AI CONCISE SUMMARY:
A new study shows that swearing has become more common in everyday conversation over recent decades due to a process called “delexification,” where words like the F-word have expanded their function and weakened their meaning. The use of the F-word as an idiomatic phrase has increased threefold, while its usage as a personal insult or reference to intercourse has decreased. This change is due to delexicalization, which refers to an expansion of a word’s function that weakens its meaning over time. While politicians and coworkers should still exercise discretion when using such language, the use of swear words like the F-word on TV and in public discourse has become less offensive to people.
AI CONCISE SUMMARY: A new study shows that swearing has become more common in everyday conversation over recent decades due to a process called “delexification,” where words like the F-word have expanded their function and weakened their meaning. The use of the F-word as an idiomatic phrase has increased threefold, while its usage as a personal insult or reference to intercourse has decreased. This change is due to delexicalization, which refers to an expansion of a word’s function that weakens its meaning over time. While politicians and coworkers should still exercise discretion when using such language, the use of swear words like the F-word on TV and in public discourse has become less offensive to people.