Skip to content

F#*%? An Explanation of Curse Words

2011-12-03 · Hank · watch on YouTube · History & curiosities · explainer learning

Lower-confidence wave

2011 videos did not pass the QA gate (17 %); their analysis is shown but less reliable.

Prompted by swearing in front of children, Hank argues swear words really are different from other words: they draw power from us, are processed in the brain's emotional limbic system rather than its language areas, may hint at the origin of language, and show that words are magic.

What is said

00:00:00 — Warning about bleeped swears; after swearing at the mall Hank asks what swear words are; his definition; slurs vs swears

  • ★★ Having said the F word in front of little kids at the mall, as told in his last video, Hank felt terrible and began wondering what swear words are. — 00:00:00
  • ★★★ Finding existing definitions lacking, Hank defines a swear word as one you know how to say and what it means, but know not to say in front of your mom. — 00:00:00 > «you know also not to say it in front of your mom»
  • ★★ Hank says a swear cannot slander a group, since a slur differs from a swear; a curse word that becomes a slur against half the world's population stays atop most do-not-say lists. — 00:00:00

00:00:47 — Swear words have a different power: pain-tolerance study, why some words, their sound and subjects, loss of original meaning

  • ★★★ Hank says it is literally untrue that swear words are nothing special: they have a different kind of power than normal words. — 00:00:47
  • ★★ In a scientific study, Hank says, people subjected to pain could withstand more pain when encouraged to swear. — 00:00:47
  • ★ So, Hank says, screaming a swear word when you stub your toe is perfectly legitimate and probably a good idea. (playful) (hedged) — 00:00:47
  • ★★ Swear words have power because we give them power; Hank says it is unclear why some words rather than others get it. — 00:00:47
  • ★★ Swear words more often have a round sound in the middle and a hard sound at the end, are almost always about shameful things (body parts, sex, bodily functions) and quickly lose their original meaning. — 00:00:47

00:01:34 — In the brain: language in the left hemisphere, swearing in the limbic system; swears as emotional expression and a clue to the origin of language

  • ★★★ Hank says language is handled by a recently evolved, complex part of the left hemisphere, while swearing happens in the emotional limbic system, so swear words are stored and accessed differently. — 00:01:34
  • ★★ Swear words can be thought of as stored units of emotional expression, like a laugh, scream or crying, blurring the line between linguistics and emotion. — 00:01:56
  • ★★ Hank says swearing may give insight into the origin of language: our ancestors' first words may have lived where we now store swears. (hedged) — 00:01:56

00:02:20 — 'Curse' means magic: words are magic and language is the tool that created humanity

  • ★★★ Calling them 'curse' words admits they are magic; Hank says words are magic, some stronger than others, and language is the tool that created humanity. (hedged) — 00:02:20

00:02:50 — Sign-off; end screen: Hank's new mustache and haircut, the shaving video coming to Hank's channel

  • ★ On the end screen Hank shows off a new mustache and haircut and says he will post the full video of shaving his facial hair on Hank's channel. (playful) — 00:02:50 · hankschannel

00:03:18 — 'Hank the Cop' bit; the new YouTube's top-ten subscription tagging: tag only five so vlogbrothers stays above the fold

  • ★★ The new YouTube lets you tag top-ten subscriptions; since vlogbrothers starts with a V it would sit below the fold, so Hank jokingly asks viewers to tag only five. (playful) — 00:03:18 · YouTube, Vlogbrothers

Humor (significant)

  • Saying a curse word loses its literal meaning, Hank gives an example with the word bleeped. — 00:00:47 > «Like, I'm not talking about any particular sphincter when I call someone a .»
  • Wondering whether his brain has a special place for curse words, Hank answers with a bleeped exclamation. — 00:00:47 > «Holy .»
  • Building to his claim that language created humanity, Hank says it is 'just so' — and a bleep stands where the swear would be, before he finishes. — 00:02:20 > «And it's just so . Beautiful.»
  • With his new mustache, Hank is told he looks like a cop and plays one. — 00:03:18 > «I'm Hank the Cop! What do you got in your trunk?»

Threads in this video

Replies to

  • Stuffed with STUFF! — «you hopefully remember in my last video that I said f*** in front of some little kids at the mall»

BR2_b3836c892b