Institutional settings

This week I responded Danielle's blog which definetely gave some insight to the topic of "institutional settings". And finally blogs are over!!!!!

http://everydayinteraction250.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/institutional-talk.html

Fuck, Fuck, Fuckity, Fuck :)

Fuck! Just thought I'd follow the trend of beginning the profanities reading with the most common profanity.
I definetly implement coarse language in the majority of my everyday interactions, excluding family gatherings or professional environments. However I do throw it into casual conversations without a second thought, it really wouldnt register if I exhausted my usage of profound language. In fact it's only occurred to me, as a result of this subject that I'm adopting the word "cunt" more frequently in my social interactions, even greeting a friend with "Hey cunt" or thanking someone with "cheers cunt". But the people I've used the word around don't register to the profanity of language applied to our interactions.

Janet and Daley explained that their case study of workers described their use of language to one another as a "we know each other well thing...no one really takes offense". Janet and Daley evaluate the reasons for usage of "fuck" as, "to have intercourse and to ruin, as well as more overtly expletive functions as an attention-grabbing particle, an insult and an intensifier."(p.949).

What interested me was in the lecture a quote was posted that "The conflicts that erupt over    words   are invariably   an   index   to   social    concerns  over  the   reality    that    the   words    refer   to.” (Hayakawa  1990,  p.50)

So if the reality of the words that I’m referring to are essentially to have sex or do a number two or to have male genitalia on my head would that reduce the usage of coarse language in casual conversation? I know when interacting with someone who is not of the same ethnicity or cultural background as myself I do think twice about the content of my language. So if we recognise the “reality” of coarse language would we decrease the profanities in our social interactions?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nc8JiVOs2f0 - a case where maybe "sugar" should have been the substitute.

References

Daly, Nicola, Janet Holmes, Jonathon Newton, and Maria Stubbe 2004, “Expletives as solidarity signals in FTAs on the factory floor.” Journal of Pragmatics 36: pp.945-964

Hayakawa, S.I., and Alan Hayakawa. 1990.Language in Thought and Action. Orlando: Harcourt Brace: 50

Response to Ben's blog!

Hope I gave some insight!

http://bennysoc250.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/mediated-identities.html

Bloody Hell! Oops! Sorry excuse my french.

So this was the week our group presented on the Wierzbicka reading "Australian cultural scripts - bloody revisited". How Anna Wierzbicka wrote a 42 page reading just on the word "bloody" still astounds me! So essentially Wierzbicka unpacks this term to demonstrate how it places a great deal of value, tradition and attitude to Australian culture. What intrigued me was her analysis of the term bloody in an international context and where it places Australia's cultural position.
I found it hilarious when discussing "bloody" being used in parliament in Australia and in Britain and the entirely different connotations they held. Wierzbicka used examples of bloody being used in British parliament. My favourite was after the foul word was exclaimed and profuse apologies were offered a minister even blamed his social origins for his use of the term. Being from Australian culture it is shocking to see how this term takes such offence abroad. However when acknowledging this subject it occurred to me that there are other terms implemented in Australia's cultural scripts that may be seen as coarse or vulgar if not use to Australian culture. The very familiar "f***k" can be seen in this category.
What I've been more inclined to notice though is the general use of the see-you-en-tee word. If you still don't catch my drift, the vulgar description of a woman's genital area. Hopefully that gets you on the same page as me.
The "c" word seemingly is thrown willy nilly in my experience of social interactions and even hold different meanings when used in different contexts. I've seen it used lovingly even, "love ya "c***t" or "cheers c***t". Not even shift in mood just a simple greeting or expression of affection. What intrigues me is where is the limit? I can understand bloody and fuck being in casual conversation for Australia but is there a line to our cultural scripts? I don't think there is but I also don't feel it's an issue. Although there may be no limit to our means of conversing, there is a little switch in there that flicks on when we know it may not be best to use the word in this environment. But we do have slip ups every now and then. Who doesn't?