Changes

Profane words tend to involve certain near-universal subjects: filth, particularly human waste; forbidden sexual practices; and [[blasphemy|blasphemous]] treatment of the sacred. However, it is the words themselves, and not the concepts they represent, which cause offense, as there are numerous words to signify any taboo subject, with varying levels of acceptability. Among profane words, there exist at least two levels of offensiveness. There are also, in many languages including English, euphemisms such as ''darn'', ''drat'', ''gosh'', ''frap'' and so on.

Profane words tend to involve certain near-universal subjects: filth, particularly human waste; forbidden sexual practices; and [[blasphemy|blasphemous]] treatment of the sacred. However, it is the words themselves, and not the concepts they represent, which cause offense, as there are numerous words to signify any taboo subject, with varying levels of acceptability. Among profane words, there exist at least two levels of offensiveness. There are also, in many languages including English, euphemisms such as ''darn'', ''drat'', ''gosh'', ''frap'' and so on.

Over time, the perceived offensiveness of some expressions has changed.  Up to the twentieth century the most offensive terms were religious.  Many exclamations we find completely innoffensive are euphemistic renditions of blasphemy.  The twentieth century saw a shift to sexual terms as the most offensive.  Recently racial terms have grown in their offensiveness (the "N" word was commonplace and acceptable until the mid-nineteenth century, it is now too offensive even for use in male-only settings).<ref>http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/751/Nigger.html</ref>

Over time, the perceived offensiveness of some expressions has changed.  Up to the twentieth century the most offensive terms were religious.  Many exclamations we find completely innoffensive are euphemistic renditions of blasphemy.  The twentieth century saw a shift to sexual terms as the most offensive.  Recently racial terms have grown in their offensiveness (the "N" word was commonplace and acceptable until the mid-nineteenth century, it is now too offensive even for use in male-only settings) due to [[political correctness]]. <ref>http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/751/Nigger.html</ref>

==See Also==

==See Also==