slang - Why is 'hell' considered a curse word?


Given the Wikipedia's list of profanities, you will see that it's somehow detached from the rest of curse words. The most commonly recognized profanities usually describe a body part, person or an (usually inappropriate) act. However, 'hell' is the only one that actually bears the negative connotation as a result of its origin - which is strictly of religious background.


Why is it then, that while still being considered inappropriate to use, you can hear it on the radio, tv and in other media without being censored or blacked-out?


Is there any source in form of a dictionary that could point out the severity of the word's usage, or some kind of category that would help in categorizing, and perhaps distinguishing it from the other, way more vulgar, curse words?



Answer



Today in English most taboo or "curse" words have to do with sex or scatology in some way. However, this was not always the case.


It turns out that up until about the time of WWI blasphemy, the inappropriate use of religous terms, was much more taboo than today. Most "curse" words in common use at that time would have been of that nature. "Hell" is often used today as a holdover from that time. For instance, in the USA it is allowed on broadcast TV, so is sometimes used as a placeholder for modern profanity which is not allowed.


One can speculate that the taboo is related to the Judeo-Christian prohibition against taking the Lord's name in vain (second or third of the "10 Commandments", depeding on your sect). Some people have been known to interpret that commandment very broadly. So in a society where nearly everyone is Christian or Jewish, one can see where a taboo like this might develop.


The writers of Deadwood actually researched this extensively. Books they used for reference were Richard A. Spears’s Slang and Euphemism and Ashley Montagu’s The Anatomy of Swearing. So if you'd like to learn more, those may be good references for you as well.


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