People who are experts at swearing have BIGGER vocabularies than clean-tongued folk says new study
By LYDIA WILLGRESS FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:09 GMT, 13 December 2015 | UPDATED: 12:26 GMT, 13 December 2015
People who frequently swear are more likely to have a bigger vocabulary than their clean-tongued peers, research revealed (stock image)
People who frequently swear are more likely to have a bigger vocabulary than their clean-tongued peers, research revealed. A colourful tongue does not mean the talker is lazy or uneducated, a study published in the Language Sciences journal found.
Instead, those who are more confident using taboo words are more articulate in other areas.
The experiment asked participants to say as many swear words as they could think of in 60 seconds.
They were then asked to do the same with animals.
Those who knew the most swear words were more likely to name the most animals as well, the research found.
Kristin and Timothy Jay, the US-based psychologists who co-wrote the study, said it proved swearing was positively correlated with verbal fluency.
They added that those who used taboo words were able to make nuanced distinctions and could use language expressively.
They wrote: 'We cannot help but judge others on the basis of their speech.
'Unfortunately, when it comes to taboo language, it is a common assumption that people who swear frequently are lazy, do not have an adequate vocabulary, lack education, or simply cannot control themselves.'
In their conclusion, they added: 'The overall finding of this set of studies, that taboo fluency is positively correlated with other measures of verbal fluency, undermines the [normal] view of swearing.
A colourful tongue does not mean the talker is lazy or uneducated, a study published in the Language Sciences journal found (stock image)
'Speakers who use taboo words understand their general expressive content as well as nuanced distinctions that must be drawn to use slurs appropriately.
'The ability to make nuanced distinctions indicates the presence of more rather than less linguistic knowledge.'
Forty-nine participants aged between 18 and 22 were used in the experiment.
- Swearing does not mean the talker is lazy or uneducated, study found
- Those who are more confident using taboo words are more articulate
- Participants in study said as many swear words as possible in 60 seconds
- Co-authors said the findings undermined our 'normal' view of swearing
By LYDIA WILLGRESS FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 12:09 GMT, 13 December 2015 | UPDATED: 12:26 GMT, 13 December 2015
People who frequently swear are more likely to have a bigger vocabulary than their clean-tongued peers, research revealed (stock image)
People who frequently swear are more likely to have a bigger vocabulary than their clean-tongued peers, research revealed. A colourful tongue does not mean the talker is lazy or uneducated, a study published in the Language Sciences journal found.
Instead, those who are more confident using taboo words are more articulate in other areas.
The experiment asked participants to say as many swear words as they could think of in 60 seconds.
They were then asked to do the same with animals.
Those who knew the most swear words were more likely to name the most animals as well, the research found.
Kristin and Timothy Jay, the US-based psychologists who co-wrote the study, said it proved swearing was positively correlated with verbal fluency.
They added that those who used taboo words were able to make nuanced distinctions and could use language expressively.
They wrote: 'We cannot help but judge others on the basis of their speech.
'Unfortunately, when it comes to taboo language, it is a common assumption that people who swear frequently are lazy, do not have an adequate vocabulary, lack education, or simply cannot control themselves.'
In their conclusion, they added: 'The overall finding of this set of studies, that taboo fluency is positively correlated with other measures of verbal fluency, undermines the [normal] view of swearing.
A colourful tongue does not mean the talker is lazy or uneducated, a study published in the Language Sciences journal found (stock image)
'Speakers who use taboo words understand their general expressive content as well as nuanced distinctions that must be drawn to use slurs appropriately.
'The ability to make nuanced distinctions indicates the presence of more rather than less linguistic knowledge.'
Forty-nine participants aged between 18 and 22 were used in the experiment.
