Sem. John Marco D. Abenio AB IV – St.

Thomas Aquinas
Rev. Msgr. Erlito Maraya Philosophy of Language
Language and the Culture of Cursing
It should come as no surprise that this topic would be chosen as a point of reflection
eventually. Especially because this culture has been around for several centuries. But, if we try to
take a step back and study cursing, we can see that this culture deviates from other ways that
language is used. In fact, curses may very well be the kind of words that have the loosest
associations with meaning, and yet is still widely used in varying contexts.
Generally, most Filipino people would say that curses are simply “expressions”. To be
frank, any word can be considered as an expression. But the point being made is probably this:
for lack of a better word, curses are used to have something to “express” verbally in various
social situations. Whether that be in: telling jokes, displaying guilt or sadness, showing disbelief
or, of course, exhibiting anger. In effect, curses become stand-ins for a laugh or a sob, or a
scream, simply because there is nothing better to say.
So, I would contend that curse words are unique parts of language because they are words
which, for the most part, do not actually carry any meaning in them. We are taught that meaning,
through the vehicle we use which is language, allows us to create thoughts. And thoughts are
expressed through words. But curse words are different in that they are words (hence, they make
use of language), but they have neither meaning or thought. I say this because, say, when we
hear the word “bitch”, we either think of a female dog or a certain insult to a woman. And when
we hear the word “shit” we think of feces. But as curse words, they are rarely used to signify
what they are supposed to mean. Instead, they are simply there because it has become a culture
for people to do so. So, the conclusion to this reflection would be as follows: not all words carry
actual meaning. Oftentimes, we use words simply because we feel like doing so, or because the
people around us make it a part of culture. Hence, words that are used as curses are supposedly
regarded as improperly used words, given that they do not say what they are intended to convey
(if there is anything to convey at all). however, because they are integrated into a culture, they
gain meaning, but only as stand-in words to be used to convey a certain feeling, regardless of
whether or not they “fit” into the context of the statement/sentence.