studies in cultural anthropology

[iceinyourmusic]

Question, for any native English-speaker who feels like telling me (or any non-native English-speaker who feels like replacing the necessary terminology all by herself): Does it sound - feel - different to you, when a FourLetterWord (*gasp* *blush*) or such is used by someone to whom English is not the first language?

(For I did take introduction to anthropology once.)

Comments

[mandysbitch.livejournal.com]

I kinda thought the word "fuck" was universal. Is that enthnocentrism?

[mandysbitch.livejournal.com]

And now I have this whole vision in my head where this alien (a Roswell grey) steps off a spaceship, checks out Earth and says, "fuck this shit..." and then gets back in and goes home.

[hetrez.livejournal.com]

I have a Polish friend who doesn't usually swear, so whenever he does it comes out sounding ashamed, quiet, slightly garbled and definitely choked-on. I think that swearing sounds natural coming from anyone who's used to it, who isn't using it as parody, and it sound unnatural to anyone who feels unnatural saying it. But then, I have very little experience with this sort of thing.