Garth Rattray WE ARE being besieged by profanity. Just the other day an expletive in a song escaped the censors and stunned the listening audience of a popular morning radio show. And now, entertainers Capleton and Sizzla (Clifton Bailey and Miguel Collins) face prosecution for using 'bad words' at the 'East Fest 2003' stage show. I too was recently showered with 'colourful' language by an irate truck-driver annoyed at having to wait before proceeding down a narrow road. He leaned out of the window and with flailing arms he loudly announced that, 'All ah unnu come in like a Bleep-bleep' (Translation: All of you remind me of the interior of the female private parts).
The ferocity of his animated display, contorted face and the venomous curse words made my cheeks sting with indignation. But my repugnance quickly faded as it dawned on me that I much prefer to be compared to the interior of the female private parts than to the interior of the posterior end of the alimentary canal. It then became clear to me that our native curse words all had something to do with genital or the excretory apparatus. It's silly that people should curse each other with the natural processes to which we are all accustomed.
Strangely enough, if we separate the words then the antecedent only expresses surprise. By itself the word 'Bleep!' Simply means 'Female genital!' 'Bleep!' only means 'Bottom!' and 'Bleep!' only means 'Posterior opening of the alimentary canal!' People who hear such expressions may feel that the persons verbalising them are crass and ignorant but, spoken by themselves, those words alert all within earshot that something is amiss. Single expletives signify shock or fright, they do not carry the same degree of offensiveness as when they are joined with the 'base material'. The 'material' lends depth of character and meaning to the words. It conveys even more urgency and/or baseness. I find it amazing that the simple addition of a little 'fabric' can change the entire tone of an utterance, that's why we here in Jamaica have the most versatile and colourful curse words in the world.
JAMAICAN CURSE WORDS
Uniquely Jamaican curse words are all derived from hygienic practices. I wonder what an updated version would sound like. In days gone by women used a piece of cloth for feminine protection during their menses. That piece of material became the subject of a most vile and insulting pair of curse words, why? If I were to say to someone 'Sanitary napkin!' or 'Tampon!', how offensive would it be? Not at all I wager, certainly not anywhere nearly as obnoxious as the original curse words. Other popular (and probably even more offensive) cuss phrases refer to the posterior opening of the alimentary canal and derriere. We all have one so why did it become so offensive to speak of the hygiene of that part of our bodies? Again, there was a time when a piece of fabric was used to clean the rear end. That is a good thing so it is indeed very odd that the material used became the subject of cursing.
Foreigners haven't a clue about our expletives. Recently the Learning Channel presented a murder case wherein the suspect, while in jail awaiting trial, boasted to his cellmate that he was sorry that he didn't kill that bleep-bleep girl (the witness). The narrator pronounced the words as if the suspect said, ' kill that 'haematoma' girl'. I e-mailed the network concerned and explained the true meaning, derivation and vulgar nature of the words. They were grateful for the information.
How did these words become expletives? I theorise that some unlucky fellow showered using the first washcloth that he saw. Maybe when he used it to wash his face he realised too late that the particular piece of cloth was consigned to washing or protecting a certain part of his spouse's anatomy. Perhaps his baleful cry was so frightful that it became the subject of strong and expressive language. All this cursing is indicative of a lack of expressiveness and puerility, it's about time that we grow up.
Dr Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
