TALKING TO EACH OTHERgiven situation. As you might expect, native speakers of this language
have been shown to have extraordinary spatial skills and memories.
Arguably a rather more convincing account of the relation between
thought and language than the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is provided by
conceptual semantics. This is the idea that there is a wordless “language
of thought” underlying the way we use and categorize our words. This
pre-verbal language reflects the way we construe the world. It’s based
on issues relating to giving, changing, moving and whether an action
is continuous or discrete. Consistent with this, the way we organize our
words, for example into transitive (involving acting on another object
or person) and intransitive verbs (something you do by yourself, such
as sleep), is grounded in questions of change, permanence and physics.
METAPHOR AND ITS USES
The physical foundations of language are also revealed through our
ubiquitous use of metaphor. When we think about concepts like power,
Bl*dy hll!
Just what the fuck is it about swear words that makes them so special?
Excuse my language, but by shocking you I was attempting to demon-
strate that a key characteristic of taboo words is their raw emotional
power. This has been confirmed with brain-imaging and brain-wave
recordings. Just like loud noises and the sight of angry faces, taboo
words cause our amygdala – the almond-like brain-region involved
in processing emotional memories – to fire up. The trouble is that
this really just provides physiological proof for what we already know
from first-hand experience. Quite why these words wield such power
probably has to do with the things they refer to. In most, if not all,
languages, swear words tend to refer to sex, sexual organs, excreta,
death, decay, God and outcast social groups. And whereas technical
or scientific terms for these things are used in a way that’s intended to
be as insipid and precise as possible, swear words have the opposite
function – designed to highlight the disgustingness or earthy lustiness
of the substance or act. Research shows that men swear more than
women, teenagers more than the rest of us, and that we all swear
more when in the company of our own sex. Depending on the social
context, we can invoke taboo words strategically. The orator can build
up to a crescendo, insert a “fucking” in her concluding line, and ensure
her passion leaves a lasting impression on the audience. Footballers
sharing a drink post-match can exchange carefree “shits” and “fucks”,
thus putting on display their unshockable machismo.