Essay #*%! By Samantha Loong	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
#*%! 筆者は昔、日本の電車内で痴漢に遭遇したときの撃退法をホストファミリーに教えてもらったことがあるが、外国語でののしり言葉を適切に使うのは意外と難しい。今回は、ののしり言葉の使い方について考えてみた。

Upon my arrival in Japan many years ago, one of my host sisters decided to give me some advice: "If you have any problems with train perverts, just do what I do and say this — " She then let loose a string of rough-sounding sentences and instructed me to repeat and learn. It was her foolproof way of scaring away the creeps. In English, I would probably just swear at the perpetrator, but in Japanese, the best defense appeared to be sounding like a member of the yakuza. Although my host dad had his face hidden behind a newspaper, I could see that the both of us practicing her choice phrases so openly in the lounge was making him flinch.

At the language schools I've taught at, I sometimes hear students swearing in English. If this occurs during break time, I don't see it as a problem. But one of the things students should be learning is appropriacy, so I encourage them to leave this particular set of English vocabulary outside the door once they enter class.

Many students want to know how to swear — when to use a certain word or phrase. I've yet to clear my lesson plan on How to Swear with the heads of department, but I think it would be useful for all learners of English to examine the pros and cons of swearing. For me, swearing is like using a muscle. If you overuse it, it becomes weak and after a while, it loses its efficacy. Also, when you're in an environment of learning, swearing can — intentionally or not — create a hostile atmosphere.

Some students think that swearing makes them sound more proficient in the English language — that it makes them sound cool. Without a doubt, knowing when and how to swear, knowing how to use and interpret swear words as jokes or as a threat, requires a high level of proficiency. Just randomly swearing whenever you feel like it doesn't make you sound "cool" — especially if you're in the classroom, still learning English. It might generate a few laughs, but from a native English speaker's perspective, it can sound a bit awkward as the swearer has to get so many factors right, including pronunciation, context and appropriacy.

Even though the purpose of swearing is to be indelicate, how you swear is in itself a delicate subject. How it works in one language is more than likely to be very different in another. So, if you ever find yourself in need of swearing — say, if a train pervert is in your presence — do it in your own native tongue. Even if the listener doesn't know what you're saying, it's usually pretty clear to them that you've got the pronunciation, context and appropriacy down to a tee. And as a male Japanese friend once told me, to the unsuspecting Japanese train creep, the sight and sound of me swearing in my native language would certainly send them running for the emergency stop brake.

Shukan ST: MARCH 29, 2013

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