It gives reasons why swearing may be not only a human universal but also serves social and other functions.
Steven Pinker lists the following functions (The Stuff of Thought: Language As a Window Into Human Nature, 2007):
Abusive swearing
Cathartic swearing
Dysphemistic swearing
Emphatic swearing
Idiomatic swearing
I had to lookup dysphemistic and from that I’m not sure about the distinction to abuse. I think some way to deal with abuse has to be found anyway so that usage is addressed by that. Cathartic is positive so cultivating that should be fine. Idiomatic swearing is a cultural usage that I’d guess interlinks with the other due to circumstances—which could be solved if the social tension behind it were solved (otherwise it would inevitably remain and should be accepted too. This leaves emphatic swearing which I’m not sure has positive effects. Or maybe it is just a weaker form of cathartic swearing (scaled depending on temperament/character).
The Wikipedia article on swearing is interesting.
It gives reasons why swearing may be not only a human universal but also serves social and other functions.
Steven Pinker lists the following functions (The Stuff of Thought: Language As a Window Into Human Nature, 2007):
Abusive swearing
Cathartic swearing
Dysphemistic swearing
Emphatic swearing
Idiomatic swearing
I had to lookup dysphemistic and from that I’m not sure about the distinction to abuse. I think some way to deal with abuse has to be found anyway so that usage is addressed by that. Cathartic is positive so cultivating that should be fine. Idiomatic swearing is a cultural usage that I’d guess interlinks with the other due to circumstances—which could be solved if the social tension behind it were solved (otherwise it would inevitably remain and should be accepted too. This leaves emphatic swearing which I’m not sure has positive effects. Or maybe it is just a weaker form of cathartic swearing (scaled depending on temperament/character).