COSMO@TRIUMFER (01/13/90)
Greetings,
I'm going to get scientific for a minute.
Neuropsychologists discovered in the 70's that profane words are processed
in a different part of the brain from all other words, sort of like this:
_____
swear word path ----------> / _S_ \ \
^ / / \ \ \
/ / / \ \ v
/ / | | \
thought input ----> | \_____/ | --------> word output
\ \ / ^
\ \ N / /
non-swear word path --> v \______/ /
And that you can get brain damage in area S where people will loose their
profane vocabulary, and loose the ability to associate a word with a profane
concept, likewise, you can get damage to area N where the only words a person
can produce are swear words.
So, swear words stand out because they go through a different part of the
brain, one associated with aggression. You can see this in yourself if you
introspect and notice the different associated mental and physicological
phenomena that will go along with swear words, whether they're being
produced by you or being heard. That's what makes swear words different.
Peace
David