Cunt Is My Favourite Word

The title to this entry isn’t entirely true but hear me out.

Once upon a time language didn’t exist like it does today. Before language, humans communicated through gestures, facial expressions, vocalisations and body language.

Scientists believe that the very first words evolved from sounds humans were already making such as laughter or crying and grunts or calls.

Eventually alphabets were created, words were formed using combinations of letters, meaning was given to those words and sentences were formed into the way we communicate today.

At some stage through history, meaning was given to words in the modern English language which have roots in other languages older than ours and they have evolved to be globally recognised. Cunt is such a word originating from very old Germanic roots.

Its original meaning meant “to produce” and it was purely an anatomical and neutral term used frequently in common communication.

In the Middle Ages around the beginning of the Renaissance, society became prudish about sex and so this word took on a vulgar and disgusting identity.

Which I guess is the point I am trying to make here. Things only have meaning if we attach meaning to them. In the English language there are many swear words that are considered ‘politically incorrect’ or ‘inappropriate’ to use. I have always wondered why?

I mean, I know why.

I know that you aren’t supposed to say certain words and certainly aren't supposed to direct them at another person in a derogatory way.

But why?

Why is someone exclaiming “Shoot!” acceptable, over “Shit!” when they’ve made an error or been surprised by something?

Maybe that’s a soft example.

In Australia and New Zealand it is well known that the word ‘cunt’ is used almost as a term of endearment and very frequently used as a descriptive word in day to day life. A lot of the time not even in a derogatory way. Personally I use it a lot, but only in certain company because as discussed, it is globally the nuclear bomb of all swear words.

Take the U.S for example. If you said “you’re a funny cunt” to an American you’d likely be scolded in disgust. Here in Australia, that is a compliment.

In both countries, it’s just a word.

I remember first thinking this was something I would like to write about and wondering how it would be received because of how frequently the word cunt appears on the page. I could’ve picked other words like shit, fuck, asshole or dickhead but cunt carries the most weight and would probably spark the most debate.

But, they are all just words that originated somewhere and were given meaning by someone or by a collective. Just combinations of letters, pronounced in a certain way and received with shock horror.

I have a seven year old son. He knows what swear words are as he hears me use them. I am of course selective about which ones but I don’t hide or change the way I express myself for the most part. Instead I choose to educate him on the weight that certain words carry when used in certain ways. I teach him about the responsible use of language as I know that when he comes to his teenage years and into early adulthood, swearing will be a part of his life either through his own speech or through absorbing it in his circles of friends. This morning, a rainy Sunday, we watched Deadpool vs Wolverine. If you know this movie you know that it’s MA15+ and not an acceptable movie for a 7 year old. He was unaffected by it and we talked about swearing and responsible use of language after it.

I believe that we don’t have to be offended by words such as the ones mentioned in this entry. We choose to be.

I think swearing can very often add colour and character to a good story. I’d be pretty confident that most if not all funny stories I have ever been told included swearing to describe people or events that occurred.

This one piece is obviously not going to change the meaning attached to words that are deemed inappropriate. That wasn’t my intention. I just like to write about the things that I think about and this just happened to be one of them. I’m a strange cunt like that.

Things only have meaning if we attach meaning to it so for now one of my favourite words, is cunt.

It is just a word after all.