First Blog Entry

Why do certain four-letter words offend? Why is it thought improper to use the word shit in polite conversation? Feces might be acceptable but not shit. The dictionary refers to the word as "vulgar." And what is "vulgar?" According to the dictionary, it is behavior characterized by a lack of 'good breeding.' What does 'breeding' have to do with word usage? If you do not have acceptable parentage, are you crude and unrefined?

Shit comes from an Old English word "shite" meaning dung, a perfectly acceptable word to the people of old England. It became "vulgar" when England was taken over by the Romans and later by the French. The conquerors became the upper class. Their language became the language of "good breeding." Lower class people spoke English. To this day words from romanic origins are deemed more acceptable in "polite society" than some words of English origin.

Have you ever wondered why we call meat "beef" at the table but "cow" in the field? "Mutton" at the table, but "sheep" in the field? "Sheep" is from Old English; "mutton" is from Old French.

Many, if not all, of the shunned four-letter words, deemed vulgar, are simply words used by people who did not speak the language of William the Conqueror. Englishmen seeking social recognition adopted French. Working class English did not. To the ear of the ruling class, common English words became "vulgar" and remained so even after the conquerors left. Many people in our time think using the word shit is immoral. Without realizing it, if we reproach Tony Soprano for using the "F" word, we are simply being snobs.