Russian swearing: history and meaning of obscene words. Legal services, lawyer, law, lawyer, court, consultation, divorce

• 1. as a means of expressing the profane principle, opposed to the sacred principle,
• 2. cathartic,
• 3. means of reduction social status addressee,
• 4. a means of establishing contact between equal people,
• 5. a means of friendly teasing or encouragement,
• 6. “dueling” remedy,
• 7. expresses the attitude of two to the third as a “scapegoat”,
• 8. cryptographic function (like a password),
• 9. for self-encouragement,
• 10. for self-deprecation,
• 11. present yourself as a “person without prejudices”,
• 12. implementation of “the elitism of a cultural position through its negation”,
• 13. symbol of sympathy for the oppressed classes,
• 14. narrative group - attracting attention,
• 15. apotropaic function – “to confuse”
• 16. transferring the opponent to the power of evil forces,
• 17. magic function,
• 18. feeling of power over the “demon of sexuality”,
• 19. demonstration of the speaker’s gender,
• 20. eshrological function (ritual invectiveization of speech),
• 21. used in psychoanalysis to treat nervous disorders,
• 22. pathological foul language,
• 23. invective as art,
• 24. invective as rebellion,
• 25. as a means of verbal aggression,
• 26. division into permitted and unauthorized groups,
• 27. as an interjection.

Profanity in Russian

A type of obscene vocabulary that has become widespread in the Russian language is Russian swearing, which has 6-7 word bases. The Russian language also contains several dozen other obscene words that are not swear words and are much less taboo, but are also considered “indecent.”

Profanity and society

Soviet propaganda poster “Our condition is down with foul language!”, author - Konstantin Ivanov, 1981

A strict ban on the public use of obscene vocabulary and phraseology, ideographically and semantically related to the forbidden topic of sex and the sexual sphere, developed among the Eastern Slavs - the ancestors of Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians - back in the pagan era as a strong tradition of folk culture, and was strictly supported by the Orthodox Church . Therefore, this taboo has acquired a long-standing tradition for the Russian people, consecrated for more than one millennium.

In this regard, published news agency"Interfax" data from a sociological survey on the attitude of Russians to the use of profanity in public speaking stars of show business, conducted in July 2004 by the All-Russian Center for the Study public opinion. The overwhelming majority of Russians (80%) have a negative attitude towards the use of profanity in public speeches by show business stars, in programs and materials intended for a mass audience, considering the use of obscene expressions an unacceptable manifestation of promiscuity.

13% of respondents allow the use of obscenities in cases where it is used as a necessary artistic means. And only 3% believe that if swearing is often used in communication between people, then attempts to ban it on the stage, in cinema, on television are simply hypocrisy.

Despite the prevalence of obscene expressions in all layers of Russian society at all stages of its history, in Russia there has traditionally been a taboo on the use of obscene language in printed form (hence, obviously, the name “obscene language”). This taboo has weakened somewhat in Lately in connection with the democratization of society and the weakening of state control over the printing sector (the first long-term abolition of censorship in Russian history), changes in public morality after the collapse of the USSR, mass publication literary works and correspondence of recognized Russian classics, dissident writers and current postmodernists. Lifting the ban on covering certain topics and social groups led to the expansion of the scope of acceptable vocabulary in writing. Swearing and jargon have become fashionable, becoming one of the means of PR.

Among children and adolescents, the ability to swear subconsciously was and is considered one of the signs of adulthood. And of course, as soon as the younger generation mastered the basics of this knowledge, they felt an urgent need to demonstrate what they had achieved - hence the inscriptions on fences, the walls of public toilets, school desks - and now on the Internet.

It should be noted that, contrary to popular belief, profanity is used relatively little in prisons. This is due to strict criminal “concepts”, according to which each prisoner must be responsible for everything said to him (“responsible for the market”), and many persistent obscene expressions are taken in a literal meaning. For example, sending someone to “three letters” is considered as an indication to this person that his place is there, that is, as a statement that he belongs to the “rooster” caste. Failure to prove such a statement can lead to dire consequences for the “sender”.

Returning to the topic of “obscene language and society,” it should be emphasized that the current freedom of speech still does not negate the responsibility of the speaker and writer (see, for example, Article 20.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation). Of course, it is hardly possible to prohibit a person from swearing if this is the only means of self-expression that is available to him (taking into account the restrictions imposed by upbringing or living conditions - “to live with wolves is to howl like a wolf”). Of course, books by fashionable writers should not be burned (or otherwise destroyed). However, public swearing in a normal environment inevitably violates the rights and humiliates the dignity of those people for whom the taboo remains valid (for moral, religious and other reasons).

Precedent "Aroyan vs. Kirkorov"

Use of profanity in art and media

The tabooing of obscene vocabulary is a relatively recent phenomenon: even in documents and correspondence of Peter’s time, it is found relatively freely. However, by the second half of the 18th century, its use in printed publications ceased to be possible, and Ivan Barkov’s poems, which widely used obscene vocabulary, were distributed exclusively in lists. Throughout the 19th century, obscene vocabulary also remained the lot of the “unofficial” part of the creative heritage of poets and writers: obscene epigrams and satirical poems by Pushkin, Lermontov and other authors were not published by them and were generally not subject to publication in Russia (political emigrants from Russia began to publish them in Europe only in the second half of the 19th century).

The first attempts to remove the taboo from obscene vocabulary were made in the 1920s. and were not of a mass nature; The interest in swear words among most authors at that time was not self-sufficient and was associated mainly with the desire to speak freely about the sexual sphere.

During the Soviet period, the public ban on obscene language acted very consistently, which did not prevent (and still does not prevent) the overwhelming majority of the population from willingly using this vocabulary in private life. Writers of Russian samizdat, starting with Yuz Aleshkovsky, set themselves the task of artistic mastery of obscene vocabulary.

“The main “three pillars” of Russian swearing... are etymologically deciphered quite decently: Proto-Slavic *jebti originally meant “to hit, hit”, *huj ( cognate needle) - “a needle of a coniferous tree, something sharp”, *pišda - “urinary organ.”

The same prototypes (though with some doubt about *huj) are given in .

It is interesting to note that the semantic changes of the modern euphemism “fuck” practically repeat the history of the word *jebti.

Categorization of Russian swear words

A.V. Chernyshev distributes " key terms of obscene vocabulary» into three groups:

• denoting male and female genital organs and denoting sexual intercourse;
• transferring the meaning of the genitals and sexual intercourse to a person as an object of naming;
• in a deliberately coarsened form of borrowing from “cultural speech” (condom, pederast).

V. M. Mokienko considers this classification too general and offers his own, more detailed, classification of Russian swear words and phraseology. Moreover, the terms “ swear words" And " obscene language» are understood as mutually intersecting, although not completely identical. Swearing- these are offensive, abusive words, whereas obscene language- these are the rudest vulgar expressions, taboo words. The main feature that inextricably links these two lexical groups is an emotionally expressive reaction to unexpected and unpleasant events, words, actions, etc.

The researcher classifies Russian swear words according to a functional-thematic principle, identifying the following main groups:

• Names of persons with emphasized negative characteristics such as:
  • stupid, incomprehensible person;
  • mean, low person;
  • insignificant person, nonentity;
  • prostitute, corrupt woman.
• The names of “indecent”, socially taboo parts of the body are “shameful words”.
• Names of the process of performing sexual intercourse.
• Names of physiological functions (discharges).
• Names of “results” of physiological functions.

V. M. Mokienko points out that these groups of abusive and obscene vocabulary are generally represented in almost all languages. As for national characteristics swear words, then, in his opinion, they are related to the combinatorics and frequency of lexemes of a certain type in each specific language.

• “Anal-excremental” type (Scheiss culture);
• “Sexual” type (Sex culture).

However, in the adopted version of the above law (Federal Law dated 01.06.2005 N 53-FZ “On the state language Russian Federation") no such thing is said.

see also

Notes

Links

• V. M. Mokienko “Russian swear words: censored and obscene” (Russian Studies. - Berlin, 1994, No. 1/2)
• S. Kurii “On the battlefield (the origin of curses)”, magazine “Time Z”, No. 1/2007.

List of scientific works and dictionaries of the second half of the 20th century

The list is mainly taken from the article by V. M. Mokienko

• 27 dictionaries published in Russia and the USSR from 1859 to 2005. - CD “COLLECTION OF EXPLANATORY DICTIONARIES OF PRISON AND BLADE JARGON”, M.: 2005, Dictionary Publishing House ETS (Electronic and Traditional Dictionaries), ISBN 5864601187
• Baldaev V.K., Isupov I.M. Dictionary of prison-camp-thieves' jargon (speech and graphic portrait Soviet prison). M., "Edges of Moscow", 1992, 526 pp.
• Bykov V. Russian Fenya. Dictionary of modern interjargon of asocial elements. Munchen, 1992, 173 pp.
• Zhelvis V.I. Battlefield. Foul language like social problem. M.: Ladomir, 2001, 350 pp.
• Ilyasov F. N. Checkmate in three moves (experience sociological research phenomenon of obscene language) // Man. 1990, no. 3, 198-204.
• Kozlovsky V. Collection of Russian thieves' dictionaries in four volumes. Tt. 1-4. New York, 1983.
• Kozlovsky V. Argo of the Russian homosexual subculture. Materials for study. New York, 1986, 228 pp.
• Koscinsky K. Profanity and dictionaries // Russian Linguistics, 1980, No. 4, 363-396.
• Levin Yu. I. About obscene expressions of the Russian language // Russian Linguistics, 1986, No. 10, 61-72.
• Mokienko V. M. Images of Russian speech. M., 1986, 278 pp.
• International Dictionary of Obscenities. A guide to obscene words and obscene expressions in Russian, Italian, French, German, Spanish, English. Ed. A. N. Kokhteva. M., 1992, 90 pp.
• Plutser-Sarno, A. Big dictionary mata / Intro. Art. d. philol. Sc., prof. A. D. Dulichenko and Doctor of Philology. n. V. P. Rudneva. T. 1: Experience in constructing a reference and bibliographic database of lexical and phraseological meanings of the word “huy”. St. Petersburg: Limbus Press, 2001. ISBN 5-8370-0161-1
• Rossi Jacques. Guide to the Gulag. Historical dictionary of penitentiary institutions and terms related to forced labor. Foreword by Alain Besançon. London, 1987, 546 pp. Ed. 2nd (in two parts), expanded. Text checked by N. Gorbanevskaya. M., 1991.
• Russian obscenities. Explanatory Dictionary CD, Dictionary Publishing House ETS (Electronic and Traditional Dictionaries)
• Dictionary of the thieves' language. Words, expressions, gestures, tattoos. Tyumen, NILPO, 1991, 170 pp.
• Three centuries of poetry of Russian Eros. Publications and research. M., Publishing Center of the “Five Evenings” Theater, 1992, 160 pp.
• Uspensky B. A. Mythological aspect of Russian expressive phraseology (article one) // Studia Slavica Hungarica. XXIX, Budapest, 1983, 33-69.
• Uspensky B. A. Mythological aspect of Russian expressive phraseology (article two) // Studia Slavica Hungarica. XXXIII/1-4, Budapest, 1987, 37-76.
• Uspensky B. A. Religious and mythological aspect of Russian expressive phraseology // Semiotics and the History of Culture. Ohio, 1988, 197-302.
• Fine A., Lurie V. Everything is high. St. Petersburg, 1991, 196 pp.
• Vasmer M. Etymological dictionary Russian language. Ed. B. A. Larina. Translation with him. and foreword by O. N. Trubachev. Tt. 1-4. M., 1964-1973; 2nd ed. 1986-1987.
• Chernyshev A.V. Modern Soviet mythology. Tver, 1992, 80 pp.
• Erotica 1992 - Erotica in Russian literature: from Barkov to the present day. Texts and comments (Literary review. Special issue). M., 1992, 112 pp.
• Brodsky Hannah. Modern Trends in English Borrowings into Russian // Australian Slavonic and East European Studies. 1992, no. 2, 71-84.
• Prof. Devkin V. Russian obszöne Lexika (Langenscheidt Verlag, Germany)
• Drummond D.A., Perkins G. Dictionary of Russian Obscenities. 3-d, revised edition. Oakland, 1987, 94 pp.
• Elyanov D. The Learner’s Russian-English Dictionary of Indecent Words and Expressions.2-d revised edition. Pacific Grove, 1987, 128 pp.
• Ermen I. Der obszöne Wortschatz im Russischen. Etymologie, Wortbildung, Semantik, Funktion. Magisterarbeit. Berlin, 1991, 105 pp.
• Galler Meyer, Marquess Harlan E. Soviet Prison Camp Speach. A Survivor's Glossary. Supplement by Terms from the Works of A.I. Solzenicyn. Madison, 1972, 216 pp.
• Galler Meyer. Soviet Prison Camp Speach. A Survivor's Glossary. Supplement. Hayward, California, 1977, 102 pp.
• Geiges A., Suworowa T. Liebe steht nicht auf dem Plan. Frankfurt, 1989.
• Glasnost M. 100 schmutzige russische Woörter. Deutsch-kyrillische Lautschrift. Herausgegeben von M. Glastnost und illustriert von G. Bauer. Frankfurt/Main, 1988, 69 pp.
• Haudressy Dola. Les mutations de la langue russe. Ces mots qui disent l’actualité. Paris, 1992, 269 pp.
• Kaufmann Ch.A. A Survey of Russian Obscenities and Invective Usage // Maledicta IV, 2, 1981, 261-282.
• Patton F.R. Expressive means in Russian youth slang // Slavic and East European Journal, 1980, No. 24, 270-282.
• Plahn J. Husbandry and the like // Russian Linguistics, vol. 11, 1987, 37-41.
• Raskin V. On Some Peculiarities of Russian Lexikon // Papers from the Parasession on the Lexicon. Chicago, Chicago Linguistic Society. 1978, 312-325.
• Razvratnikov Boris Sukich. Elementary Russian Obscenity // Maledicta III, 197-204.
• Timroth W. von: Russische und sowjetische Soziolinguistik und tabuisierte Varietäten des Russischen (Argot, Jargons, Slang und Mat) // Slawistische Beiträge. Bd. 164. München, 1983, 7-73.
• Timroth W. von: Russian and Soviet Sociolinguistics and Taboo Varieties of the Russian Language (Slawistische Beiträge, Bd. 205). Munich, 1986.

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IN Everyday life We all often hear words and expressions, the use of which is completely unacceptable from the point of view of public morality and is intended both to insult the addressee and to express negative assessments of people and phenomena. This is the so-called obscene Russian vocabulary, or, more simply, swearing, which is one of the unsightly, but, unfortunately, difficult to eradicate sides of our “great and mighty” language.

Long tradition of prohibiting obscene language

Linguists call profanity, familiar to all of us from childhood, obscene language. The term comes from the English obscene, which means "shameless", "obscene" or "dirty". Same thing English word goes back to the Latin obscenus, which has the same meaning.

As many researchers testify, the taboo ban on using various expressions related to the sexual sphere in the presence of women developed back in the pagan era among the ancient Slavs - the ethnic ancestors of Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians. Subsequently, with the advent of Christianity, the ban on the use of profanity was universally supported Orthodox Church, which allows us to talk about a long historical tradition of this taboo.

Society's attitude towards the use of swear words

In this regard, the results of a sociological survey conducted in 2004 are of interest, the purpose of which was to identify the attitude of Russians towards the use of obscene expressions by show business stars. It is very characteristic that the overwhelming majority of respondents, almost 80%, expressed their negative attitude towards this phenomenon, saying that in their speeches profanity is a manifestation of lack of culture and promiscuity.

Despite the fact that in oral speech These expressions are widespread among all segments of the population; in Russia there has always been a taboo on their use in print. Unfortunately, it weakened significantly in the post-perestroika period due to the weakening of state control over the printing sector, as well as due to a number of side effects that resulted from the democratization of society. In addition, the lifting of the ban on covering many topics not previously covered by print media led to an expansion of vocabulary. As a result, obscenities and jargon have become not only fashionable, but also effective PR tools.

Offensive and derogatory language

We have to admit that among teenagers, the ability to use foul language is considered a sign of growing up, and for them, profanity is a kind of demonstration of belonging to “their own” and disdain for generally accepted prohibitions. Of course, having enriched themselves with such expressions, teenagers tend to use them, often using fences, toilet walls and school desks for this purpose, and in last years and the Internet.

Considering the problem of the use of obscene language in society, it should be noted that, despite all the freedom of expression established in recent years, responsibility for the use of obscene expressions is not removed from those who write or speak.

Of course, it is hardly possible to prohibit foul language for a person for whom, due to his upbringing and intelligence, this is the only accessible form of self-expression. However, it should be borne in mind that swearing offends those for whom the taboo on swearing - due to their moral or religious considerations - has not lost force.

The main motives for using profanity

IN modern language Swearing is most often used as an element of verbal aggression, the goal of which is to scold and insult a specific addressee. In addition, it is used by people of low culture in the following cases: to make their expressions more emotional, as a way to relieve psychological tension, as interjections and to fill speech pauses.

Contrary to the popular idea that obscene expressions entered the Russian language from Tatar during the period Tatar-Mongol yoke, serious researchers are very skeptical about this hypothesis. According to most of them, words in this category have Slavic and Indo-European roots.

During the pagan period of history Ancient Rus' they were used as one of the elements of sacred conspiracies. For our ancestors, profanity is nothing more than an appeal to magical power, which, according to their ideas, lay in the genitals. This is evidenced by some echoes of ancient pagan spells that have survived centuries.

But since the establishment of Christianity, church authorities have been consistently fighting this speech phenomenon. Many circulars and decrees of Orthodox hierarchs aimed at eradicating swearing have survived to this day. When in the 17th century there was a strict distinction between spoken and literary languages, swearing finally gained the status of a collection of “obscene expressions.”

Obscene language in historical documents

The research of the famous linguist V.D. Nazarov testifies to how rich the Russian vocabulary of profanity was at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. According to his calculations, even an incomplete collection of written monuments of that time contains sixty-seven words derived from the most common roots of obscene vocabulary. Even in more ancient sources - Novgorod and Staraya Russa- expressions of this kind are often found both in ritual and humorous forms.

Mat in the perception of foreigners

By the way, the first dictionary of profanity was compiled at the beginning of the 17th century by the Englishman Richard James. In it, this inquisitive foreigner explained to his compatriots the specific meaning of some words and expressions that are difficult to translate into English, which we today call obscene.

The very widespread use of them is also evidenced in his travel notes by the German scientist Master of Philosophy Adam Olearius, who visited Russia at the end of the same century. The German translators accompanying him often found themselves in a difficult situation, trying to find the meaning of the use of well-known concepts in the most unusual context for them.

Official ban on obscene language

The ban on the use of profanity in Russia appeared relatively late. For example, it is often found in documents of the Petrine era. However, to end of XVII century, its taboo took the form of law. It is characteristic that the poems of a well-known poet of those years, who widely used obscene vocabulary, were not published, but were distributed exclusively in lists. In the next century, immodest expressions were only part of the unofficial part of the work of poets and writers, who included them in their epigrams and comic poems.

Attempts to remove taboos from the mat

The first attempts to legalize obscene expressions were observed in the twenties of the last century. They were not of a mass nature. Interest in swearing was not self-sufficient; some writers simply believed that profanity was one of the ways to talk freely about sexual issues. As for the Soviet period, throughout its entire duration the ban on the use of swearing was strictly observed, although in everyday life colloquial speech it was widely used.

In the nineties, with the advent of perestroika, censorship restrictions were abolished, which made it possible for profanity to freely penetrate literature. It is used mainly for the purpose of transmitting live colloquial characters. Many authors believe that if these expressions are used in everyday life, then there is no reason to neglect them in their work.

Attempts to eradicate evil

Nowadays, the fight against obscene language is limited to fines for its use in public places and an explanation from Roskomnadzor about the inadmissibility of using the four main swear words and all expressions derived from them in the media. According to existing legislation, if this resolution is violated, the perpetrators are given an appropriate warning, and in the event of a repeated violation, Roskomnadzor has the right to deprive them of their license.

However, many private publishers ignore the prohibitions. In recent years, the dictionary of profanity has even been repeatedly published and republished, which hardly allows us to hope for its possible eradication. The only way to combat swearing can be a general improvement in the culture of Russians.

Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, information technologies And mass communications determined which words are obscene. For the use of unprintable words in the press (on TV, radio, online media, etc.), those responsible will face sanctions.

Officials decided that four words could most shock and offend public morality. The day before, the service published their list. It could have only 18 letters, but the supervisory authority had to take a roundabout route:

“Obscene designation of the male genital organ,
obscene designation of the female genital organ,
obscene designation of the process of copulation
and obscene designation for a woman of dissolute behavior,
as well as all linguistic units formed from these words.”

So the list is actually much longer. It includes all words with the same root, of which there are many in the great and powerful language. True, nothing is said about words that naturally contain taboo words.

Separately, we note that a body part with the letter “F”, an eccentric with the letter “M” and the colloquial name for a sexual minority were not included in the list. But this does not mean that they can be freely used in the media. There are restrictions: on air - after 21-00, in print and on the Internet - in publications marked “16+”. If the mat is beeped, the program can be shown earlier.

Violators will receive warnings. Moreover, dots instead of letters in an obscene word will not save you from liability, officials say. “Don’t freak out,” they seem to reassure the editor, “but don’t make us angry.” For two warnings, the media can say goodbye to its license.

The Izvestia newspaper writes more about modern linguistic policy:

Izvestia has at its disposal the response of the Russian Language Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences to the request of the supervisory agency.

“The prevailing idea among experts is that obscene words and expressions include three well-known swear words and the word... (in the document the term with the letter “b” is given in full. - Izvestia), as well as words formed from these four words , and expressions containing obscene words.” Further, linguistic experts note that “obscene and crudely colloquial words (such as the word f...a (the term is also given in full - Izvestia)) and expressions containing them do not include obscene words and expressions.” ..

The four words mentioned and their derivatives are completely unacceptable in the media, including in user comments... Moreover, if obscenities appear in user comments, Roskomnadzor will first issue an order demanding that such a comment be edited or deleted. And only if the requirement is not met will the media receive a warning. Currently, Roskomnadzor manually monitors more than 5 thousand media outlets.

As Roskomnadzor explained to Izvestia, replacing some letters of an obscene term with ellipses does not relieve responsibility. However, the following wording, for example, is acceptable: “The word starting with the letter “b”...

Online media editors are responsible for any content published on their website, including third-party content. This was stated by the head of Roskomnadzor, Alexander Zharov. His position is given on the official website of the department. The need to remove unacceptable expressions was mentioned in Roskomnadzor’s message before.

Legal relations in the field of information and information technology are regulated by Federal Law dated July 27, 2006 N 149-FZ. The document defines the procedure for using information and telecommunication networks and establishes liability for offenses in the field of information, information technology and information protection. Specific sanctions are prescribed in Chapter 13 of the Code of Administrative Offenses.

We are already talking about the entry into force of a legal act prohibiting obscene language in the media. The document made changes to the law “On the Mass Media” and the Code of Administrative Offenses. It punishes violations of the procedure for the production or distribution of mass media products. The media law now explicitly prohibits the dissemination of materials containing obscene language. The corresponding punishments have been added to the code. Citizens will be punished with fines of two to three thousand rubles. For officials, penalties will range from five to twenty thousand, for organizations - from twenty to two hundred thousand rubles.

At the end of June, the State Duma supported a bill providing for increased penalties for using swear words in the family and in public places. There have been attempts to tighten liability for obscene language more than once - both under tsarism and after the revolution. About how unprintable words penetrated into social life here and in the West, Lidia Malygina, associate professor of the Department of Stylistics of the Russian Language, Faculty of Journalism, Moscow State University, scientific director of the system, spoke about the history and meaning of the obscenity “KP” distance learning

– If there were no problem, there would be no law. The question arises: who originally taught Russian people to swear?

– One of the common versions is the Tatar-Mongols. But in fact, this vocabulary has nothing to do with them. Russian obscenities Slavic origin. Four roots known to every Russian person can be found in Macedonian, Slovenian, and other Slavic languages.

Most likely, swearing was an element of pagan cults associated with fertility, for example, with the spell of cattle or the call of rain. The literature describes in detail this custom: a Serbian peasant throws an ax into the air and utters obscene words, trying to make it rain.

– Why did such words become taboo?

– When Christianity came to Rus', the church began an active fight against pagan cults, including swear words as one of the manifestations of the cult. Hence the strong taboo nature of these forms. This is what distinguishes Russian obscenities from obscenities in other languages. Of course, since then the Russian language has actively developed and changed, and with it Russian swearing. New swear words have appeared, but they are based on the same four standard roots. Some previously harmless words have become obscene. For example, the word "dick". “Her” is a letter of the pre-revolutionary alphabet, and the verb “poherit” was used to mean “cross out.” Now this word is not yet included in the category of swear words, but it is already actively approaching this.

– There is a myth about the uniqueness of Russian obscene language. Is it so?

– It’s interesting to compare with English language. Obscene words have always puzzled British philologists with their nature. As early as 1938, the linguist Chase emphasized: “If someone mentions sexual intercourse, it does not shock anyone. But if someone says an ancient Anglo-Saxon four-letter word, most people will freeze in horror.”

The premiere of Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion in 1914 was highly anticipated. A rumor was started that, according to the author's plan, the actress playing the main female role should utter an obscene word from the stage. Answering Freddie's question whether she was going to walk home, Eliza Dolittle had to very emotionally say: “Not bloody likely!” The intrigue remained until the last moment. During the premiere, the actress still uttered an obscene word. The effect was indescribable: noise, laughter, whistling, stomping. Bernard Shaw even decided to leave the hall, deciding that the play was doomed. Now the British are complaining that they have actually lost this favorite curse word, which has already lost its former power, because the word has begun to be used too often.

Lidia MALYGINA - Associate Professor of the Department of Stylistics of the Russian Language, Faculty of Journalism, Moscow State University Photo: "KP" Archive

– Probably, after the sexual revolution of the 1960s, the situation changed a lot, and obscene words literally poured onto the pages of the press?

- Certainly. Remember Great Britain late XIX– beginning of the twentieth century. Back then, even the legs of the piano were covered in covers so that they would not evoke random erotic associations! In the second half of the twentieth century, contraception developed rapidly and the pornography industry grew. Marriage for life and fidelity between spouses began to look like old-fashioned prejudices. Yes, and heterosexuality in marriage has ceased to exist prerequisite. It is noteworthy that at this time the attitude towards obscene words also changed. Two linguistic collections dedicated to obscene language appear. The first was published in the USA in 1980. The second was published in the United Kingdom and the USA in 1990. These reference books already contain several articles about vulgarisms. Examples of the use of obscene language were given in plain text.

– And yet they were punished for swearing. There is a well-known case when, at the height of anti-war protests in the United States in 1968, a young man who did not want to serve under conscription was prosecuted for wearing a jacket with the inscription: “F... the draft!”

- Yes. Another well-known case is the 12-minute radio program “Obscene Words.” Satirist George Carlin listed seven words that should not be said on the radio, and then began to discuss the problem. One of the listeners was driving in a car with a child and accidentally heard the program. He immediately called the show's editor and complained.

Another famous scandal was caused by newspapers in the late 1970s. published an obscene statement that a player uttered to a referee during a sporting competition: “f... cheating cunt.” And even in works of art, the rudest words began to appear without any disguise. In the guide to St. Petersburg, Western authors do not hesitate to explain Russian vulgarisms, for example, b... (whore) – which is usually rendered as simply b... (short version of the word - Ed.) – and plays an equivalent role to 'f ...' in English for those who use it as a verbal stutter.

– Russian journalists also like to use obscene words and expressions, slightly disguising them so as not to formally violate the law banning swearing in the media...

– Yes, softer expressions, instead of rude ones, often cover up in the text easily recognizable obscene expressions, swear words and curses: “Dick Advocate: UEFA for himself!”; “Hugh Hefner and Dasha Astafieva: Hugh knows her...”; “And he stole 2 billion worth of deposits... But he himself ended up in complete “khopra””; or “Russia in CHOP” - the title of a special report about private security companies or the title of a film about weight loss “I’m losing weight, dear editors!”

– Are there other languages, besides Russian, in which obscene vocabulary is divided into ordinary swear words and strictly taboo words, the use of which is prohibited in any situation and in any context?

– In this sense, the Russian language is unique. Although, for example, obscene language Spanish is also associated with the sexual sphere, unlike German (in German this is the sphere of excrement). But in the Spanish language there is no such taboo, therefore the first academic dictionaries of the Spanish language contained similar vocabulary, but the dictionaries of the Russian language did not. In general, the first dictionary fixation of obscenities dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. We are talking about the third edition of Dahl's dictionary, edited by Baudouin de Courtenay. But such activities of dictionary compilers quickly ended, since the Soviet government banned the use of obscenities, and the third edition of Dahl’s dictionary was sharply criticized.

05/11/2013

Roskomnadzor has developed vigorous activity to search for and prohibit obscene language in the media. But many still do not understand which words are considered taboo and which are not. Because of this, there are already excesses on the ground: suspicious phrases are cut out from old films and cult TV series.

A oh yes Pushkin, oh

Recently, Channel Five showed the Soviet film “The Golden Mine” (1977). In the final scene, the hero played by Dahl utters only one word. Expletive, but not obscene. That's what the plot required. Then the credits begin immediately. When shown on TV a couple of weeks ago, this bad word was cut out of the film, and the plot turned out to be different:

Oleg Dal didn’t say anything goodbye...
The series “Gangster Petersburg” also suffered.
- From there they cut out not just a word, but an entire scene! - the director of the film, Vladimir Bortko, shared his indignation with “City 812”.

Despite the absurdity of the situation, the TV people can be understood. It’s not because they have a good life that they engage in such self-censorship. These are amendments to the law on the media, adopted in April of this year, to search for bad words in the press and on air, and for the media to commit such ridiculous acts.

The amendments expanded the list of prohibitions for publication (broadcast) in the media, including obscene language. And since then, Roskomnadzor excitedly began searching for obscenities on the air, the Internet, magazines and newspapers. Reports of detected violations are published on the department’s website weekly. So, for example, from 10/16/2013 to 10/22/2013 “as a result of monitoring the media for compliance with the requirements of Art. 4 of the Law of the Russian Federation “On the Mass Media” regarding the prevention of obscene language in the media, two materials were identified, one video material on the forum, 34 comments containing obscene language. At the request of Roskomnadzor, illegal materials were removed. 16 appeals were also sent to the editors of online publications demanding that they remove or edit comments with other signs of abuse of freedom of the media. Comments have been deleted,” says the department’s website.

Roskomnadzor notes that the majority of violations are detected in online publications in sections that publish reader comments.

In its report for the first half of 2013, Roskomnadzor reported that it issued 6 warnings to the media about the suspension of the license, 30 orders to eliminate identified violations, drew up 1,540 reports of administrative violations in the media and issued administrative fines to the media in the amount of 1,687,450 rubles.

E, B, X, P

Despite the fact that the new law has been in effect for six months, many still do not understand what words it prohibits. Roskomnadzor admits that there is no single list of such words. But there is an opinion of Roskomnadzor, which should now be followed. This opinion is published on its official website in the form of recommendations for use Federal Law dated 04/05/2013 No. 34-FZ “On amendments to Article 4 of the Law of the Russian Federation “On the Mass Media” and Article 13.21 of the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses.”

The document bashfully and with omissions explains what is considered obscenity.
“There is an opinion among experts that obscene words and expressions include four well-known words (x.., p.., e..., b...), as well as words and expressions derived from them,” officials write. What the bad words on x, n, e, b, everyone, apparently, must guess to the extent of their depravity. But the prohibitions are not limited to these four letters. Here's what the document says next:

“At the same time, obscene and crudely colloquial words and expressions containing them do not include obscene words and expressions. At the same time, the use of such words and expressions in the media is also unacceptable in accordance with the requirements of the Federal Law “On the Protection of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development” and the Federal Law “On the State Language of the Russian Federation.”

In other words, something that is not obscene, but sounds indecent, cannot be used in print or on air either. And if with four swear words everything is more or less obvious, then with “indecent words” it is not clear at all. In addition, it follows from the document that it is impossible to “beep” on air, and in print to put a letter and periods instead of obscene words. Because this only masks the swearing, and everyone still understands what word was meant. Which is equivalent to using obscenities.

For some works of art, quoted in the media, concessions have been made, but even there, bad words cannot be quoted in their pure form. They can be disguised.
“In some cases, disguising obscene language can be considered as a way of complying with the requirements of the Federal Law, but only in cases where classical literary works and film documentaries (or other works in which the use of such vocabulary is an integral part) are posted or quoted in the media artistic design),” the document says.

Officials may have meant well, but the recommendations that were supposed to clarify everything made everything even more confusing. Because many new questions immediately arise. Is it now possible to use the word “pancake” if it does not mean baking in a frying pan, but expresses emotions by replacing another word? Was the dog-breeding term that vigilant television crews cut out of “The Golden Mine” subject to a ban?

“City 812” turned to Roskomnadzor with a request to clarify their own unclear recommendations. But the department’s press service was unable to do this. They asked me to send a request.
- Everything is for a reason with us, and Roskomnadzor will not immediately answer such questions. You understand, we perform these functions because the law was adopted. This is not our whim. Look, ask the deputies - let them answer what they had in mind when such a law was adopted... But we can answer specific questions only by requesting an examination and so on,” the press service explained with a sigh.

By the way, the law allows swearing in other languages. Roskomnadzor specifically noted that “the identification of foreign swear words and expressions is not a basis for holding the editorial board of a mass media accountable.”

Where to find mat

What to use to establish the spread of obscene language in the media - recommendations of Roskomnadzor

Big Dictionary Russian language. Ch. ed. S.A. Kuznetsov. First edition: St. Petersburg: Norint, 1998.

Dictionary of Russian swearing (matisms, obscenisms, euphemisms). Ed. Mokienko V. M., Nikitina T. G. St. Petersburg, “Norint”, 2004.

Large dictionary of Russian jargon. Ed. Mokienko V. M., Nikitina T. G. St. Petersburg: “Norint”, 2000.
The most complete Dictionary of profanity and phraseological units: 20,000 words. Ed. Kveselevich D.I.M.: Astrel: AST, 2011.

Yana Korzinina, lawyer

I agree with the law, and it’s unpleasant for me to hear swearing from the screen. But at the moment, not a single lawyer can say with an absolute guarantee what exactly is unacceptable to say on air, whether an expression or word will not fall under the form designated in the law as indecent. Now we are developing our legal practice. You can tell where is black and where is white only by four words and expressions that Roskomnadzor has defined as obscene. As for indecent words, there are only value judgments, and everyone can interpret these words in their own way. That is why controversial expressions and words are submitted for expert assessment.

It’s not very clear what to do with a film that shows characters in the zone. How to broadcast it on TV? It is unlikely that his heroes will say: “Would you deign, sir, to move to another bed?” Accordingly, different vocabulary will be used there; there may be rude phrases and expressions that can be defined as indecent.

Soviet films have always undergone strict censorship regarding artistic value and admissibility. And if in the USSR the film “The Golden Mine” was released with a memorable word in the final scene, spoken by the main character played by Oleg Dahl, then why was this word cut out today? As a lawyer, it is not clear to me how such notes from the film are consistent with the copyright of the director and screenwriter of the film. Any changes to the film, any reworking, must be agreed with those who have copyright, for example, with the director. And this is also a problem .