Invective Society

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Although the more educated or higher-born tried to keep invective and vulgarities out of their speech, swearing has been part of the vernacular since time immemorial. Profanity was not only verbal, but often appeared in written form in documents that sought to defame and humiliate those addressed.

Some of the slurs arose by corrupting foreign-language expressions, others were derived from animals and their attributes. Often used as insults were onomatopoeic words (articulated noises) or metaphors, words derived from adjectives, attitudes towards work, criminal offences, political stances, professions, psychological malaise or people’s names.
The worst kind of insult questioned the honour of the individual – such swearwords quite often led to court cases or duels. It was common practice that anyone not prepared to defend their honour would indeed lose it in the eyes of the public.

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