And what Russian doesn’t express himself with strong words? And it is true! Moreover, many swear words have been translated into foreign languages, but the interesting thing is that there are no full-fledged analogues of Russian swear words in foreign languages no and are unlikely to ever appear. It is no coincidence that not a single great Russian writer or poet avoided this phenomenon!
How and why did swearing appear in the Russian language?
Why do other languages do without it? Perhaps someone will say that with the development of civilization, with the improvement of the well-being of citizens in the vast majority of countries on our planet, the need for swearing naturally disappeared? Russia is unique in that these improvements never occurred in it, and swearing in it remained in its virgin, primitive form...
Where did he come to us from?
Previously, there was a version that the mat appeared in dark times Tatar-Mongol yoke, and before the Tatars came to Rus', Russians did not swear at all, and when swearing, they called each other only dogs, goats and sheep.
However, this opinion is erroneous and is denied by most research scientists. Of course, the invasion of nomads influenced the life, culture and speech of the Russian people. Perhaps such a Turkic word as “baba-yagat” (knight, knight) replaced social status and the floor, turning into our Baba Yaga. The word "karpuz" (watermelon) turned into a well-fed little boy. But the term “fool” (stop, halt) began to be used to describe a stupid person.
Swearing has nothing to do with the Turkic language, because it was not customary for the nomads to swear, and swear words were completely absent from the dictionary. From Russian chronicle sources (the oldest known examples in birch bark charters XII century from Novgorod and Staraya Russa. See “Obscene vocabulary in birch bark documents.” The specifics of the use of some expressions are commented on in the “Russian-English Dictionary” by Richard James (1618–1619). It is known that swear words appeared in Rus' long before the Tatar-Mongol invasion. Linguists see the roots of these words in most Indo-European languages, but they became so widespread only on Russian soil.
So why, out of many Indo-European peoples, did swear words stick only to the Russian language?
Researchers also explain this fact by religious prohibitions that other peoples had earlier due to the earlier adoption of Christianity. In Christianity, as in Islam, foul language is considered a great sin. Rus' adopted Christianity later, and by that time, along with pagan customs, swearing was firmly rooted among the Russian people. After the adoption of Christianity in Rus', war was declared on foul language.
The etymology of the word "mat" may seem quite transparent: it supposedly goes back to the Indo-European word "mater" in the meaning of "mother", which was preserved in various Indo-European languages. However, special studies propose other reconstructions.
So, for example, L.I. Skvortsov writes: “The literal meaning of the word “mate” is “a loud voice, a cry.” It is based on onomatopoeia, that is, involuntary shouts of “ma!”, “me!” - mooing, meowing, roaring of animals during estrus, mating calls, etc.” Such an etymology might seem naive if it did not go back to the concept of the authoritative Etymological Dictionary of Slavic Languages: “...Russian mat, - a derivative of the verb “matati” - “to shout”, “loud voice”, “cry”, is related to the word “ matoga” – “to swear”, i.e. to grimace, to break down, (about animals) to shake one’s head, to “whack” – to disturb, disturb. But "matoga" in many Slavic languages means “ghost, ghost, monster, bogeyman, witch”...
What does it mean?
There are three main swear words and they mean sexual intercourse, male and female genitalia, all the rest are derivatives of these three words. But in other languages, these organs and actions also have their own names, which for some reason did not become dirty words? To understand the reason for the appearance of swear words on Russian soil, researchers looked into the depths of centuries and offered their own version of the answer.
They believe that in the vast territory between the Himalayas and Mesopotamia, in the vast expanses, there lived a few tribes of the ancestors of the Indo-Europeans, who had to reproduce in order to expand their habitat, so great importance was attached to the reproductive function. And words associated with reproductive organs and functions were considered magical. They were forbidden to say “in vain,” so as not to jinx them or cause damage. The taboos were broken by sorcerers, followed by untouchables and slaves for whom the law was not written.
Gradually I developed the habit of using obscenities out of fullness of feelings or just to connect words. Basic words began to acquire many derivatives. Not so long ago, just a thousand years ago, the word denoting a woman of easy virtue, “b*t,” became one of the swear words. It comes from the word “vomit,” that is, “vomit abomination.”
But the most important swear word is rightfully considered to be the same three-letter word that is found on the walls and fences of the entire civilized world. Let's look at it as an example. When did this three-letter word appear? One thing I will say for sure is that it was clearly not in Tatar-Mongol times. In the Turkic dialect of the Tatar-Mongolian languages, this “object” is denoted by the word “kutah”. By the way, many now have a surname derived from this word and do not consider it at all dissonant: “Kutakhov.”
What was the name of the reproductive organ in ancient times?
Many Slavic tribes it was designated by the word “ud”, from which, by the way, comes the quite decent and censored “fishing rod”. But still, in most tribes, the genital organ was called nothing more than “dick.” However, this three-letter word was replaced around the 16th century by a three-letter, more literary analogue - “dick”. Most literate people know that this is exactly what (her) was the name of the 23rd letter of the Cyrillic alphabet, which turned into the letter “ha” after the revolution. To those who know this, it seems obvious that the word "dick" is a euphemistic replacement, resulting from the fact that the word being replaced begins with that letter. However, in reality it is not so simple.
The fact is that those who think so do not ask the question, why, in fact, is the letter “X” called dick? After all, all the letters of the Cyrillic alphabet are named after Slavic words, the meaning of most of which is clear to the modern Russian-speaking public without translation. What did this word mean before it became a letter?
In the Indo-European base language, which was spoken by the distant ancestors of the Slavs, Balts, Germans and other European peoples, the word “her” meant a goat. This word is related to the Latin "hircus". In modern Russian, the word “harya” remains a related word. Until recently, this word was used to describe goat masks used by mummers during carols.
The similarity of this letter to a goat was obvious to the Slavs in the 9th century. The top two sticks are his horns, and the bottom two are his legs. Then, among many nations, the goat symbolized fertility, and the god of fertility was depicted as a two-legged goat. This idol had an organ between its two legs, symbolizing fertility, which was called “ud” or “h*y”. In the Indo-European language this part of the body was called “pesus”, it corresponds to the Sanskrit “पसस्”, which in ancient Greek is translated as “peos”, Latin “penis”, Old English “faesl”. This word comes from the verb “peseti”, meaning the primary function of this organ is to emit urine.
Thus, we can conclude that swearing arose in ancient times and was associated with pagan rituals. Mat is, first of all, a way to demonstrate readiness to break taboos and cross certain boundaries. Therefore, the topic of swearing in different languages similar – the “bottom of the body” and everything related to the fulfillment of physiological needs. In addition to “corporal curses,” some peoples (mostly French-speaking) have blasphemous curses. The Russians don't have this.
And one more important point– you cannot mix argotisms with swearing, which are absolutely not swearing, but most likely just foul language. As, for example, there are dozens of thieves’ argotisms alone with the meaning “prostitute” in the Russian language: alura, barukha, marukha, profursetka, slut, etc.
Let's figure out where this infectious thing came from. The mystical origins of such a phenomenon as swearing go back to the pagan past. To protect themselves from the attacks of the demonic world, people of the pre-Christian era contacted it.
Where did the mats come from?
The spells that were addressed to pagan idols consisted of their names. And it was precisely during that period of time that the cult of fertility was widespread. Thus, most mats are associated with the genitals of a man and a woman.
The Slavs were also familiar with swearing. For example, swear word girls lung behavior “b...” is found on Novgorod notes and birch bark documents of the 12th century. It just meant something completely different. The meaning of the word was the name of a demon with whom only sorcerers communicated. According to ancient beliefs, this demon punished sinners by sending them a disease, which is now called “uterine rabies.”
Another word, the verb “e...”, is of Slavic origin, and is translated as to curse.
The remaining swear words are the names of pagan gods, or demonic names. When a person swears, he calls demons on himself, his family, his clan.
Thus, swearing is an appeal to demons, only it consists of spells and names of certain demons. The history of swearing shows this.
In other words, swearing is the language of communication with demons.
The effect of swearing on human health
Let’s just give 6 facts about the influence of swearing:
1. The effect of swearing on DNA
Human words can be represented in the form of electromagnetic vibrations, which directly affect the properties and structure of DNA molecules responsible for heredity. If a person uses swear words day after day, a “negative program” begins to be developed in DNA molecules and they are significantly modified. Scientists say: a “dirty” word causes a mutagenic effect similar to radiation exposure.
Curse words have a negative effect on the genetic code of the person swearing, are written in it, and become a curse for the person himself and his heirs.
2. Swear words travel along different nerve endings than ordinary words.
There is a medical observation that people suffering from paralysis, when complete absence speeches are expressed exclusively in obscenities. Although at the same time he is unable to say either “Yes” or “No”. At first glance, the phenomenon, although very strange, says a lot. Why does a completely paralyzed person exclusively utter obscenities? Is it really of a different nature than ordinary words?
3. The influence of the mat on water. Scientific experiment.
Sprouting technology has long been used in biology and agriculture.
The water is treated by some means, and the wheat grains are treated with this water.
Three types of words were used:
- Prayer "Our Father"
- Household mat, which is used for speech communication
- The mat is aggressive, with clearly expressed expression.
After a certain time, the number of sprouted grains and the length of the sprouts are checked.
On the second day
- 93% of the grains sprouted in the control batch
- In a batch of grains processed by prayer - 96% of grains. And the most longer length sprouts, up to 1 cm.
- In the batch treated with household mat - 58% grains
- The expressive mat had such an effect that only 49% of the grains grew. The length of the sprouts is uneven and mold has appeared.
Scientists believe that the appearance of mold is the result of strong negative impact mat on the water.
After a while.
- The influence of household swearing - only 40% of sprouted grains remained
- The effect of the expressive mat - only 15% of sprouted grains remained.
Seedlings placed in mat-treated water indicate that this environment is not suitable for them.
Humans are 80% water. Draw your own conclusions, friends.
Here is a video proof of this experiment.
4. Swear words very often come out of people from whom demons are cast out.
This is recognized by all confessions: from Orthodox to Protestants.
For example, an Orthodox priest, Father Sergius, writes: “The so-called swearing is the language of communication with demonic forces. It is no coincidence that this phenomenon is called infernal vocabulary. Infernal means hellish, from the underworld.” It is very easy to be convinced that swearing is a demonic phenomenon. Go to Russian Orthodox church during the report. And take a close look at the person who is being chastised with prayer. He will moan, scream, struggle, growl, and the like. And the worst thing is that they swear a lot...
Thanks to science, it has been proven that because of swearing, not only a person’s morality suffers, but also his health!
Ivan Belyavsky is one of the first scientists to put forward this theory. He believes that every mat is an energy charge that negatively affects human health.
It has already been proven that swearing comes from the sacred names of the gods. The word "mate" means "strength". Destructive power, which affects human DNA and destroys it from the inside, especially women and children.
5. Swear words have a detrimental effect on women
Abuse of swear words is detrimental to a woman’s hormonal levels. Her voice becomes low, testosterone is in excess, fertility decreases, and the disease hirsutism appears...
6. The influence of swear words on a person in countries where there is no abuse against the reproductive organs.
Another very interesting fact. In countries where there is no swearing indicating the reproductive organ, cerebral palsy and Down syndromes have not been found. But in the CIS countries these diseases exist. Unfortunately…
How to get rid of the influence of swearing?
You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.
We have already proven the origin of swear words. Considered a scientific experiment. But the purpose of this series and the “Word of Encouragement” project is to encourage, to help overcome every vice that binds a person.
Here we will give a recipe for liberation from swear words, which is tested on personal experience. Just 5 simple steps.
Recognize
It is very important to recognize that swear words are a vice that has a destructive effect on a person. It is to admit, not to resist.
Repent
Warm repentance before God is very important.
He is the Lord, He knows everything. And He will help, but first just repent of the fact that this dirty language came out of your mouth.
Accept yourself as a new creation
If you have prayed the prayer of repentance, then you have become a new creation, a child of Almighty God. Before that, every person is a sinner, a product of the devil.
Many people in the world say “Why reject swearing - it’s normal!” It's okay if you are a sinful person. And if you repented before God and asked for forgiveness of your sins, you have already become a new creation.
And you need to accept it
The Word of God says:
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the ancient has passed away, now everything is new.
Start to think well of yourself, to think of yourself as God’s beloved child, as the one for whom the Lord gave His Son.
Trust God. You have become different inside.
Eph.5:8 You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord: walk as children of light,
Believe that words are capsules filled with power.
That's essentially what this series is all about. What we say is what we have.
But you, if you have already cursed, need to accept it again. Your swearing produced one effect in your life.
Now you need your words to bring good.
Col.4:6 Let your word always be with grace
Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouth, but only that which is good for edification of the faith, so that it may bring grace to those who hear.
This means that every time you open your mouth, ask God for wisdom, so that your words will bring grace and benefit to those listening.
Dedicate your mouth, your tongue to God.
This is not just a resolution: “I’ll stop swearing since the New Year.”
It is a decision that your mouth belongs to the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. And with your lips you will only bless God and His creation.
James 3:9-10 With it we bless God the Father, and with it we curse men, created in the likeness of God. From the same lips comes blessing and curse: it should not be so, my brethren.
If you dedicate your mouth to God, it will not be easy. But even when you stumble, remember that the word of God says “it must not happen.” God does not give impossible tasks. If it is written in His Word, then it is real. And this means that it is possible to live in such a way as not to utter curses and swear words against loved ones.
Word of Encouragement
I want to end in a very good place.
Remember that you will give an account for every word. And if you say a lot of good things into the lives of your loved ones, bless your wife/husband, children, parents, employees - God will bring these words to judgment. And from these words you will be justified. So says the Word of God
Matthew 12:36-37 But I tell you that for every idle word that people speak, they will give an answer on the day of judgment: 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.
When trying to discover the origin of Russian swearing, you first need to pay attention to the fact that millions of people do not know where this language came from. The phenomenon itself is incomprehensible. They talk, but they don’t know why they say that? This involuntarily draws attention. If the origin is unknown, then why is it used so persistently and consistently? At the same time, swearing cannot be considered exclusively Russian. It is in Jewish Yiddish. Many experts have long noticed a connection between the Hebrew and Slavic-Novgorod languages. This clearly points to common ancestors. Now the reason for this connection is not difficult to prove.
Swearing is considered obscene language. That is, prohibited for official use. From this we can make a fairly confident assumption that it is pre-literate. Orthodox Church He was always condemned and forbidden. Consequently, it appeared among our ancestors before Byzantine Orthodoxy was established everywhere in medieval Rus'. And, judging by the fact that Christianity came to Byzantium from Rome, where it appeared in the first centuries New era Therefore, among the Jews, swearing appeared before the emergence of this religion.
But here another question arises: the Novgorodians appeared no earlier than the 7th century. New era, and the Jews in Egypt and the Middle East are two to three thousand years earlier. How did both of them have the same language, about the origin of which neither one nor the other knows anything? This means that both had common ancestors who used this language.
A shallow study of Russian swearing allows us to conclude that its numerous expressions and words have only a few roots. Their semantic meaning changes depending on the endings and pronounced intonation. From one word you can make a dozen others.
Unfortunately for me, I don’t know how to explain another unknown without repeating past stories. Because that information is also unique. So I apologize for the repetitions.
To understand the world of the ancient pagans, you need to imagine what an Aryan dwelling with its chimney looked like. It was a dome-shaped structure similar to a Mongolian yurt. The poles, called rods, were stuck into the ground with thick ends in a circle. And in the dome, the thin ends converged on a special wheel, where they were tied with straps - a rope. Words familiar to everyone - springs, rope. This is where the concepts of spouse and the Old Slavonic rope - clan - come from.
The tip of each spring, sticking out inside the chimney wheel, had its own name and sign. The signs were carved on the staff of the tribal leader with “lines and cuts” and looked like bird tracks - piste. Hence epistola - letter. Each tip of the rod was also the bearer of a number, a syllable, a prayer, a name that was given to members of the clan.
In some Aryan clans, the leaders duplicated the names of the tips with a certain knot on a strap, which they constantly carried with them. It was the rope alphabet. Therefore, the words rope, rope, faith, top, twirl have the same root. From ver - circle, wheel.
Undoubtedly, using this wheel it was possible to create only a very simple language. But to create a new kind, the founder did not need anything else. The wheel was the matrix of the original language used to speak with hybrid mothers - women in labor. It’s not for nothing that swearing is called swearing. Or they say: “I swore at my mother.”
The word swearing also speaks of its origin from the Aryan smoke wheel. Details: mother-gina. Mat-stick, line. Er - wooden. That is, a pole, a spring, the end of which stuck out in the chimney wheel. The ending tire means a wheel or a round object. For example: reyshina - rey with a tire. A stick with a wheel. Eyelet, fascine, machine. Etc. In turn, ji-na is the sky on. The word "tire" speaks of a smoke wheel that is "in the sky."
To decipher the original meaning of swear words, you can compile a small dictionary.
Ba – body.
Va, ka - together
Yes - throat.
E – top.
Idz\idzh – sky.
Y – tip.
P – attach, attach.
Ku – together, little one
La – lips, fingers.
Ma - body.
Man – wheel, circle, round.
T – stand.
Now we put together p-idz - yes - the throat put to the sky. Smoke hole of an Aryan dwelling.
Let’s double-check: man-da – wheel-throat. It was used to give names and create clans, which is why in some languages man means “man.”
The word checkmate itself means everything that is worth. This is the herb - mint, and the hair by which a woman is distinguished from a man. Hence the words mat and mother sound the same. Mat is also just a stick.
The most commonly used obscene name for the male genital organ comes from two words-syllables ku - y. Ku - together, th - tip. Along with the tip.
Composing a language template was not particularly difficult. Therefore, the Aryan tribal leaders, having the skill, easily constructed new languages. They used this primitive language in communicating with women in labor. They, in turn, passed it on to their children.
With the increase in the number of genera and with the complexity of life in general, languages were replenished with new constructed words based on the original template. The Aryans created enclaves all over the world. Therefore, these template words can be found in completely different languages. For example, in Chechen there is a word bud, meaning female genital organ. In the Russian booth, wake-up call. The capital of Hungary is Budapest. The Tibetan religion is called Buddhism.
What is the connection, you ask? - Yes, because bud is one of the synonyms that the Aryans used to call the smoke hole of their home. Bud-ka - with a hole together. Po-bud-ka - there is a hole on top together. A smoke hole from which in the morning the tribal leader moved the hatch with a long hatch, announcing in a booth.
The toponym Buda - Pest directly points to the bud of the furnace. That is, the round chimney wheel, through which the Aryans gave names to members of the clan. In this case, the name means “ancestral dwelling” or “ancestral dwellings.” The gigantic city began with several clans created here by Aryan leaders.
In ancient Turkic the word “budun” means “people”. Bud-un - one hole. And Russian "means nation - above the genus." The Wheel of the Family, according to which names were given to members of the family.
About the fact that names were given on this wheel. says the famous surname Budanov. It comes from bud-an - hole on top.
In past centuries, in Dagestan villages there was a public position “budun”. This man was obliged to monitor the night time and ensure that the sentries guarding the village did not sleep. He tracked time by the stars and, at exactly the same time, woke up the people by rattling his baton into a suspended copper basin.
The name of the religion with the root bud says that in connection with the smoke wheel a rather complex body of knowledge has developed. To understand the origin of the god Buddha himself, it is enough to read my decoding of the myth of Jesus Christ. That's two different descriptions the appearance of the first light after the polar night in the smoke holes of the Aryan polar dwellings. Only in the first case it was called idz-uz - the sky is narrow. And in the second buddha there is a round hole.
A common curse word used to call walkers and women in general is another synonym for a smoke hole. Lyada is still called the entrance to the attic of a house in the south. B-yad - body of yad, body-hole. Kolyada - the name of the few hours of the evening before Christmas comes from ko-lyada - circle of lyada. That is, an open smoke wheel, yada.
That's all. There are a couple more swear words. Use the dictionary yourself. You can do it.
I was always surprised that not a single philologist wrote me a single word about such things. Even swearing. True, one day a doctor of science from a well-known university noticed that my text had spelling errors and incorrect punctuation. Very useful note. I wanted to immediately go to high school finish your studies It’s a pity that he didn’t take the elephant....., sorry, didn’t notice.
(By the way! The word min-et consists of min-hole, et - from above. That is, a mouth. A medieval tunnel under the walls of a besieged fortress is a mine. The same hole. The titles of the Chinese emperors of the Ming dynasty and the name of the Egyptian god Ming come from the hole of the Aryan smoke wheel dwellings. The only source of light in a dark palace is a headlight. Hence the headlight. The headlight is round.
As a child, I heard the following story from the old people of our village: During Russian-Turkish war 1877 - 1878 Cossacks asked the Bulgarians: “Why do you laugh when someone asks for a match?” They replied that in their language the word “pichka” means the female genital organ. From the proto-language this can be translated as p-idzh-ka - put the sky together. Still the same smoke hole of an Aryan home. As a result, it turns out that no matter how much you avoid using swear words, you will still sometimes unwittingly do it by mentioning an ordinary match in a conversation. If in one of the related Slavic languages “pichka” is the very place in a woman, then a wooden stick with a tip made of red sulfur is a male organ, which is intended for this place.
Gentlemen philologists! Study the saw of logos more carefully! And when your great and mighty reaches the proper height, you will understand the difference between a bunk house and a condom. And at the same time, learn to distinguish a pick from a kick.
Swearing has accompanied Rus' since its inception. Authorities, social formations, culture and the Russian language itself change, but swearing remains unchanged.
Native speech
Almost the entire 20th century was dominated by the version that the words that we call swear words came into the Russian language from the Mongol-Tatars. However, this is a misconception. Swearing is already found in Novgorod birch bark documents dating back to the 11th century: that is, long before the birth of Genghis Khan.
Revolt against matriarchy
The concept of “checkmate” is quite late. From time immemorial in Rus' it was called “barking obscene”. It must be said that initially swear language included exclusively the use of the word “mother” in a vulgar, sexual context. The words denoting the genital organs, which we today refer to swearing, did not refer to “swearing.”
There are a dozen versions of the checkmate function. Some scientists suggest that swearing appeared at the turn of society’s transition from matriarchy to patriarchy and initially meant the authoritative assertion of a man who, having undergone the ritual of copulation with the “mother” of the clan, publicly announced this to his fellow tribesmen.
Dog tongue
True, the previous version does not explain the use of the word “laya”. There is another hypothesis on this score, according to which “swearing” had a magical, protective function and was called “dog tongue.” In the Slavic (and Indo-European in general) tradition, dogs were considered animals of the “afterlife” and served the goddess of death Morena. A dog who served an evil witch could turn into a person (even an acquaintance) and come with evil thoughts (to cast the evil eye, damage, or even kill). So, having sensed something was wrong, Morena’s potential victim should have uttered a protective “mantra”, that is, sent him to “mother”. It was its time of revelation evil demon, “son of Morena,” after which he had to leave the man alone.
It is curious that even in the 20th century, people retained the belief that “swearing” scares away devils and that swearing makes sense even “for the sake of prevention,” without seeing a direct threat.
Calling the good
As already mentioned, ancient Russian words denoting the reproductive organs began to be classified as “foul language” much later. In the pagan era, these lexemes were commonly used and did not have an abusive connotation. Everything changed with the arrival of Christianity in Rus' and the beginning of the displacement of old “filthy” cults. Sexually charged words were replaced with “Church Slavinisms: copulate, childbearing, penis, etc. In fact, there was a serious rational grain in this taboo. The fact is that the use of the previous “terms” was ritualized and associated with pagan fertility cults, special conspiracies, and calls for good. By the way, the word “good” itself (in the old Slavic - “bolgo”) meant “many” and was used at the beginning precisely in the “agricultural” context.
It took the Church many centuries to reduce agrarian rituals to a minimum, but the “fertile” words remained in the form of “relics”: however, already in the status of curses.
Empress censorship
There is one more word that is unfairly classified today as swearing. For the purposes of self-censorship, let’s call it the “B” word. This lexeme quietly existed in the elements of the Russian language (it can even be found in church texts and official state documents), having the meanings “fornication”, “deception”, “delusion”, “heresy”, “error”. People often used this word to refer to dissolute women. Perhaps during the time of Anna Ioannovna this word began to be used with greater frequency and, probably, in the latter context, because it was this empress who banned it.
"Thief" censorship
As you know, in the criminal, or “thieves”, environment, swearing is strictly taboo. For a carelessly dropped obscene expression, a prisoner may face much more serious punishment than an administrative fine for public obscene language on the outside. Why do the “urkagans” dislike Russian swearing so much? First of all, swearing can pose a threat to “feni” or “thieves’ music.” The keepers of thieves' traditions understand well that if swearing replaces argot, they will subsequently lose their authority, their “uniqueness” and “exclusivity,” and most importantly, the power in prison, the elite of the criminal world - in other words, “lawlessness” will begin. It is curious that criminals (unlike statesmen) understand well what any language reform and borrowing of other people's words can lead to.
Renaissance mate
Today's times can be called a renaissance of swearing. This is facilitated by the boom social networks, where people got the opportunity to swear in public. With some reservations, we can talk about the legitimization of obscene language. There is even a fashion for swearing: if previously it was the lot of the lower strata of society, now the so-called intelligentsia, the creative class, the bourgeoisie, women and children also resort to “sweet words”. It is difficult to say what is the reason for such a revival of “barking obscenities”. But we can safely say that this will not increase harvests, matriarchy will not win, and will not drive out demons...
Everyone knows what Russian swearing is. Someone will be able to reproduce the Cossack swear word by heart, while others will have to turn to the famous “Dictionary of Russian Swearing” by Alexei Plutser-Sarno to clarify the meaning. However, for many, the history of the emergence of Russian swearing remains a mystery behind seven seals. How swearing is connected to Indo-European mythology, who is meant by “mother” in the swear language and why only men used to communicate in it - in the T&P material.
“The mythological aspect of Russian expressive phraseology”
B.A. Uspensky
Works by B.A. Uspensky, shedding light on the origin of Russian swearing, have become classic. Exploring this topic, Uspensky mentions its extreme taboo nature, in connection with which in the literary tradition only “Church Slavonicisms such as copulate, penis, reproductive organ, aphedro, seat” can be considered permissible. Unlike many Western European languages, other “folk” obscene vocabulary in the Russian language is actually taboo. That is why swear words were removed from Dahl’s dictionary, the Russian edition of Vasmer’s “Etymological Dictionary”, and Afanasyev’s fairy tales; even in academic collected works of Pushkin, obscene expressions in works of art and letters are replaced with dots; “Barkov’s Shadow”, known for its abundance of swear words (for example: Already the night with the *** [lustful] moon / Already the *** [fallen woman] was in the downy bed / Falling asleep with the monk) was not published at all in many collections essays. Such a taboo of swearing, affecting even professional philologists, is connected, according to Uspensky, with “the chastity of censors or editors,” and Dostoevsky even speaks of the chastity of the entire Russian people, justifying the abundance of swear words in the Russian language by the fact that, in essence, they are not always mean something bad.
Images of peasants from the 12th–14th centuries: a peasant at work; resting peasant; games
Indeed, swearing can serve as a friendly greeting, approval, and expression of love. If it is so polysemantic, then the question arises: where did the mat come from, what are its historical roots? Uspensky's theory suggests that swearing once had cult functions. To prove this, we can cite examples of swear words and expressions from Russian pagan wedding or agricultural rituals, in which swearing could be associated with fertility cults. It is interesting that the Russian philologist Boris Bogaevsky compares Russian swearing with the Greek foul language of farmers. The Christian tradition prohibits swearing in rituals and everyday life, citing the fact that “shameful barking” defiles the soul, and that “Hellenic...words” [verbib] is a demonic game. The ban on Russian “shamoslovya,” that is, obscene language, was directly related to the struggle of Orthodoxy against the pagan cults in which it was used. The meaning of the ban becomes especially clear in view of the fact that swearing “in some cases turns out to be functionally equivalent to prayer.” In pagan thinking, it was possible to find a treasure, get rid of illness or the machinations of the brownie and goblin with the help of swearing. Therefore, in Slavic dual faith one could often find two parallel options: either read a prayer in front of the attacking devil, or swear at him. Finding the roots of Russian swearing in pagan ritual spells and curses, Uspensky connects the so-called main formula of Russian swearing (“*** your mother”) with the archaic cult of the earth.
Only one person will be elected once a day in obscenity, -
The mother of cheese the earth will shake,
The Most Holy Theotokos will be removed from the throne
In connection with the dual-faith Slavic ideas about the “three mothers” - the earth mother, the Mother of God and the native - swearing, aimed at insulting the addressee’s mother, simultaneously conjures sacred mothers, desecrating the maternal principle itself. In this one can find echoes of pagan metaphors about the pregnancy of the earth and copulation with it; at the same time, this can explain the belief that the earth opens up under a swearing word or that swearing can disturb the ancestors (lying in the ground).
Having clarified the object of the obscene formula, Uspensky moves on to the subject: analyzing the forms of the expression “*** your mother,” he comes to the conclusion that previously the phrase was not impersonal. The desecration was carried out by a dog, as evidenced by older and more complete references to the swear formula: for example, “So that the dog takes your mother.” The dog has been the subject of action in this formula since at least the 15th century in many Slavic languages; Thus, “dog barking,” as swearing was called from ancient times, is associated with the mythology of the dog, “given by the dog.” The uncleanness of a dog is an ancient category that predates Slavic mythology, but is also reflected in later Christian ideas (for example, in the stories about the Pseglavians or the transfiguration of the Cynocephalus Christopher). The dog was compared to a Gentile, since both have no soul, both behave inappropriately; It was for the same reason that confessors were not allowed to keep dogs. From an etymological point of view, the dog is also unclean - Uspensky connects the lexeme “dog” with other words of Indo-European languages, including the Russian word “***” [female genital organ].
Thus, Uspensky suggests that the images of the desecrating dog and the earth mother in the phrase “f***ing dog” go back to the mythological marriage of the thunderer and the earth mother. The sacred marriage, during which the earth is fertilized, is desecrated in this formula by the travesty replacement of the Thunderer with a dog, his mythological rival. Therefore, an obscene phrase becomes a blasphemous spell, desecrating the divine cosmogony. In a later folk tradition this myth is reduced, and mother earth becomes the mother of the interlocutor, and the mythological dog becomes an ordinary dog, and then the phrase is completely depersonalized (the verb “***” [enter into sexual relations] can correspond to any singular person).
At a deep (initial) level, the obscene expression is apparently correlated with the myth of the sacred marriage of heaven and earth - a marriage that results in the fertilization of the earth. At this level, the god of the sky, or the thunderer, should be understood as the subject of action in obscene terms, and mother earth as the object. This explains the connection between swearing and the idea of fertilization, which manifests itself in particular in ritual wedding and agrarian foul language.
“About swearing, emotions and facts”
A.A. Belyakov
A.A. Belyakov, referring to the legends of Russian folklore, traces the origin of swearing to the myth of the “Slavic Oedipus”: once a man killed his father and desecrated his mother. Then he gave the “obscene formula” to his descendants - in order to use it to bring curses of the ancestors on opponents or to call on the ancestors for help. Belyakov agrees that the deeper roots of this legend are in early pagan cults associated with the veneration of “the mother of damp earth and the idea of fertilization.”
“Obscene joke as a modeling system”
I.G. Yakovenko
I.G. Yakovenko, in his article on swearing, notes that traditional culture, patriarchal in nature, tends to profane the role of women. It is this motive that we see in obscene formulas - almost always they are associated with crude images of violence against women. Yakovenko contrasts the “sign of the highest danger” (“…” [female genital organ], the feminine principle) with the male phallus, the “protector sign,” citing as an example many obscene expressions. As it turns out, there are much fewer women’s obscene formulas than men’s; Moreover, the female paradigm is tinged with something wretched, false, related to misfortune, theft, lies (“..." [end], "..." [steal], "..." [liar]), while the male The swearing paradigm refers to taboo or danger. The harmful nature of a woman, perceived through the female symbol, the vagina, is emphasized in numerous proverbs and sayings, fairy tales and legends: we can recall those cited by V.Ya. Proppom's idea of a "toothy vulva" with which the male hero had to fight.
Russian swearing is a form of existence of pagan consciousness in a monotheistic culture
Subsequently, the tradition of speaking obscene language passed from pagan cults into Russian buffoonery, which the state actively fought against starting from the 17th century. From the almost extinct buffoons, however, the tradition passed on to lubok, tavern songs, parsley theater, to fair barkers and so on. The taboo vocabulary of the patriarchal and pagan period of Russian culture continued to live in slightly different forms.
“Russian swearing as a male obscene code: the problem of origin and evolution of status”
V.Yu. Mikhailin
In the work of V.Yu. Mikhailina’s tradition of linking the genesis of Russian swearing to fertility cults is disputed; Despite the fact that Mikhailin largely agrees with Uspensky, he offers a significant refinement of his theory and examines the history of swearing from pagan cults to modern hazing. The connection between the theory of the “main myth” of Toporov and Ivanov with the mythological enemy of the Thunderer, the dog, does not suit him: “I will allow myself one single question. For what reason is the eternal opponent of the Thunderer, whose traditional iconography presupposes, first of all, not canine, but serpentine hypostases, in this context, takes the form of a dog, and takes it invariably and formulaically?”
Fertile land, according to the author, could not be associated with the masculine principle in the archaic: it is a purely female territory. On the contrary, the purely male territory was considered to be that which had to do with hunting and war, a marginal space in which a good husband and family man is ready to shed blood and rob, and a decent young man, who does not dare to look up at the neighbor’s girl, rapes the enemy’s daughters.
Mikhailin suggests that in such territories, swearing was once associated with the magical practices of male military alliances identifying themselves with “dogs.” That is why swearing was also called “dog barking”: symbolically, warriors were the embodiment of wolves or dogs. This can also explain the fact that until recently, swearing was predominantly a male language code.
In Indo-European culture, every man underwent initiation, one way or another accompanied by a period that can be designated as the “dog” stage. A “dog” warrior living outside the home zone, in marginal territory, exists outside the culture of the hearth and Agriculture. He is not full-fledged, not mature, has “combat rage”, part of which can be called the use of unacceptable swear words at home. “Wolves” and “dogs” have no place on human territory, for which their mere presence can be fraught with desecration: the corresponding norms and forms of behavior are strictly taboo, and their carriers, without undergoing purification rites and thereby turning from “wolves” back into people do not have basic civil rights. They, by definition, are carriers of the chthonic principle, they are magically dead and as such simply “do not exist.”
Thus, the formula “*** your mother” in male “dog” unions was a spell that magically destroyed the opponent. Such a spell symbolically compared the opponent to the son of a chthonic being, identified his mother with a bitch, and brought him into extremely marginal, non-human territory where such coitus could occur. Consequently, all swear words imply dog genitals and animal coitus, which has nothing in common with human coitus, occurring in the home space and framed by ritual tradition and other signs of culture.
In the future, purely male nature swear words in Russia is transferred to a more general context. Since the revolutionary events of 1917, the language paradigm has undergone great changes. Swearing, along with Newspeak, becomes one of the means of communication of the patriarchal (albeit outwardly anti-sexist) elite. Soviet camps and increased interest in the exploitation of women’s labor also played a role, including in army structures, where mating directly inherited the communication function of archaic male unions. Therefore, soon the taboo of swearing in a female or mixed environment ceased to be strong, and then became a thing of the past. The male obscene code has become universal.