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Articles on Swear words

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When politicians swear we might think they’re simply overcome with emotion. But there’s often more going on behind the language they use. (Shutterstock)

Politicians dropping the F-bomb: There’s more to it than you might think

Politicians dropping the f-bomb tend to be seen as acting out of emotion, but the way we use taboo language is often about what we can accomplish by violating rules.
A new exhibition gives us an insight into the daily life – and language – of Australian soldiers in World War One. Courtesy of University of Melbourne Archives, University of Melbourne.

Dinky-di Aussies: how slanguage helped form a new national identity

When Australians went to the Western Front, language failed them. So they invented slanguage: a mix of slang, French words and creative swearing that, among other things, gave us the word “Aussie”.

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