Taboo Words or Swear Words Uttered Idiomatically
67 5
“ Boy, I dont know whether to shit or wind my watch. Guess, Ill shit on my
watch.” This is another utterance which contains obscenity with the word shit.
The definition of the word shit here is clearly separated from its literal meaning. This word seems to be a verb and considering its relation to the word
“watch”, it will not make sense if the meaning is literal. The reference of the word shit might
contextually mean “get rid of” but it is uttered in a simulated difficult situation. The sense obtained from this utterance is that the speaker faces difficulty and
confusion about what to do with his watch related to the degree of damage of the watch. Each word shit is uttered with emotive function and burst in a distress.
This word is considered cathartic swearing since it reflects the speaker‟s feeling. It might also be considered as idiomatic swearing since the word shit here
represents something which is considered unpleasant. Since then this sentence is a constative and locution since this is merely an act of saying.
6 “
Oh, the shit is going to hit the fan.”
“When the shit is going to hit the fan” is a slang word meaning “when disastrous consequences of something become known. Because it is a slang it
constitutes a formulaic language involving the word shit. Since then, this taboo word is boundless to its literal meaning. However, there is no emotive function
found here and it implies that this utterance contains taboo word not swear word. This utterance is constative and in form of locution. However, it has
68 perlocutionary effect toward the audiences. The audiences laugh upon hearing
this utterance which contains the word which is considered indecent i.e. shit. Besides, this utterance seems not to be illocution and is not meant to offend
someone. 7
“ Built like a brick shit-
house.” This metaphor using the word shit presumably has a relation to a slang
“be shitting bricks” which means “be extremely nervous or frightened” or the exclamation “shit a brick” with same sense with the previous one but it is made
more rhyming though imperfect as the effect of rhyme in literature Hughes, 2006. However, for this case Wajnryb‟s review is quite relevant. She st
ates that the word shit, if used as intensifier, can have a positive association. Being
contextualized with this utterance, the slang might mean that the house is “well or beautifully built using bricks”.
This utterance is also constative and a locution. Carlin merely says the word and without any intention to praise or offend. Yet,
this utterance has perlocutionary effect toward the audiences since the laugh upon hearing this utterance.
8 “
Up, hes up shit s creek.”
There is another idiom using the word shit in this utterance i. e. “up shit‟s
creek” which mean “being in an awkward predicament” Sheidlower, 2009. Since it is an idiom, the word shit here is not bound to its literal meaning. This
69 metaphor makes sense about the condition in the canoe without paddle which
makes it difficult to move or get to the shore. This utterance has no emotive function and the word shit in this utterance is a taboo word not swear word.
Wajnryb 2006 suggests that this slang might build solidarity because this slang relies on assumed inferences for their meaning, and shared assumptions can
make people feel like chums p. 92. Despite being offensive and hurting someone, this slang might strengthen a relationship. Hence, this utterance is not
meant to offend someone. This utterance is also constative and locution since Carlin only does the act of saying without really being involved in the situation
in which the slang might appropriately be uttered. There is also a perlocutinary effect in this utterance as can be seen from the laughter of the audiences upon
hearing this utterance. 9
“ Hot shit, holy shit, tough shit, eat shit, shit-
eating grin.” Here Carlin mentions a series of taboo words in some different cases.
Carlin gives some examples how the word shit is usually used to form its formulaic language. Yet, each word shit in this utterance is taboo word since it
carries no emotive function and not related to its literal meaning. Pinker 2007 states that a large number of slangs using taboo word show no discernible analogy
to the subject matter and incorporate the taboo word only for its ability to gain the audiences‟ interest p. 223. The word hot shit, as Wajnryb suggests, might mean
positive for example “good stuff”. The other positive sensed slang with the word
70 hot and shit
is “shit-hot party” which means “no one to be missed” p. 91. The word holy shit is a declination produ
ct from the word “Holy Mary” which is commonly used as an expletive and the reference is indiscernible. It is also
difficult to obtain the sense from the context of this utterance. It declines as a result of the secularization of the society in which the profanity in slang tended to
change with vulgarity or obscenity Pinker, 2007; Hughes, 2006; Ljung 2011. However, considering the way Carlin utters it, the possible sense is “merely
utterance of an expletive”. The word tough shit might mean “a tough deed” as the contextual example presented by Sheidlower 2009, p. 189. The reference of the
word shit in “shit-eating grin” is also indiscernible since it is used in a slang.
However, the sense might be “someone who has an ugly smile on his face”. Then this utterance is constative and locution. This utterance is not used to offend
someone and even not to burst emotional burden However, this utterance has perlocutionary effect toward the audiences since they laugh after hearing a series
of slangs containing taboo words uttered. In the other word, all of the slangs in this utterance is not used in an offensive way.
10 “
He had a shit-eating grin He had a what? shit on a stick, shit in a handbag. I always like that. He aint worth shit
in a handbag.” It is another utterance which contains a series of slangs using taboo word
shit . Actually defining the meaning of each slang is quite troublesome since the
context is sufficient to determine the proximately exact meaning. In this context Carlin merely uttered the slangs in the stage of comedy and is not really involved
71 in the appropriate circumstance. The slang shit-eating grin is one of the entries
Pinker claims to have no discernible analogy to its subject matter. However, it might
have sense of “someone who has an ugly smile on his face” since the notion of the word shit might have sense of
“something unpleasant” Ljung, 2011. The phrase “shit on a stick” and “shit in a handbag” is vaguely
describable since the context is not adequate. It might still be referred to “something unpleasant or unimportant”. This sentence is also constative and
locution because it is not uttered toward certain person. However, as usual, this utterance has perlocutionary effect which makes the audiences laugh.
11 “He acted real shitty.”
The word shitty has a sense of “awful” Wajnryb, 2006. It seems that
this word is a derivative from the taboo word shit; from noun to adjective. This word is still related to the sense of the word shit i.e.
“something unpleasant”. In the context of this utterance, Carlin depicts someone who acts awfully or in an
unpleasant way. The word shitty in this context is still considered taboo word since no emotive function detected in this utterance and still derived from the
root which is still considered belongs to secular taboo. This utterance is also constative and locution. This utterance is merely act of saying. However, this
utterance has perlocutionary effect which makes the audiences laugh as usual.
72 12
“I got the money back, but a real shitty attitude.” The same word is still applied in this utterance i.e. the word shitty. Here
the word shit is derived to adjective and is used as a predicative adjective. The word sticks before the word attitude which makes it works as an adjective. The
sense is still the same with the previous utterance that the word shitty might mean “awful”. It can be assumed that here Carlin tries to get his money back
with an awful or unpleasant deed. It might be by force, threat, or else. The word shitty
here is still taboo word and swear word since it does not carry emotive function. This utterance is also locution and constative. This utterance is merely
act of saying. However, this utterance has perlocutionary effect which makes the audiences laugh as usual.
13 “Heh, he had a shit-fit.”
This is another case which the meaning of the slang was somehow difficult to figure out since there is an appropriate concrete context. The word fit
as a noun might mean “a sudden attack of convulsion” or “a sudden attack of coughing, fainting, laughter, e
tc.” OED. The word shit as intensifier actually might mean something positive according to Wajnryb. Nevertheless, this
utterance is continued by the sentence: “Whew Glad I wasnt there” which evokes the sense that
“something bad had happened” and the speaker feels lucky not to be involved in the circumstance. In this context, the notion of the word shit
73 might be “something unpleasant”. Considering the following utterance, in which
Carlin gasps his breath as a sign of relief, this utterance then has emotive function which makes this word swear word. However, considering the pseudo-
context of this utterance, the word shit might also be used cathartically as a sign of relief. This utterance is constative and locution since it does not perform
illocutionary force to the addressee. This utterance also has perlocutionary effect toward the audiences who laugh upon hearing the utterance.
14 “
Get your shit together.”
This is another slang containing the word shit. Ljung 2011 suggests that in “get your shit together” the meaning of the word shit is “something” or
“anything” and not associated to something unpleasant. However, Pinker 2007 states that this slang has no discernible analogy to its subject matter. But,
Wajnryb 2006 suggests that this kind of slang is a friendly epithet and claims that this slang is a happy and comradely word p. 91. Its boundlessness to its
literal meaning makes the word shit in this utterance a taboo word and not a swear word. There is also no emotive function detected in this utterance. This
utterance might have illocutionary force if it is uttered in the concrete circumstance. However, this utterance is on of the examples containing the word
shit Carlin utters. Therefore, this utterance is constative and in the form of
locution.
74 15
“Shit or get off the pot. I got a shit-load full of them. I got a shit-pot full, all right. Shit
-head, shit-heel, shit in your heart, shit for brains, shit- face, heh.”
In this utterance there are some utterances containing the word shit. Wajnryb 2006 suggests three categories involving the slangs available in this
utterance. The first is the slang which carries negative exasperation. This slang might be occasionally uttered when “something goes unlikely as the speakers
wants or expects” p. 92. The slang belong this first category is “Shit or get off the pot”. Actually the word shit in this slang is a metaphor. However, Carlin
utters a sequential utterance in the next sentence which makes sense as if the word shit
in “Shit or get off the pot” possesses its literal meaning. It is done as the anecdotal part of Carlin
‟s monologue. The second category is slang which allows a more expressive vent. The slangs belong to this category are shit-head,
shit -heel, and shit-
face. The term “expressive vent” suggests an emotive function when those slangs are uttered in an appropriate context. As slangs which
functions as an emotional burst, those slangs usually lose the reference and show no discernible analogy. The third category is similar to name-calling using nasty
thing. As Wajnryb presents, this categories might overlap each other which means one slang might belong to more then one categories. The examples of this
category are shit-head, shit-heal, shit in your heart, shit for brains, and shit face. Green 1993 suggests that those phrases are considered as insults. The slangs in
this category might also cause a heavy offense if they are uttered in the appropriate context. Nevertheless, there is no real context applied in uttering the
75 slangs. This condition makes the word shit in the slangs taboo word and not
swear words since there is no emotive function in uttering the slangs. This utterance then becomes constative and locution since it is not used to offend
someone like it might be. This utterance also has perlocutionary effect toward the audiences since they are laughing upon hearing the slangs.
16 “Anyway, enough of that shit.”
The word shit in this utterance is metaphorical. Shit in this context is meant to be the
“discussion so far involving the word shit” as can be seen in previous utterances. Actually, if this utterance is delivered with emotive
function, the word shit here might mean “nonsense” or “chit-chat” which has the
association with the notion of “small and unpleasant” Ljung, 2011. In fact, the emotive function is absent in this utterance. Hence, the word shit is not bound to
its literal meaning. Yet, the word shit in this utterance is a taboo word and not a swear word since there is no emotive function detected in this uttered or from
how the word shit is uttered. This utterance is also constative and locution. This utterance also has perlocutionary effect which makes the audience laugh.
17 “Who are you? I am FUCK
1
. FUCK
2
OF THE MOUNTAIN .”
Carlin strangely uses the word fuck and applies it as a noun. The word fuck
1
is then treated like “a name of a person or a position which is prestigious”
as the reference. It can be seen by the previous utterance. In the previous
76 sentence, Carlin says that the word fuck
is a “Good word. Kind of a proud word, too.” This preceding utterance then gives impact to the word fuck
2
. The word fuck
2
might refer to “person with the prestigious position”. For this case, it is obvious that the word fuck loses its literal meaning. There is a kind of emotive
function in this utterance seen from the way Carlin utters this sentence. Based on the completeness of the Ljung‟s categories of swearing, both of the words fuck in
this utterance is swear words. This utterance also is an illocution and has perlocutionary effect toward
the audiences the audiences laugh. The act done in this utterance is declarative, since Carlin
declares himself as “fuck” and “fuck of the mountain”. However, this utterance is misfired since it does not qualify the felicity rule A.1, A.2, B.1,
B.2, T.1, and T.2. For the rules A, the word fuck here is not a real name or position and Carlin is in an unclear position for naming, even for himself. It
means that this utterance is misfired and thus not delivered in an offensive way. 18
“Madfuckers still on the loose.” The word madfucker is the only case in this utterance. This word is
derived from the word fuck with the attributive adjective “mad”. The word fucker
might mean “a person, especially a man, who is despicable, wretched, formidable, etc” Sheidlower, 2009, p. 170. From the context, the case might be
interpreted that an insane, mentally-ill person escaped the asylum and is not yet
77 found. The word fucker gives the sense that the insane person might do harmful
things and as if this utterance is a warning. However, the word fucker here is not associated to the notion of “copulation” since it refers to another adjective
dealing with character of the person. The word fucker is then a taboo word and not swear word since no emotive function detected in this utterance.
This utterance is considered an illocution of which act is representative; to announce the case. Then, the felicity condition should be checked. This
utterance does not fulfill the rule B.1, B.1, T.1, and T.2. For the rules B, Carlin does not refer the word madfucker to a certain person in which it is not a real
contexted warning. This utterance then becomes misfired. For the rules T, Carlin does not really mean to warn the people at the spot since he also knows there is
no certain person he means. This act then becomes void as well. This utterance also has perlocutionary effect which makes the audiences laugh.
19 “Stop me before I fuck again.”
It can be seen that the word fuck in this utterance is a verb. The possible reference for fuck
as a verb is “to copulate”, or “to do harmful thing” Sheidlower, 2009. However, it is clear that in this utterance Carlin means the
word fuck “ to mention more examples of utterances containing the word fuck”.
This word is not swear word since it is not uttered with emotive function. Actually, this utterance is performative and has an illocutionary force with the
78 directive act i.e. asking the audiences to stop uttering more examples using the
word fuck. However, for the felicity condition, this utterance does not meet the rules B.1 and B.2. It is quite impossible for the audiences to stop Carlin saying
anything in his monologue which might mean disrupt the comedy. Hence, the act of this utterance becomes void.
20 “Easy on the clutch Bill, youll fuck that engine again.”
The possible appropriate reference for the word fuck in this utterance is “
to harm irreparably; finish; damage; spoil; botch” Sheidlower, 2009, since it is in the form of verb. From the context of this utterance, the sense is that the
speaker might be afraid that the addressee redoes something bad and harmful to the engine. The word fuck in this utterance might be swear word since it is not
bound to its literal meaning and there is an emotive function in this utterance. The word fuck in this utterance is an idiomatic swear word considering
that the word fuck is a metaphor. This utterance is performative and has illocutionary force with the act of directive. However, for the felicity condition,
this utterance does not fulfill the rules T.1 and T.2. which means that Carlin does not really ask someone to do something with the engine. This utterance also
performs illocutionary force which makes the audiences laugh.
79 21
“ The other shit
1
one was, I dont give a shit
2
.” This utterance discusses the word shit again. Two words shit in this
utterances are not bound to their literal meaning. The word shit
1
refers to another example of utterance using the word shit
. The slang “don‟t give a shit” means “do not care at all” Sheidlower, 2009; Pinker, 2007. Both of the words shit are
not bound to their literal meaning. However, there is no emotive function detected in this utterance and it. This utterance is considered constative and
locution since it does not perform the illocutionary force. This utterance also does not perform the perlocutionary effect.
The reference and sense of the taboo words and swear words in utterances in this part are manifested in some idioms or metaphors. The reference and sense
presented in this part suppose to answer the research question number one. Pinker 2007 generalizes that idioms containing taboo words or swear words have the sense
of “unpleasant”. The answer for the research question number two derived from this part is that the taboo words and swear words are used idiomatically. Almost all of the
utterances here are in the form of constative and locution. The utterances containing illocutionary force in this part do not fulfill the felicity condition. Thus, the
offensiveness of the utterances in this sentence is doubtfully present.
80