RUSSIAN HOUSE “A magazine for those who still love Russia.” Published monthly since 1997. Founder - Russian Culture Foundation with the support of the Moscow Patriarchate. Volume - 64 pages with illustrations. Circulation in 1998 - 30,000 copies. Takes a moderate nationalist position;

RUSSIAN MAT Every person in Russia from early childhood begins to hear words that they call obscene, obscene, obscene. Even if a child grows up in a family where they do not use swear words, he still hears it on the street, becomes interested in the meaning of these words and

7.8. Russian character Once a writer from Russia came to New York and participated in one of the many programs on local television. Of course, the presenter asked him about the mysterious Russian soul and Russian character. The writer illustrated this as follows:

Some people don't swear at all. Someone inserts abuse through a word. Most use at least sometimes strong words. What is Russian swearing and where did it come from?

Russian swearing has a rich history
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Attention! The text contains profanity.

The notorious social opinion does not allow you to study the good old mat. This is what most researchers who choose such a difficult path complain about. Therefore, there is very little literature about swearing.

One of the mysteries of Russian profanity– the origin of the word “checkmate”. According to one hypothesis, “mate” originally means “voice.” That is why phrases like “shouting obscenities” have come down to us. However, the generally accepted version reduces the word “mate” to “mother”, therefore - “swear at mother”, “send to hell” and so on.
Another problem with swearing is the impossibility of compiling an accurate list of swear words, because some native speakers highlight certain words as obscene, others do not. This is the case, for example, with the word “gondon”. However, typical swear words come from only four to seven roots.

It is known that different peoples have different “reserves” of mating, which can be elevated to different spheres. Russian swearing, like the swearing of many other cultures, is tied to the sexual sphere. But this is not the case among all nations, since there are whole line cultures where everything related to sex is not taboo. For example, among the indigenous population of New Zealand - the Maori people. One of the tribes - the ancestor of the Maoritans - quite “officially” bore the name “Ure Vera”, which translated means “hot penises”, or “hot penis”. In European culture, the sphere of swearing, by the way, is also not necessarily associated with sexual relations. If you look at the Germanic languages, it becomes clear that many swear words there are associated with bowel movements.

The basis of Russian obscene vocabulary, as in many other languages, is the so-called “obscene triad”: the male genital organ (“x.y”), the female genital organ (p..da), and the verb describing the process of copulation (“e ..t"). It is interesting that the Russian language is characterized by a complete lack of designation for these words by literary native Russian terms. They are replaced either by bare Latin and medical soulless equivalents, or by emotional ones - swear words.

In addition to the obscene triad, the Russian swear word is also characterized by the word “bl.d” - the only one that does not mean genitals and copulation, but comes from the Slavic damn, which translated into Russian means “fornication – error, error, sin.” In Church Slavonic the word “bl..stvovat” means “to lie, deceive, slander.”

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Also popular are “m..de” (male testicles), “man.a” (female genitalia) and “e.da” (male genitalia).

The above seven lexemes, the famous researcher of Russian swearing, Alexei Plutser-Sarno, proposes to take Russian swearing as the basis for the concept, citing, however, another 35 roots that survey participants considered obscene (among them, by the way, such words as “eat” and “vomit” ).

Despite the very limited number of roots, Russian swearing is characterized by a simply gigantic number of derivative words. In addition to existing ones, new ones are constantly emerging. Thus, researcher V. Raskin gives a far from complete list of derivatives from the word “e..t” (verbs only): e..nut, e..nutsya, e..tsya, e.izdit, e.nut, e. to.be, to.be, to..fuck, to.fuck, to.be.to.be, to.fuck, to.be, to.forget, to.forget, to.fuck, to.be, to.fuck, to.fuck , about..fuck, about..fuck, stop.en, from..fuck, from..fuck, over.fuck, over.fuck, f.fuck, f.fuck, under..fuck, under..fuck , kick..knock, raz..knock, raz..bang, s..knock, s..happen, s..knock, fuck..bang, etc.

No one knows for sure where the Russian swear word came from. The once popular hypothesis that we got it “from the Mongol-Tatar yoke” (“Tatar version”) was completely refuted with the discovery of Novgorod birch bark letters of the 12th-13th centuries. It was not possible to blame it on the yoke. This is understandable, because obscene language one way or another is characteristic, apparently, of all languages ​​of the world.

But there are other versions. Two of them are basic. The first is that Russian swearing is associated with erotic pagan rituals that were played important role in agricultural magic. Second - swear words in Rus' once had different meaning, for example, double. But over time, one of the meanings was supplanted, or they were merged together, turning the meaning of the word into a negative one.

The opinion has taken root in the popular consciousness that swear words are of Turkic origin and penetrated into the Russian language in dark times Tatar-Mongol yoke. Many even claim that before the Tatars came to Rus', Russians did not swear at all, and when swearing, they called each other only dogs, goats and sheep. Is this really so, we will try to figure it out.

Three letter word.

The most important swear word in the Russian language is rightfully considered to be the same three-letter word that is found on the walls and fences of the entire civilized world. When did this three-letter word appear? Isn’t it in Tatar-Mongol times? To answer this question, let's compare this word with its Turkic counterparts. In those same Tatar-Mongolian languages, this object is denoted by the word “kutah”. Many people have a surname derived from this word and do not consider it in the least dissonant. One of these carriers was even the commander-in-chief of the Air Force, the famous ace of the Second World War, twice Hero Soviet Union, Air Chief Marshal Pavel Stepanovich Kutakhov. During the war, he made 367 combat missions, conducted 63 air combat, in which he personally shot down 14 enemy aircraft and 24 in the group. Did this native of the village of Malokirsanovka, Matveevo-Kurgan district, know Rostov region, what is the translation of his surname, which he immortalized with his heroism?

The most reliable version seems to be that the three-letter word itself arose as a euphemism to replace the taboo root pes-. It corresponds to the Sanskrit पसस्, the ancient Greek πέος (peos), the Latin penis and the Old English fæsl, as well as the Russian words “púsat” and “dog”. This word came from the verb peseti, which denoted the primary function of this organ - to emit urine. According to this version, the three-letter word is a sound imitation of the sound of the pipe, which the god of sex and fertility had with him and which looked like a penis.
What was the name of the reproductive organ in ancient times? Until the end of the 18th century, it was designated by the word “oud”, from which, by the way, comes a quite decent and censored fishing rod. However, this two-letter word already served as a literary analogue of the well-known three-letter word, which has long been replaced by various euphemisms (from the Greek ευφήμη - “prudence”).

The word "dick"

One of such euphemisms is, for example, the word “dick”. Most literate people know that this was the name of the 23rd letter of the Cyrillic alphabet, which after the revolution turned into the letter “ha”. To those who know this, it seems obvious that the word "dick" is a euphemistic replacement, arising from the fact that the word being replaced begins with that letter. However, in reality it is not so simple. The fact is that those who think so do not ask the question, why, in fact, is the letter “X” called dick? After all, all the letters of the Cyrillic alphabet are named by Slavic words, the meaning of most of which is clear to the modern Russian-speaking public without translation. What did this word mean before it became a letter? In the Indo-European base language, which was spoken by the distant ancestors of the Slavs, Balts, Germans and other European peoples, this word meant a goat. This word is related to the Armenian որոճ, Lithuanian ėriukas, and Latvian. jērs, Old Prussian еristian and Latin hircus. In modern Russian, the word “harya” remains a related word. Until recently, this word was used to describe goat masks used by mummers during carols. The similarity of this letter to a goat was obvious to the Slavs in the 9th century. The top two sticks are his horns, and the bottom two are his legs. Then in prehistoric times, the goat symbolized fertility, and the god of fertility was depicted as a two-legged goat. The attribute of this god was an object that bore the same name in the Proto-European language as in the modern Russian swear word. However, this object was not what was later designated by the word "ud". Judging by the surviving images, it was a wind instrument like a primitive pipe. Everyone now famous word arose as a designation for the sound made by this pipe. However, this onomatopoeia was also initially applied to the penis as a euphemism. But here the question immediately arises, what was it called before? In the base Indo-European language this part of the body was called paesus. It corresponds to Sanskrit पसस्, Ancient Greek πέος (peos), Latin penis and Old English fæsl. This word came from the verb peseti, which denoted the primary function of this organ - to emit urine. The word “fart” is also of Indo-European origin. It comes from the ancient Indo-European root perd-. In Sanskrit it corresponds to the word पर्दते (párdate), in ancient Greek - πέρδομαι (perdomai), and in Old English, in which all the ancient Indo-European “p”s were replaced by “f”, it corresponds to the verb feortan, which in modern English turned into the verb to fart. Here we need to remind our readers that the ending –an in Old English meant the same thing as the particle –т in modern Russian or the particle to in modern English. She designated the infinitive, that is, indefinite form verb. And if you remove it from the word feortan, and replace “f” with the common Indo-European “p”, then you get “fart” again.
IN Lately opponents of the reviving Rodnoverie, in order to discredit it, launched the thesis that the god Perun is nothing more than a fart. In fact, the word “Perun” comes from the word “percus”, which meant oak - that very symbolic world tree, the roots of which go to the Underworld, and the branches, performing a load-bearing function, support the vault of heaven.

Word for female vagina

The word for the female vagina is also of absolutely Indo-European origin. It also has nothing to do with its Turkic name “am”. True, from modern languages this word is preserved only in Latvian and Lithuanian, but it is slightly similar to it Greek word pωσικά. But the modern one English word cunt is of later origin. It first appears in the name of the London street Gropecuntelane, on which brothels have been located since 1230. The name of this street literally translates from Old English as Vaginal Row. After all, we have Karetny in Moscow and Okhotny ranks. So why shouldn't there be a Vaginal in London? This street was located between Aldermanbury and Coleman Street, and now the Swiss Bank stands in its place. Oxford linguists believe that this word comes from the ancient Germanic verb kuntan, meaning to clean, but Cambridge professors, arguing with Oxford ones, argue that the word cunt comes from the Latin cunnus, meaning sheath. Until recently, in British English there was also the term cunning, which meant both beating of the thumbs and sexual intercourse. However, in post-war period this word was supplanted by the American faq.

The word "fucking"

This series would be incomplete without one topic that is widespread throughout the CIS countries. I'm talking about rude and swear words.

Today we are completely Let's look into the issue of the influence of swearing on a person and his health. We will pay attention to 4 aspects:

1. what is mat,
2. the history of the origin of swearing (here you may be very surprised),
3. what is the effect of swear words, what happens with constant use of swear words.
4. And How get rid of the influence of swear words

What are swear words? The influence of swearing

It seems that swear words have become so deeply ingrained in our society, as if it were normal. I've even met people who claim that swearing allows you to relax,

Curse words- these are unnatural rude words. No matter what they say, these words evoke unpleasant feelings, shame, and indignation inside.

But worse than that, swear words are contagious. It has already been noted more than once that when a child is sent to kindergarten, for example, and there is at least one child who swears - your child easily adopts the “shoemaker habit.” And he himself begins to swear like a shoemaker. Yes, and adults are the same, in fact - a man will work among builders who speak swear words for only 30 days, and involuntarily he himself begins to use this language.

Let's figure out where this infectious thing came from.

The history and origin of swear words/swear words.

There are several versions of the origin of the mat.

1. The influence of the Tatar-Mongol yoke.
2. Pagan roots of Slavic peoples

Some deny the first and agree with the second. But both seem to have an impact.

The first version has recently found fewer and fewer supporters among researchers.

It is refuted by two facts.

First- analysis of the language of the ancient Mongols, carried out in the 20s. last century did not reveal the presence of swear words.

Second - birch bark letters found in Novgorod. A total of 4 letters were found containing words starting with the letters “e”, “b”, and “p”. Three of the four charters date back to the 12th century, i.e. their writing occurred at least half a century before Mongol invasion. Apart from this, it is also important to mention one more fact. Italian traveler Plano Carpini, visited in the 13th century Central Asia , noted that the nomads did not have swear words. In fairness, it is worth noting that the word with “x” still exists in modern Mongolian language. It has several meanings, but none of them refers to the male sexual organ.

How did swear words enter our speech?

During the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov, the use of swear words in public places was punishable by cruel punishment - up to and including the death penalty.

In the 19th century foul language is transformed from swearing into the basis of the language of factory workers and artisans.

And after the revolution of 1917, swearing entered the lexicon politicians. AND Lenin, And Stalin used rude language in his speech. The fish rots from the head, so it is all the more clear why all the other high-ranking party workers swore.

In the early 90s, swearing came into widespread use. And without "hot word" many people cannot speak up.

The mystical origins of such a phenomenon as swearing go back to the pagan past. To protect themselves from the attacks of the demonic world, people pre-Christian era contacted him. This contact had two sides to the coin:

• on the one hand, the pagans pleased him by sacrificing him,
• on the other hand, they drove away, scared away.

Exactly, and people scared away the demon with his name or spells. By the way, they called upon demons with the same words, thereby showing their readiness to merge with him.

The spells that were addressed to pagan idols consisted of their names. And it was precisely during that period of time that the cult of fertility was widespread. Thus, Most swear words are associated with the genitals of men and women.

The Slavs were also familiar with swearing. For example, the swear word of a girl of easy virtue “b...” is found on Novgorod notes and birch bark charters XII century. It just meant something completely different. The meaning of the word was the name of a demon with whom only sorcerers communicated. According to ancient beliefs, this demon punished sinners by sending them a disease, which is now called “uterine rabies.”

Another word, the verb “e...”, is of Slavic origin, and is translated as to curse.

The remaining swear words are the names of pagan gods, or demonic names. When a person swears, he calls demons on himself, his family, his clan.

Thus, swearing is an appeal to demons, only it consists of spells and names of certain demons. The history of swearing shows this.

In other words, swearing is the language of communication with demons.

It is no coincidence that lexicologists call this type of vocabulary infernal, which means hellish.

Today the mat is used for:

1. Displays of emotions
2. Emotional release
3. Insults, humiliation
4. Demonstrations of fearlessness
5. Demonstrations of belonging to “their own”
6. Demonstrations of disdain for the system of prohibitions
7. Demonstrations of aggression, etc.

The effect of swearing on human health

Let’s just give 6 facts about the influence of swearing:

1. The effect of swearing on DNA

Human words can be represented in the form of electromagnetic vibrations, which directly affect the properties and structure of DNA molecules responsible for heredity. If a person uses swear words day after day, DNA molecules begin to produce "negative program" and they change significantly. Scientists say: a “dirty” word causes mutagenic effect similar to radiation exposure.

Swear words have a negative effect on genetic code swearing, are written down in it, become a curse for the person himself and his heirs.

1. Curse words pass through others nerve endings than ordinary words

There is an observation by doctors that people suffering from paralysis, with a complete lack of speech, express themselves exclusively in obscenities. Although at the same time unable to say “Yes” or “No”. At first glance, the phenomenon, although very strange, speaks volumes. Why does a completely paralyzed person exclusively utter obscenities? Is it really of a different nature than ordinary words?

1. The influence of mat on water. Scientific experiment.

Sprouting technology has long been used in biology and agriculture.

Water is treated by some influence, and this water wheat grains are processed.

Three types of words were used:

1. Prayer "Our Father"
2. Household mat, which is used for speech communication
3. The mat is aggressive, with clearly expressed expression.

Through certain time The number of sprouted grains and the length of the sprouts are checked.

On the second day

1. 93% of the grains sprouted in the control batch
2. In a batch of grains processed by prayer - 96% of grains. And the longest sprouts, up to 1 cm.
3. In the batch treated with household mat - 58% grains
4. The expressive mat had such an effect that only 49% of the grains grew. The length of the sprouts is uneven and mold has appeared.

Scientists believe that the appearance of mold is the result strong negative impact mat on the water.

After a while.

1. The influence of household swearing - only 40% of sprouted grains remained
2. The effect of the expressive mat - only 15% of sprouted grains remained.

Seedlings placed in mat-treated water indicate that this environment is not suitable for them.

Humans are 80% water. Draw your own conclusions, friends.

Here is a video proof of this experiment.

1. Swear words very often come out of people from whom demons are cast out.

This is recognized by all confessions: from Orthodox to Protestants.

For example, an Orthodox priest, Father Sergius, writes: “The so-called swearing is the language of communication with demonic forces. It is no coincidence that this phenomenon is called infernal vocabulary. Infernal means hellish, from the underworld.” It is very easy to be convinced that swearing is a demonic phenomenon. Go to a Russian Orthodox church during a lecture. And take a close look at the person who is being chastised with prayer. He will moan, scream, struggle, growl, and the like. And the worst thing is that they swear a lot...

Thanks to science, it has been proven that because of swearing, not only a person’s morality suffers, but also his health!

Ivan Belyavsky is one of the first scientists to put forward this theory. He believes that everyone mat- This energy charge, which negatively affects human health.

It has already been proven that swearing comes from the sacred names of the gods. The word "mate" means "strength". Destructive power, which affects human DNA and destroys it from the inside, especially women and children.

1. Swear words have a detrimental effect on women

Abuse of swear words is destructive for a woman's hormonal background. Her voice becomes low, testosterone is in excess, fertility decreases, and the disease hirsutism appears...

1. The influence of swear words on a person in countries where there is no abuse against the reproductive organs.

Another very interesting fact. In countries where there is no swearing indicating the reproductive organ, cerebral palsy and Down syndromes have not been found. But in the CIS countries these diseases exist. Unfortunately…

How to get rid of the influence of swearing?

You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

We have already proven the origin of swear words. Considered scientific experiment. But the purpose of this series and the “Word of Encouragement” project is to encourage, to help overcome every vice that binds a person.

Here we will give a recipe for liberation from swear words, which is tested on personal experience. Just 5 simple steps.

1. Recognize

Very important admit that swear words are a vice that has a destructive effect on a person. It is to admit, not to resist.

1. Repent

Warm repentance before God is very important.

He is the Lord, He knows everything. And He will help, but first just repent of the fact that this dirty language came out of your mouth.

(If you have never acknowledged Jesus as the Lord of your life - then you should)

1. Accept yourself as a new creation

If you have prayed the prayer of repentance, then you have become a new creation, a child of Almighty God. Until then, every person is a sinner, a product of the devil.

Many in the world say “Why reject swearing - it’s normal!” It's okay if you are a sinful person. And if you repented before God and asked for forgiveness of your sins, you have already become a new creation.

And you need to accept it

The Word of God says:

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the ancient has passed away, now everything is new.

Start to think well of yourself, to think of yourself as God’s beloved child, as the one for whom the Lord gave His Son.

Trust God. You have become different inside.

Eph.5:8 You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord: walk as children of light,

1. Believe that words are capsules filled with power.

That's essentially what this series is all about. What we say is what we have.

But you, if you have already cursed, need to accept it again. Your swearing produced one effect in your life.

Now you need your words to bring good.

Col.4:6 Let your word always be with grace

Eph 4:29 Let no corrupt talk come out of your mouth, but only that which is good for edification of the faith, so that it may bring grace to those who hear.

This means that every time you open your mouth, ask God for wisdom, so that your words will bring grace and benefit to those listening.

1. Dedicate your mouth, your tongue to God.

This is not just a resolution: “I’ll stop swearing since the New Year.”

It is a decision that your mouth belongs to the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth. And with your lips you will only bless God and His creation.

James 3:9-10 With it we bless God the Father, and with it we curse men, created in the likeness of God. From the same lips comes blessing and curse: it should not be so, my brethren.

If you dedicate your mouth to God, it will not be easy. But even when you stumble, remember that the word of God says “it must not happen.” God does not give impossible tasks. If it is written in His Word, then it is real. And this means that it is possible to live in such a way as not to utter curses and swear words against loved ones.

Word of Encouragement

I want to end in a very good place.

Remember that you will give an account for every word. And if you say a lot of good things into the lives of your loved ones, bless your wife/husband, children, parents, employees - God will bring these words to judgment. And from these words you will be justified. So says the Word of God

Matthew 12:36-37 But I tell you that for every idle word that people speak, they will give an answer on the day of judgment: 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Text prepared by: Vladimir Bagnenko, Anna Pozdnyakova

Swearing, swearing, obscene expressions are an ambiguous phenomenon. On the one hand, there are poorly educated and uncultured people who cannot even put together two words without swearing, on the other hand, there are quite intelligent and educated people sometimes they swear too. Sometimes these words themselves fly out of our mouths. After all, there are situations when it is impossible to express your attitude to what is happening in any other way...

So, let's figure out what this phenomenon is and where it came from.

Mat is a type of profanity in Russian and other languages. For the most part, swearing is condemned by society and is perceived negatively. And sometimes it can even be regarded as hooliganism. In addition, there are cases when swear words were used in the works of classical authors such as Pushkin (yes, yes! It’s hard to believe, but it’s true), Mayakovsky, etc.

If someone covers someone or something with an endless stream of swear words, and doing it in their own intricate way, then this is called a “three-story obscenity.”

Origin

There is an opinion that swearing was brought to our land by the Tatar-Mongol hordes. And that until this very moment in Rus' they did not know swear words at all. Naturally, this is not so. Because the position in the spirit of “everything nasty was brought to us from outside” is very convenient, and is so characteristic of many of us.
Nomads have nothing to do with this, because... they had no custom of swearing. This fact noted back in the 13th century by the Italian traveler Plano Carpini, who then visited Central Asia. He wrote that the Tatar-Mongols had no swear words at all, and vice versa, the Russians chronicle sources They tell us that swearing was widespread in Rus' long before the Horde yoke.
Modern obscene language has its roots in distant linguistic antiquity.

The most important swear word is the word x**, the same one that can be found on walls and fences all over the world :)

If you take this iconic three-letter word, then the word “dick” also corresponds to it. On Old Russian language, “to fuck” means to cross out cross by cross. And the word “her” means “cross”. We are accustomed to thinking that given word used to refer to the male sexual organ, along with that same three-letter swear word. The fact is that in Christian philosophical symbolism, the cross on which Jesus Christ was crucified is viewed not as an instrument of shameful execution, but as the victory of life over death. Thus, the word "her" was used in Rus' to mean the word "cross". The letter “x” in Russian is denoted in the form of intersecting lines, and this is not just so, because Christ, Christianity, temple, kher (cross). There is also an opinion according to which the phrase “Fuck you all!” was invented by defenders of Slavic paganism. They shouted it, swearing at the Christians who had come to instill their faith. Originally this expression meant a curse, to paraphrase we can say that they meant “Go to the cross!”, i.e. let you be crucified like your God.” But in connection with the victory of Orthodoxy in Rus', the term “cross” ceased to have a negative meaning.

In Christianity, for example, foul language is considered great sin, the same in Islam. Rus' adopted Christianity later than its Western neighbors. By this time, swearing, along with pagan customs, was firmly rooted in Russian society. With the advent of Christianity in Rus', the fight against swear words began. Orthodoxy declared war on swearing. There were cases when in Ancient Rus', foul-mouthed people were punished with whips. Swearing was a sign of a slave, a stinker. It was believed that a noble person, and an Orthodox one at that, would never use foul language. A hundred years ago, a person who used bad language in public could be taken to the police station. AND Soviet authority waged a war with swearers. According to Soviet law, foul language in a public place should have been punishable by a fine. In fact, this punishment was used very rarely. Along with vodka, swearing at this time was already considered a certain attribute of brave valor. The police and military were arguing, senior officials. The top management has a “strong word” and is still in use. If the leader uses swear words in a conversation with someone, it means special trust.

Only in an intelligent environment was swearing a sign of bad taste. But what about Pushkin, you say, and Ranevskaya? According to contemporaries, Pushkin did not use rude expressions in his life. However, in some of his “secret” works you can find swear words. It was just shocking - a slap in the face to the refined society that rejected him. Oh, you are so polished - so here is my “peasant” answer. For Ranevskaya, swearing was an integral part of her bohemian image - image, as they say now. For that time it was original - internally a very subtle nature, outwardly he behaves like a man - he smokes stinking cigarettes, swears. Now, when obscenities are heard at every step, such a trick will no longer work.

In general, linguists believe that the roots of swear words are found in many Indo-European languages, but they were able to truly develop only on our land.

So, three main swear words denoting male and female genital organs and the sexual act itself as such. Why did these words, which basically mean things inherent in all living beings, eventually become curse words? Apparently our ancestors attached great importance great importance reproductive function. Words that denoted the reproductive organs were given a magical meaning. It was forbidden to pronounce them in vain, so as not to damage people.

The first violators of this prohibition were sorcerers who were engaged in casting spells on people and doing other charming things. Afterwards, this taboo began to be violated by those who wanted to show that the law was not written to them. Gradually they began to use obscenities just like that, out of fullness of feeling, for example. At the same time, all this developed, and the main words acquired a mass of words derived from them.

There are three main linguistic versions of the introduction of swear words into the Russian language, based on research conducted in different time various historians and linguists:

1. Russian swearing is a legacy of the Tatar-Mongol yoke (one of the theories, which, as we have already found out, is untenable in itself);
2. Russian swear words once had two meanings, subsequently displacing one of the meanings or merging together and turning the meaning of the word into a negative one;
3. Mat was and is an integral part of occult and pagan rituals existing in different languages from different nationalities.

No single point view, where the word mat itself comes from. In some reference books you can find a version that “swearing” is a conversation. But why is the word “mate” so similar to the word mother?
There is a version related to the fact that the word “mate” came into the Russian language after the appearance of the expression “send to mother.” In fact, this is one of the first expressions to become obscene. After the appearance of this particular phrase, many words that had previously existed in the language began to be classified as abusive and indecent.

Practically, until the 18th century, those words that we now classify as obscene and abusive were not such at all. Words that have become indecent previously meant or some physiological characteristics(or parts) human body, or were even ordinary words.
Relatively recently (just about a thousand years ago), a word meaning a woman of easy virtue was included in the list of swear words; it comes from a quite common word in ancient Rus' the words "vomit", which means "vomit abomination".

The verb “whore” in the Old Russian language meant “to talk idle talk, to deceive.” In the Old Russian language there was also a verb fornication - “to wander.” There are two meanings of this word: 1) avoidance straight path and 2) illegal, celibate cohabitation. There is a version that there was a merger of two verbs (blyaditi and fornication).

In the Old Russian language there was a word “mudo”, meaning “male testicle”. This word was rarely used and did not have an obscene connotation. And then, apparently, it came down to our times, turning from rarely used to commonly used.

Addition to the article from Artyom Alenin:

The topic of swearing in Russia is a very fertile and popular topic. At the same time, there are a lot of untrue facts and rumors regarding swearing wandering on the Internet. For example: “Once upon a time, scientists conducted an experiment. They swore at the water and then poured it on the wheat seeds. As a result, of those grains that were watered with water with a curse, only 48% sprouted, and the seeds watered with holy water sprouted by 93%.” Naturally, this is all a lie and fiction. You cannot “charge” water with just one word. As they say, no one has yet canceled the laws of chemistry and physics. By the way, this myth was once perfectly dispelled in the show MythBusters.

They very often try to ban swearing. Various laws are constantly coming out that limit the use of swear words in the media. But you don’t need to do this! The reason lies in the following aspects.
Firstly, swearing is not necessarily an offensive word. Work at a construction site for a week and you will understand that swearing is a great way to communicate. Especially swearing helps to communicate with citizens of the union republics who, apart from swearing, do not understand anything else :)

In addition, without using swear words, you can insult a person and even drive him to murder or suicide. So what needs to be banned is not swearing, but insults and humiliation in the media.

Secondly, mat is a word that reflects a very deep feeling. We associate swearing with harsh negative feelings like rage or anger. Therefore, it is impossible to prohibit swearing - for this you need to change your consciousness. Theoretically, if a child is fenced off from swearing from childhood, then he will not swear. However, he will still come up with words to express his anger.
The sensory background of swearing is also evidenced by the fact that a person with amnesia, even if he does not remember the language, can still swear.

Our legislators are smart people, and therefore there is no article punishing swearing. But there are logical articles about slander and insult. Moreover, these articles were recently canceled because the responsibility for them was too low (public apology). But then these articles were returned again. Apparently the state realized that the absence of at least some kind of punishment would let people off the “chain.” This is especially true for swearing in the media.

Interestingly, in Europe and the USA it is not swearing itself that is prohibited, but insults (which is logical). At the same time, one should not think that English language no swear words. According to statistics, there are more swear words in English than in Russian. There is also a lot of swearing in Dutch and French(with their famous "kurwa", which is now in Polish and other languages).

Thank you for your attention!

P.S. The fact that we talk so loyally about swearing does not mean that you need to swear on our website :) So write comments in the usual civilized style.

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