According to the old version of the criminal code of the Russian Federation, foul language was considered petty hooliganism and could well result in fifteen days of community service. Today, this violation is considered an administrative offense and is punishable by a fine. And the very attitude to the words that were previously considered obscene, vulgar and unacceptable has changed a little. Often taboo vocabulary finds application even in television programs, films and fiction. However, such censorship prohibitions always seemed to me personally a hypocrisy, because in Russia there are few people who have never used swear words in their speech.
The "charm" of profanity is so strong that many foreigners begin to study the Russian language precisely with these apt and concise expressions. A picture of the days of Prohibition, which I happened to observe in my native Voronezh, crashed tightly into my memory. A young man, clearly not of Slavic appearance, (an “African American” would have said about him today) savily cursed over a broken three-liter jar, from which a foamy Zhigulevskoye flowed from a stream. It should be noted that alien phraseological turns were given to the young man easily, he said with almost no accent. People passing by looked at the guy with pity and sympathy, but his speech did not cause condemnation. On the contrary, everyone knew how great the grief of a black student who had lost his longed-for drink. Everyone understood that it was difficult to find more precise words for this situation.
By the way, psychologists also believe that obscene vocabulary serves as a kind of protection that allows you to isolate yourself from the aggression of the outside world or, conversely, to relieve the accumulated psychological stress. For many individuals, the habit is so strong that they perceive abuse at the level of instincts. It is necessary to pronounce a code word of three letters, and things immediately go smoothly.
Undoubtedly, obscene vocabulary (commonly used as obscene abuse) cannot but cause controversy. On the one hand, we are accustomed to consider it a manifestation of culturelessness and bad manners. But if you dig deeper, the mat is an integral part of our language. Of course, talking about any cultural value of this very peculiar layer of Russian speech would be an exaggeration. However, the mat was not born today and has deep roots. The first "pearls" were noticed in birch bark letters of the twelfth century.
For most linguists, the origin of the Russian mat is not a secret. A significant part of the swear words has purely Slavic roots. At the same time, it should be noted that in their original meaning, many of them had a sacred meaning. For example, the well-known definition of a female genital organ comes from the word "cizda", which means "giving life." When used correctly, such words served as a charm against evil forces, helped restore the energy balance of the human body. However, over time, not only their sound distorted, but also the essence.
It should be noted that the number of swear words in the native language is not led by the Slavs at all, but, oddly enough, the British. By the way, their obscene vocabulary often has frank sexual subtext, in contrast to the Slavic version, which is characterized by a variety of word forms.
However, the comic expression "We do not swear, we talk to them" is still more suitable for the Russians. It is difficult to imagine an English gentleman relishing an obscene joke in the presence of a lady. With us this happens all the time. Moreover, Russian ladies themselves sometimes use such intricate "three-story" turns that the English port loader will stifle envy upon hearing them.
Contrary to popular belief, swear words are not characteristic of most Slavic peoples. So, for example, Ukrainians practically do not use common swear words. In this case, they have very funny expressions that are not similar to the mat in meaning or in sound. Even among the Poles, who, as you know, will never go into their pocket for a strong word, the most terrible curse is “dog krev” (something similar to our “son of a bitch”).
The list of Russian obscene expressions is so wide that it will take more than one month to complete it. By intricacy and ornate, many phrases may well argue with literary samples. However, this is hardly a reason for pride. Indeed, obscene vocabulary is a sign of the limited mind and vocabulary of the individual. And no matter how many words were spoken in defense of the mat, it’s personally unpleasant for me to hear Russian speech, flavored with “Old Slavonic”.