It is sad to be aware, but the mat is an integral part of every language, without which it is impossible to imagine. But for many centuries, foul language was actively fought, but could not win this battle. Let's look at the history of abuse in general, and also find out how mats appeared in Russian.
Why do people gossip?
Whatever anyone says, but absolutely all people use curses in their speech. Another thing is that someone does this very rarely or uses relatively harmless expressions.
For many years, psychologists have been studying the reasons why we swear, although we know that this not only poorly describes us, but can also become insulting to others.
Highlighted several main reasons why people swear.
- Insulting an opponent.
- Trying to make your own speech more emotional.
- As an interjection.
- To relieve psychological or physical stress on the person who is speaking.
- As a manifestation of rebellion. An example of this behavior can be seen in the movie "Sex: The Secret Material". His main character (whom his father raised in a strict atmosphere, protecting from everything), having learned that you can swear, began to actively use swear words. And sometimes out of place or in strange combinations, which looked very comical.
- To attract attention. Many musicians use profanity in their songs to look special.
- In order to successfully adapt in a specific environment in which swear words replace ordinary ones.
- As a tribute to fashion.
I wonder what of these reasons you swear?
Etymology
Before you learn how obscene words appeared, it would be interesting to consider the history of the very noun "mat" or "swearing".
It is believed that it was formed from the term "mother". Linguists believe that this concept, so respected by all, has turned into the name of obscene language due to the fact that the first Slavs from the Slavs were aimed at insulting their mothers. It is from here that the expressions “send to mother” and “use foul language” came from.
By the way, the antiquity of the term is evidenced by its presence in other Slavic languages. In modern Ukrainian, the similar name "matyuki" is used, and in Belarusian - "mat" and "mataryzna".
Some scholars are trying to connect this word with its homonym from chess. They claim that it was borrowed from Arabic through the mediation of the French language and means "death of the king." However, this version is very doubtful, since in this sense the word appeared in Russian only in the XVIII century.
Considering the question of where the mats came from, it is worthwhile to find out what other peoples call their analogues. So, the Poles use the expressions plugawy język (dirty language) and wulgaryzmy (vulgarisms), the British use profanity (blasphemy), the French use impiété (disrespect), and the Germans use Gottlosigkeit (godlessness).
Thus, by studying the names of the concept of "mat" in different languages, you can find out exactly what types of words were considered the first curses.
The most famous versions explaining where the mats came from
Historians have not yet come to a single decision regarding the origin of the battle. Reflecting on where the mats came from, they agree that they were originally associated with religion.
Some believe that in ancient times magical properties were attributed to swear words. No wonder one of the synonyms of swearing is a curse. That is why their pronunciation was prohibited, as it could cause someone else's or their own misfortune. Echoes of this faith can be found today.
Others believe that for ancestors the mat was a kind of weapon against enemies. During disputes or battles, it was customary to blaspheme the gods defending opponents, supposedly this made them weaker.
There is a third theory that tries to explain where the mats came from. According to her, the curses associated with the genitals and sex were not curses, but, on the contrary, entreaties to the ancient pagan gods of fertility. That is why they were pronounced in difficult times. That is, in fact, they were an analogue of modern interjection: "Oh, God!"
Despite the apparent delusionality of this version, it is worth noting that it can be quite close to the truth, because it explains the appearance of sex-centric profanity.
Unfortunately, none of the above theories gives an unambiguous answer to the question: "Who created the swear words?" It is generally accepted that they are the fruit of folk art.
Some believe that curses were invented by priests. And their "flocks" learned this abuse by heart as spells to use, as needed.
A Brief History of Profanity
Having examined the theory of who invented obscene words and why, it is worth following their evolution in society.
After people left the caves, began to build cities and organize states with all their attributes, the attitude to abuse began to take on a negative connotation. Swear words were forbidden, and those who pronounced them were severely punished. And the most terrible were considered blasphemy. They could be expelled from the community, branded with a hot iron or even executed.
At the same time, for sex-centric, animalistic expressions or those associated with body functions, the punishment was much less. And sometimes it was completely absent. This is probably why they were more often used and evolved, and their number grew.
With the spread of Christianity in Europe, profanity was declared another war, which was also lost.
Interestingly, in some countries, as soon as the power of the church began to weaken, the use of mat became a symbol of free thought. This happened during the French Revolution, when it was fashionable to scold the monarchy and religion frantically.
Contrary to prohibitions, there were professional detractors in the armies of many European states. Their duties were to swear enemies during the battle and to demonstrate intimate organs for greater persuasiveness.
Today, obscene expressions continue to be condemned by most religions, but are not prosecuted as severely as centuries ago. Their public use is punishable by small fines.
Despite this, in the last few decades, one can observe the next transformation of curses from a taboo into something fashionable. Today they are everywhere - in songs, books, in movies and on television. Moreover, millions of souvenirs with obscene inscriptions and signs are sold annually.
Features of the mat in the languages of different nations
Although the attitude to swearing in different countries was identical throughout all centuries, each nation has its own list of swear words.
For example, traditional Ukrainian swearing is built on the basis of the names of the defecation process and its product. In addition, the names of animals are used, most often dogs and pigs. The name of the delicious pig became obscene, probably during the Cossack period. The main enemies of the Cossacks were Turks and Tatars - that is, Muslims. And for them, a pig is an unclean animal, comparisons with which are very offensive. Therefore, in order to irritate the enemy and bring him out of balance, Ukrainian soldiers compared enemies with pigs.
Many mats of English came to him from German. For example, these are the words shit and fuck. Who would have thought!
At the same time, less popular curses were indeed borrowed from Latin - defecate (defecate), excrete (excrete), fornicate (fornication) and copulate (copulate). As you can see, all words of this kind are junk that is rarely used today.
But the no less popular noun ass is relatively young and became widely known only from the second half of the 19th century. thanks to the sailors who accidentally perverted the pronunciation of the term "donkey" (arse).
It is worth noting that in every English-speaking country there are curses characteristic of its inhabitants. For example, the aforementioned word is popular in the USA.
As for other countries, in Germany and France, most of the obscene expressions are associated with dirt or sloppiness.
Arabs can be sent to prison for mate, especially if you insult Allah or the Qur'an.
Where did the swear words come from in Russian
Having dealt with other languages, it is worth paying attention to Russian. After all, it is in him that profanity is actually slang.
So, where did the Russian mat come from?
There is a version that the ancestors taught to swear by the Mongol-Tatars. However, today it has already been proved that this theory is erroneous. A number of written sources of an earlier period were found (than the appearance of a horde on Slavic lands), in which indecent expressions were recorded.
Thus, understanding where the mate came from in Russia, we can conclude that it existed here from time immemorial.
By the way, in many ancient chronicles there are references to the fact that princes often quarreled with each other. It does not indicate which words they used.
It is possible that a ban on abuse existed before the advent of Christianity. Therefore, in the official documentation curses were not mentioned, which prevents at least approximately establishing where the mat came from in Russia.
But taking into account that the most popular obscene words are found mainly only in Slavic languages, we can assume that they all arose in Proto-Slavic. Apparently, the ancestors spoke no less than their descendants.
It is difficult to say when the swear words appeared in Russian. After all, the most popular of them were inherited from the Pre-Slavic, which means they were in it from the very beginning.
Words consonant with some of the curses that are so popular today, which we will not cite for ethical reasons, can be found in birch bark letters of the 12th-13th centuries.
Thus, to the question: “Where did the mats come from in Russian?”, We can safely answer that they were present in it already during the formation period.
Interestingly, in the future, radically new expressions were not invented. In fact, these words became the core on which the entire system of Russian obscene language is built.
But on their basis over the next centuries, hundreds of cognate words and expressions were created, which almost every Russian is so proud of today.
Speaking of where the Russian mat came from, one cannot but mention borrowings from other languages. This is especially true for the present. After the collapse of the USSR, the active penetration of Englishism and Americanism into speech began. Among them were obscene.
In particular, this word "gondon" or "gandon" (linguists still argue about its spelling), formed from condom (condom). Interestingly, in English it is not obscene. But in Russian, how else. Therefore, when answering the question of where the Russian obscenities came from, one should not forget that foreign language roots that are so widespread today in our territory are also obscene.
Sin or not sin is the question!
Being interested in the history of foul language, most often people ask two questions: "Who invented the mats?" and "Why do they say that it is a sin to use swear words?"
If we figured out the first question, then it's time to move on to the second.
So, those who call the habit of scolding - sinful, refer to its prohibition in the Bible.
Indeed, in the Old Testament, slander is condemned more than once, and in most cases it refers to such a variation as blasphemy - which is truly a sin.
It is also specified in the New Testament that the Lord can forgive any blasphemy (slander), except that directed at the Holy Spirit (Gospel of Mark 3: 28-29). That is, it is once again condemned that swearing directed against God, while its other types are considered not so serious violations.
By the way, one should take into account the fact that not all mats relate to the Lord and His blasphemy. Moreover, simple interjection phrases: “My God!”, “God knows him,” “Oh Lord!”, “Mother of God” and the like can also technically be considered a sin based on the commandment: “Do not pronounce the name of the Lord God yours, in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who pronounces His name in vain "(Exodus 20: 7).
But such expressions (which do not carry any negative mood and are not curses) exist in almost any language.
As for other Bible authors who condemn the mat, this is Solomon in “Proverbs” and the Apostle Paul in the epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians. In these cases, it was a matter of swear words, not blasphemy. However, unlike the Ten Commandments, in these places of the Bible, swearing is not presented as sin. It is positioned as a negative phenomenon that should be avoided.
Following this logic, it turns out that from the point of view of the Holy Scriptures, only blasphemous mats can be considered sin, as well as those exclamations in which the Almighty is somehow mentioned (including interjections). But other curses, even those that contain references to demons and other evil spirits (if they do not blaspheme the Creator in any way), are a negative phenomenon, but technically they cannot be considered a complete sin.
Moreover, the Bible mentions cases when Christ Himself scolded, calling the Pharisees "offspring of the viper" (snake offspring), which was clearly not a compliment. By the way, the same curse was also used by John the Baptist. In total, it is found in the New Testament 4 times. Draw your own conclusions ...
Traditions of the use of mats in world literature
Although this was not welcomed either in the past or today, obscene language is often used by writers. Most often this is done in order to create the appropriate atmosphere in your book or to highlight the character among others.
Today you will not surprise anyone with this, but in the past it was a rarity and, as a rule, became the cause of scandals.
One of the most striking examples can be considered the Irishman James Joyce's novel "Ulysses", which is recognized as the pinnacle of modernist prose. His heroes often swear. That is why this novel has been banned for many years.
Another pearl of world literature, which is known for its numerous uses of abuse, is Jerome Salinger's novel, "The Catcher in the Rye."
By the way, the play "Pygmalion" by Bernard Shaw was also criticized at one time for using the word bloody, which was considered abusive in British English of that time.
Traditions of using the mat in Russian and Ukrainian literature
As for Russian literature, then Pushkin "dabbled" with mats, composing rhymed epigrams, and Mayakovsky even actively used them without hesitation.
Among contemporary authors, one can name Victor Pelevin, whose heroes of cult novels can often afford to swear.
Modern Ukrainian literary language originates from the poem "Aeneid" by Ivan Kotlyarevsky. She can be considered a champion in the number of obscene expressions of the XIX century.
And although after the release of this book, curses continued to be a taboo for writers, this did not prevent Lesya Poderevyansky from becoming a classic of Ukrainian literature, which he continues to this day. But most of his grotesque plays are not only full of mate, on which the characters simply talk, but also frankly politically incorrect.
Entertaining facts
- In the modern world, swearing continues to be considered a negative phenomenon. At the same time, they are actively studying and systematizing it. Therefore, for almost every language collections of the most famous curses have been created. In the Russian Federation, these are two mat dictionaries written by Alexei Plutzer-Sarno.
- As you know, the laws of many countries prohibit the publication of photographs that depict indecent inscriptions. This was once used by Marilyn Manson, who got the paparazzi. He simply wrote a curse marker on his own face. And although no one began to publish such photos, they nevertheless leaked to the Internet.
- Anyone who likes to use profanity for no apparent reason should think about their own mental health. The fact is that this may not be a harmless habit, but one of the symptoms of schizophrenia, progressive paralysis, or Tourette’s syndrome. In medicine, there are even some special terms to denote mental deviations associated with obscene language - coprolalia (an irresistible urge to swear for no reason), coprography (the urge to write profanity) and copropraxia (a painful desire to show indecent gestures).