T. Ivanov, the editor-in-chief of the publishing house "Languages ​​of Russian Culture" A.D. Koshelev, editor of the magazine "New World" A. A. Nosov, editor-in-chief of the magazine "New Literary Review" I. D. Prokhorova, editor of the magazine "New Literary Review" K. R. Kobrin, editor of the magazine "New Russian Book" G. A. Morev, editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Ex libris" I. A. Zotov and editor-in-chief of the magazine "Entourage" E. Yu. Men for their selfless support of this project.

I also wanted to express my deepest gratitude to my teachers L. I. Sobolev, who carried me away with professional philological work, I. A. Chernov and A. D. Dulichenko, who supported the author during the Tartu period, Z. G. Mints and Yu. M. Lotman, who, by their personal example, doomed the author to fruitless attempts to complete this endless work.

"And it's all about him"

(“Hui”: Phenomenology, anthropology, metaphysics, pragmasemantics)

0. Introductory remarks

"Dick" is the most important object in human life, starting from early childhood, as well as in the history of human relations, culture, science, art and philosophy - and accordingly the most important word in the language (even if it is not actually pronounced). The present study will mainly be devoted to substantiating this thesis.

1. Castration and phallus

One of the most important discoveries of psychoanalysis (the first devotees of which at the beginning of our century were just as accused by ordinary people of frivolity, immorality, depravity, etc. (see about this in detail, for example, the biography of Freud [Jones 1998]), as they were at the end of the century Vladimir Sorokin, Viktor Erofeev, Oleg Kulik, Alexander Brener are accused of the same thing, and as, of course, the author of this book will also be accused) there was the discovery of several fundamental facts regarding the subject of our research (here we must apologize to the enlightened part of our readers for several paragraphs psychoanalytic educational program, without which we will not be able to move forward in the study of what we are talking about). The fact is that, as Freud has shown, the small child, whether boy or girl, believes that all people are or should be endowed with a penis.

In 1908, in the article “On the Theory of Infantile Sexuality,” Freud wrote: “Already in childhood, the penis is the leading erogenous zone and the main autoerotic object...

Russian swearing, as a phenomenon of national language and culture, has its roots in ancient times. The word mat itself, according to some philologists and linguists, comes from the word mother. Mother (the word) has not been used before outside the verbal construction Yo... your mother. Only after Catherine the Second introduced restrictions on the use of obscene expressions in society, the word mother acquired a slightly different meaning. And by the eighteenth century, affectionate derivatives of this word appeared - mother, mommy, mommy, mother, and so on.

Other scientists (including the famous researcher of Russian obscenities A. Plutser-Sarno) it is believed that the word mat meant a loud cry, the cry of animals during the period of mating flirtations or the process of copulation itself.

Why did the Russian rulers relegate swear words, which have long been used in everyday life to denote their mental states, to the category of unacceptable and prohibited, which can be explained, perhaps, only by European influence. To the extent that foreign culture, primarily German and French, and their words and expressions penetrated into Russia and were adopted by the ruling class, traditionally Russian words and expressions disappeared in this environment.

Gradually, only the lower classes of Russian society began to use obscenities in their speech, where the expression “fuck - dig” was used on a par with “give us our daily bread today.” But among the nobles and high clergy, swearing went into the realm of dark legends and historicisms. And if one of the nobles did not refrain from using a “strong” word in his speech, then this was considered bad form and ignorance. In French, please. Just not as Russian men say. This is how the taboo of swearing was introduced. And he himself began to be considered obscene language. It was among the nobility that swear words were considered prohibited swearing. It was there that he acquired his “bad” fame, as something base and overly negative.

But, nevertheless, despite official prohibitions and moral protests, the mat survived. Moreover, it has developed and grown stronger. This was greatly facilitated by Russian educators and writers, who unearthed piles of hitherto unknown literature and philological emeralds among dusty historical evidence. The expressions dug up in this way were used by the writers themselves in friendly correspondence, where they wanted to outdo each other in the art of selective Russian swearing. Writers such as Pushkin, Lermontov, Barkov, Alexei Tolstoy, the Zhemchuzhnikovs, Yesenin and many others made a special contribution to the popularization of swearing.

In modern Russia, swearing is also taboo. Everyone swears and yet, well, or almost everyone, stands for the complete eradication of swearing, cutting down the defenders of obscene language with the penultimate words.

Everyday mate, which we meet here and there has nothing in common with literary swearing. Today’s swearing has become so boring that you involuntarily don’t notice it at all. Gradually, swear words lose their social function of expressing dissatisfaction and protest and pass into the category of everyday words and expressions. This is also facilitated by the extraordinary flexibility of the “cuss words”. Separate words can express almost anything, including concepts and phenomena that are opposite in meaning and meaning.

Actually, everyone swears and swears. Even young, unintelligent children are attracted to the simple philosophy of swear words. But only a few of this number swear in an ornate, lengthy, competent, funny manner and in accordance with all the rules of the Russian language. Proper swearing is a big science that requires detailed and in-depth study.

Swearing can be expressed in individual words, in phrases containing up to five obscene words, and maybe in inflections. There are several types of obscene bend.
Thus, there are small obscene bends, large obscene bends, large Petrovsky bends, small sea and large sea bends, and so on.
The obscene bend is the simplest and at the same time rigid and extensive scheme according to which the construction of an abusive sentence is carried out.
The bend is distinguished by its strength. It is difficult to replace one word with another.

Obscene bends (large and small) differ, first of all, in the number of irregular words they contain. A small bend should include from fifteen to twenty words (prepositions and conjunctions are not included in their number). Large, respectively, contains thirty or more words. The number of obscene words is known to reach one and a half hundred or even more. Such works of folk art look colorful and are usually spoken in patter.

There are also unverified rumors about the existence Big Petrovsky Bend, which contains several hundred fastened phrases and is a model for constructing nine-story mats. It seems that this work can be attributed mostly to the realm of legends and legends. Although you can often find something similar. A paraphrase of Peter's curse.

Skilled swearers were highly revered in Russia and were invited to all mass celebrations, in order to please the ears of tipsy hosts and guests with his rollicking abuse. Talking in curves back then was like having a flashing light on your car today. That is, those who possessed such talents could almost freely enter any establishments and attend any events. Today, championships and competitions are often held among bearers of the “great and mighty.”

So, ladies and gentlemen, learn Russian. You might find it useful.