Connotations

[buckyboy14]

Ugh, just the word makes me shiver. I can't stand how words have connotations, such as bitc*, ass, and bastard. Those words all have perfectly fine meanings (female dog, donkey, child born out of wedlock), but people get mad if you use them in the correct sense because of their "connotations." They should be completely acceptable if you're not using the word negatively. Any other connotations you can think of that annoy you?

 

[Grumpy Cat]

Why use them at all? Just say "female dog", "donkey", or " child born out of wedlock". Usually a person born out of wedlock doesn't wish to be called the "b" name in the first place. The word "ass" was used in the bible, so nothing really wrong with that. And what is a male dog called?

 

[buckyboy14]

I just don't see why they should be considered taboo words if they're being used correctly.

 

[Judge]

I just don't see why they should be considered taboo words if they're being used correctly.

Because there's no guarantee that the context of what you are saying is clearly understood in real-time. Some people can evoke an instant, negative emotional responses from a single word or phrase. Whether it's used correctly or not.

Yes- it's not fair. Welcome to the world of adulthood.

 

[King_Oni]

Because there's no guarantee that the context of what you are saying is clearly understood in real-time. Some people can evoke an instant, negative emotional responses from a single word or phrase. Whether it's used correctly or not.

Yes- it's not fair. Welcome to the world of adulthood.

This can be done with pretty much any word, regardless of generally accepted context. Some people find offense in the silliest things because it bears a personal connotation to them.

 

[Judge]

This can be done with pretty much any word, regardless of generally accepted context. Some people find offense in the silliest things because it bears a personal connotation to them.

True, no guarantee of that either. But I think the words the OP mentioned are bound to get them into trouble. Why use them at all when you know there's a potential risk at using them with people if you may not know them that well?

 

[King_Oni]

True, no guarantee of that either. But I think the words the OP mentioned are bound to get them into trouble. Why use them at all when you know there's a potential risk at using them with people if you may not know them that well?

What probably bothers me more is why I'm talking to people whom I don't know using those words. That might change context and knowledge of "potential risk".

I can't think of any situation where I have to refer to a female dog (and specifically a female dog) with a stranger or the conversation about a child born out of wedlock comes up.

On the other hand, perhaps the entire notion of connotations and people being offended is a cultural thing in that I can't remember this being an issue being brought up in my country. And considering I've had my share of usage of language, synonyms and connotation back when I was studying journalism, I never had issues with it either.

Which might also have to do with the fact that dutch in general just has less connotations to certain words and has specific swearwords, rather than synonyms that can be used either as something offensive as well as a "regular" noun.

So the notion of walking on my toes, proverbially speaking, when choosing my words is a bit more odd to me.

 

[Judge]

Which might also have to do with the fact that dutch in general just has less connotations to certain words and has specific swearwords, rather than synonyms that can be used either as something offensive as well as a "regular" noun.

So the notion of walking on my toes, proverbially speaking, when choosing my words is a bit more odd to me.

Good points. Just out of curiosity, would you think the same would apply to the German language? That swearing was very direct with words you didn't "mince". With few if any equivalents in our language and culture. But then we don't have "flavoring particles" either. Our culture tends to enhance adjectives by converting them to explicatives.

Our slang is out of control...

But then in this country in some places and circumstances just looking at someone the wrong way can potentially get you killed.

 

[King_Oni]

Good points. Just out of curiosity, would you think the same would apply to the German language? That swearing was very direct with words you didn't "mince". With few if any equivalents in our language and culture. But then we don't have "flavoring particles" either. Our culture tends to enhance adjectives by converting them to explicatives.

I think German is somewhat the same. Though perhaps that's just as much a culture thing. The times I've spoken with German people I never really noticed some kind of forced redirection of certain words. And just as German, dutch is pretty direct as well with their swearing.

As for an adjective to an explicative... dutch has one. We tend to swear a lot using "cancer" as both an adjective and a noun. But I think dutch overall uses some diseases and such as explicatives; mostly as insults towards others. (Tering; Tuberculosis, Kanker; Cancer, Tyfus; Typhoid fever... and sometimes even go with the addition of "lijer" which translates as "someone suffering from...")

It's funny though, since in dutch, using cancer as an adjective both as negative as well as a positive adjective. Though for some reason people never seem to misunderstand the context, aside from people complaining how cancer seems a bit tasteless considering it's quite common nowadays.

 

[Loomis]

I once was at an Ecology seminar as the professor described research on the Great Tit. Since there were only graduate students and teachers in the room not a soul let on they recognized any other meaning for the name of this European bird; there was only respectful silence as we all listened to the professor present his paper. I can only imagine how a high school class might react to the same topic; I guess in that context it would be best to use the scientific name and refer to the bird as Parus major.

Great tit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia