Setiawan. M. A (2016). Swear Words in 21st Jump Street Movie. Yogyakarta: Sanata
Dharma University.
The presence of taboo words is commonly found in mass-media communication such as TV shows, interviews, movies, and songs. People tend to use taboos to swear since the words can strongly represent their anger, dissatisfaction, and irritation.
This study aims to answer two research problems. The first research question was which types of swear words are used by the main character in 21st Jump Street movie. The second research question was what are the reasons for the main characters of 21st Jump Street to swear.
The researcher conducted this qualitative research using discourse analysis as the method. Specifically, the data used in this research were collected from two hundred and eight pages of 21st Jump Street movie transcription.
The result showed that there were six types of swearing used in 21st Jump Street
movie, namely cursing, profanity, blasphemy, taboo or obscenity, insult and slurs and scatology. Moreover, the researcher also found three reasons for swearing in 21st Jump Street
movie, namely psychological motives, social motives, and linguistic motives.
Setiawan. M. A (2016). Swear Words in 21st Jump Street Movie. Yogyakarta: Sanata
Dharma University.
Kata-kata yang dahulu tabu untuk diucapkan sekarang sangat umum ditemukan di dalam media massa seperti acara TV, wawancara, film, dan lagu. Orang-orang cenderung untuk menggunakan kata-kata tabu untuk mengumpat karena kata yang ditabukan tersebut dapat mewakili kemarahan, ketidak puasan, dan kejengkelan yang dirasakan.
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menjawab dua rumusan masalah. Pertama, jenis umpatan apa saja yang ditemukan di dalam film 21st Jump Street. Rumusan masalah kedua adalah mengapa para karakter utama di film 21st Jump Street mengumpat.
Dalam melakukan penelitian ini, peneliti menggunakan metode discourse analysis. Data yang diperoleh dalam penelitian berasal dari transkrip film 21st Jump Street yang berjumlah 208 lembar.
Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ada 6 tipe umpatan yang digunakan di dalam film 21st Jump Street, yaitu cursing, profanity, blasphemy, taboo or obscenity, insult and slurs
and scatology. Peneliti juga menemukan ada tiga alasan mengapa para karakter utama
dalam film 21st Jump Street mengumpat, yaitu psychological motives, social motives, and
linguistic motives.
SWEAR WORDS
IN 21
STJUMP STREET MOVIE
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Muhammad Aditya Setiawan Student Number: 111214152
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
iv
vii
ABSTRACT
Setiawan. M. A (2016). Swear Words in 21st Jump Street Movie. Yogyakarta:
Sanata Dharma University.
The presence of taboo words is commonly found in mass-media communication such as TV shows, interviews, movies, and songs. People tend to use taboos to swear since the words can strongly represent their anger, dissatisfaction, and irritation.
This study aims to answer two research problems. The first research question was which types of swear words are used by the main character in 21st Jump Street movie. The second research question was what are the reasons for the main characters of 21st Jump Street to swear.
The researcher conducted this qualitative research using discourse analysis as the method. Specifically, the data used in this research were collected from two hundred and eight pages of 21st Jump Street movie transcription.
The result showed that there were six types of swearing used in 21st Jump Street movie, namely cursing, profanity, blasphemy, taboo or obscenity, insult and
slurs and scatology. Moreover, the researcher also found three reasons for swearing in 21st Jump Street movie, namely psychological motives, social
motives, and linguistic motives.
viii
ABSTRAK
Setiawan. M. A (2016). Swear Words in 21st Jump Street Movie. Yogyakarta:
Sanata Dharma University.
Kata-kata yang dahulu tabu untuk diucapkan sekarang sangat umum ditemukan di dalam media massa seperti acara TV, wawancara, film, dan lagu. Orang-orang cenderung untuk menggunakan kata-kata tabu untuk mengumpat karena kata yang ditabukan tersebut dapat mewakili kemarahan, ketidak puasan, dan kejengkelan yang dirasakan.
Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menjawab dua rumusan masalah. Pertama, jenis umpatan apa saja yang ditemukan di dalam film 21st Jump Street. Rumusan masalah kedua adalah mengapa para karakter utama di film 21st Jump Street mengumpat.
Dalam melakukan penelitian ini, peneliti menggunakan metode discourse
analysis. Data yang diperoleh dalam penelitian berasal dari transkrip film 21st
Jump Street yang berjumlah 208 lembar.
Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ada 6 tipe umpatan yang digunakan di dalam film 21st Jump Street, yaitu cursing, profanity, blasphemy, taboo or
obscenity, insult and slurs and scatology. Peneliti juga menemukan ada tiga
alasan mengapa para karakter utama dalam film 21st Jump Street mengumpat, yaitu psychological motives, social motives, and linguistic motives.
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Foremost, I would like to thank Allah SWT for giving me a long and
healthy life, so I could still feel the beauty of this world. I thank Him because he has given me strength, blessing, spirit, inspiration, hope, guidance in finishing this thesis. Nothing I could say except Alhamdulillah.
Firstly, I would thank my advisor Drs. Barli Bram, M.Ed,. Ph.D. for his guidance, inspiration, suggestion, patience and valuable time. Moreover, I
would also thank Yuseva Ariyani Iswandari, S.Pd., M.Ed., for being our mother in Sanata Dharma University, and Made Frida Yulia, M.Pd. for kindly giving me ideas and some references to support my thesis.
For everything, I thank my beloved mother Ibu Sukamti Rahayu, my sister Devani Octa Puspitasari, who had supported me materially and
emotionally. I would thank my whole family Budhe Leny Suniwati, Pakdhe
Wijokongko, S.Pd., M.Hum., Mas Ikhsandy Hartanto, S.T, Simbah Sri Duni,
and Simbah Kamirah, who had supported me emotionally with effort, prayer,
love and patience.
I would like to thank my one-and only girlfriend Miwita Rosari and her
parents Bu Christiana Nurhartanti, and Pak F.X. Eko Sigit Santoso for their time and willingness to support me emotionally during my effort to finish this thesis.
x
“Rumasta” Malik Akbar, Mohammad Eka “Si Bob” Amperawan, Gregorius “Kolor Ijo” Gyan Puruhito, Gilang “Gembel” Panji Sadewo, and Adityo “Opek” Prawinanto, who have been fighting the hardest distractions in our life
in English Education Study Program, I present them my deepest gratitude for
being inspiration, motivation, and strength. Moreover, I would also thank Marlin Evi “Congot” Priantini, and Tamara “Tamtam” Gita Megani, for their
willingness to proofread my thesis.
xi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ... i
APPROVAL PAGE ... ii
MOTTO ... iv
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ... vi
ABSTRACT ... vii
ABSTRAK ... viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... xi
LIST OF TABLE ... xiii
LIST OF APPENDIX ... xiv
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION ... 1
A. Research Background ... 1
B. Research Problems ... 5
C. Problem Limitation ... 5
D. Research Objectives ... 6
E. Research Benefits ... 6
F. Definition of Terms ... 7
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ... 9
A. Theoretical Description ... 9
1. The Concept of Taboo... 9
2. Taboo Words ... 10
3. Swear Words ... 13
4. Types of Swear Words ... 14
5. The Reasons for Swearing ... 18
B. Theoretical Framework ... 21
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ... 22
A. Research Method ... 22
B. Research Setting ... 23
xii
D. Instrument and Data Gathering Technique... 24
E. Data Analysis Technique ... 25
F. Research Procedure ... 26
CHAPTER IV RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ... 29
A. Types of swear words in 21st Jump Street movie. ... 29
1. Cursing ... 29
2. Profanity ... 31
3. Blasphemy ... 32
4. Taboo or Obscenity ... 33
5. Insult and Slurs... 34
6. Scatology ... 36
B. Reasons for Swearing ... 37
1. Psychological Motives ... 37
2. Social Motives... 39
3. Linguistic Motives ... 40
CHAPTER V CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ... 43
A. Conclusions ... 43
B. Recommendations ... 44
REFERENCES ... 46
xiii
LIST OF TABLE
Page
Table 3.1 Format of the Coding Table of the Types of Swearing and
xiv
LIST OF APPENDIX
1
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter provides the introduction of the research. It consists of six sections. The first part is research background. It deals with the explanation of the underlying reasons of choosing swear and taboo words as the topic of the
research. The second part is research problems. In this part, it can be seen in the research questions of this research. The third part is problem limitation. It limits
the scope of the research related to the research questions which have been formulated. The fourth part presents the research objectives. This part answers the research questions of this research. The fifth part is research benefits, which
explains the benefits and the contributions of the research for people or parties that have relationship with the topic. The last part of this chapter is definition of
terms. In this part, there are definitions and explanations given for some terms which are important to understand this research.
A. Research Background
Communication is one of the important parts in human life. As Pearson (1985) states, communication can be counted as media of interaction that people can use when they want to negotiate something. The meaning negotiated in
Language has an important role in communication since it is the means people use to communicate. Chaika (1982) states that people use language to
reveal or conceal personal identity, character, and background without realizing that they are actually doing so. Therefore, people have their own choices to use
which kinds of language variations they want to use in order to show their identity. Some people may prefer to use a language that has a strong impact when they are sad or angry. For instance, people sometimes use certain kind of
inappropriate words to show what they really feel at a particular time. Moreover, one of the ways to express feeling is by using taboo words. People frequently use
taboo words to express their anger, annoyance, and displeasure.
“Taboo” word comes from Tongan word (spelled „tabu‟ in Melanesian)
which etymologically means “sacred”, set apart for God, kings, priests, or chiefs,
and therefore prohibited for general use (Hughes, 2006). Taboo word was firstly introduced by Captain James Cook at the end of eighteenth century. The concept
of taboo are different among one culture with another, but they have same meaning that taboo words are words that impolite and prohibited to say.
According to Allan and Burridge (2006) taboo or tabu is something forbidden and must be avoided, since it can ruin the value of a certain culture, especially about politeness and manners. To be more precise, in Bahasa Indonesia taboo are taken
Taboo words are always associated with inappropriate language and should not be used in daily conversations. Therefore, using taboo words is considered
offensive, rude and violent since it can hurt others‟ feeling. Previously, America
made a strict regulation related to the use of taboo words in printed media such as
newspapers and magazines. The use of taboo words, for instance fuck and cunt, will lead to prosecution and imprisonment. However, nowadays the attitude towards the use of taboo words has been decreased. The change happens because
there is no legal sanction for using the words and there is a tendency that people are now more familiar with the use of taboos. As a result, taboos are easy to find
right now not only in daily conversations but also in other media communications. Nowadays, the presence of taboo words is commonly found in mass-media communication such as TV shows, interviews, movies, and songs. People tend to
use taboos to swear since the words can strongly represent their anger, dissatisfaction, and irritation. However, in a different case, using taboo words can
show friendliness and closeness among friends. The use of taboo words such as “hey you bastard”, “hey you fuckin‟ bitch”, “hey motherfucker” can indicate the
relation between the speaker and the addressee. These terms are commonly used by nigga or Black American to express their strong friendship and familiarity.
In this study the researcher focuses on analyzing swear words in a movie.
The researcher investigates two concerns, which are firstly types of swear words used in the movie and secondly is the functions of using swear words in the
data source. Moreover, the decision in choosing the data source is because the researcher thinks that movie is the real illustration of a human life. Thus, the result
of this investigation will be closely related to human life as well. Specifically, the movie used in this study is 21st Jump Street. The movie tells about two cops as
the main characters who are disguised as senior high school students to investigate a criminal case. In doing their undercover mission, the main characters frequently use swear words to express their feeling.
Nowadays, the use of swearing or taboo words is getting familiar, thus the study on this issue has taken a new importance, especially for those who are
majoring language study, such as English learners. English learners have to understand when and where they have to use taboo words, especially when they study abroad and deal with native speakers. The students should be familiar with
their culture; how they speak with the elders and friends in the same age. For the example if the students go to a pub in England or USA, they will find a lot of
people speak using swear words. If the students do not have any knowledge about swear words, they will not understand what people say and how they should
behave in the pub. However, the condition will be different when the students know more about swear words.
There are so many swear words found in 21st Jump Street movie, for the
examples are:
Schmidt : Fuck, no.No, I... No, I just...You're probably going with someone
And
Those are two examples of conversation in 21st Jump Street movie. Most
of the swear words uttered are fuck and shit. The researcher is curious about the
type of the swear words used in the movie and why the characters use swear words to communicate. That is why the researcher conducts this research, so people who read this paper and watch 21st Jump Street movie will have deeper
information about taboo/swear words.
B. Research Problems
Since this study discusses taboo and swear words, the researcher formulated some questions to be discussed related to that issue. Those questions are:
1. Which types of swear words are used by the main character in 21st Jump Street
movie?
2. What are the reasons for the main characters of 21st Jump Street to swear?
C. Problem Limitation
The researcher limits the scope and the focus of this study, in relation to
the research problems that have been formulated. Almost all of characters in 21st Jump Street movie use swear words, so the researcher will only focus on the main characters or the most important characters in 21st Jump Street movie, Schmidt
and Jenko. Besides, the researcher wants to categorize all the swear words in the movie into types of of swear words based on the related theory. The reasons of the
D. Research Objectives
There are two major objectives in this research in accordance with the
research questions as listed below.
1. To identify the types of taboo words uttered by the main characters in
21st Jump Street movie.
2. To describe the reasons for swearing by the main characters in 21st Jump Street movie.
E. Research Benefits
This part identifies the contributions of this study and the parties that may
use this research results. The researcher addresses some benefits from this study to students and teachers of English Language Education Study Program and to future researchers that probably focus on analyzing swear words.
1. Readers
There are three benefits for the readers after reading this study. Those three
benefits are: The readers will have deeper knowledge about swear words, so the readers will know when and where they can use swear words. The readers will notice that swear words are inappropriate to use, so they will use swear words
wisely.
2. English Learners
3. Further Researchers
The researcher expects that this study can be used as an additional
academic reference to conduct other studies that deal with swear words. The future researchers may compare the findings of this research to their future study
related to the swear words in another movie. 4. ELESP USD
The researcher expects this research is beneficial for the English Education
Study Program students who are interested in learning about swear words. This research contains some knowledge about swear words. By reading this research,
the students will have deeper knowledge about the types and possible reasons for using English swear words.
F. Definition of Terms
This part explains the terms which are frequently used in the research in order to avoid misunderstanding. There are some terms which are considered as
important terms. The researcher defines key words or phrases used in this study, namely swear words, taboo, 21st Jump Street,
1. Swear Words
According to Jay (2009), swearing is like using the horn on a car, which can be used to signify a number of emotions such as anger, frustration, joy, and
swear words. In this study, all taboo and bad language words that uttered by the main characters in 21st Jump Street movie are considered as swear words.
Moreover, swear words in this research means every words that have bad connotations both in their content and their form.
2. 21st Jump Street Movie
In this study, 21st Jump Street movie is an American movie which is
directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. This movie was transcripted by
Michael Bacall and Phil Lord. This movie tells about two cops who are forced to relive high school when they are assigned to go undercover as high school
9
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter presents the literature review of the study. It is divided into two parts, namely theoretical description and theoretical framework. The researcher reviews some theories related to swearing which serve as a guide of
this study. The theories reviewed include the types of swearing and the reasons for swearing. The conceptual framework and analytical construct of the research are
also provided at the end of this chapter.
A. Theoretical Description
This chapter explores the literature review containing several theories that are used to guide the process of this research. The discussion covers taboo, taboo
words, and swear words. This research also describes the story of 21st Jump Street
movie as the object of the research. Moreover, the conceptual framework and
analytical construct of the research are also provided in the end of this section.
1. The Concept of Taboo
Based on some cultures, the concept of taboo might be different but the meaning remains the same which is impolite and prohibited words to utter. According to Allan and Burridge (2006) nothing is taboo for everyone, under all
circumstances, for all time. This means the definition of taboo for every people might be different. What is considered taboo for American, might be acceptable
Trudgill (1974) defines taboo as a behavior that is supernaturally forbidden, or regarded as immoral or improper; it deals with behavior which is
prohibited. In language, taboo is associated with things that should not be said, and words or expression which should not be used. In accordance with that
statement, there is a strong bond between taboo behavior and taboo language. Both of them are forbidden because they are categorized as something immoral and improper. Furthermore, Fairman (2009) also states that every culture has its
own taboo acts and taboo words. Taboo acts are related to any activities that should not be done, while taboo words are related to any words that should not be
said.
Due to what is immoral and improper, Brown and Attardo (2005) state that almost in all society, taboo words are usually uttered in the form of sexual or
reproductive organs, excretory organs, taboo breaking behavior, racial/ethnic slurs, and blasphemy. Indonesian people for the example have taboo words like
kontol, vagina, itil, silit, and memek etc. American people have taboo words like cunt, dick, tits, and asshole etc. Both of those society have taboo words in the
form of reproductive organs.
Standing on the idea of taboo, the researcher will only focus on taboo words rather than taboo acts, therefore the definition and concept of taboo words
will be explained below.
2. Taboo Words
People define taboo words as words that should not be said in daily
addressee shocked or angry. Akmajian, Derner, Farmer, and Harnish (2001) state that taboo words are the words that should not be said when the speaker and the
listener/the addressee in a formal situation. It means to avoid any misunderstanding, people should not speak any taboo words that can make the
listener/the addressee shocked especially in a formal conversation. Allan and Burridge (2006) state that taboo words arise in cases where the individual‟s acts can cause discomfort, harm or injury to himself or herself and to others. From
those statements, it can be concluded taboo words are completely prohibited in formal conversations. Most people exactly want to have more friends, not
enemies. If someone uses taboo words in formal situation, he/she will make the listener/the addressee shocked and maybe will make the listener/the addressee hates the speaker.
Normally, the definition of a taboo is just the same, but in several cultures the definition might be different. Allan and Burridge (2006) state that sometimes a
community recognizes a taboo, while others not. That statement is similar to Fakuade (2003) that states that the level of taboo words prevention in every
language is different because each culture has different cultural views and beliefs. That means the “taboo” point of view from one culture may be different from
another culture, although they have similar taboo words.
Trudgill (1974) observes that western culture makes some words that have relation to sex, excretion, and Christian religion as taboo. Taboo words which are
sex become taboo because they usually used to insult sexual orientation or sexual habit. Some examples of this expressions are fuck, pussy, and dick. Then, taboo
words which denote body function and excretion also become the strongest words since they incite the feeling of disgust due to the fact that some irresistible
diseases can be carried from one person to another via body excretion, for the examples are shit and asshole.
People who use taboo words usually have a certain reason to utter the taboo words. Wardhaugh (2006) states that taboo words have some functions like to draw attention to oneself, to show contempt, to provoke, and to mock authority,
and below are the description of those functions completed along with the examples.
a. To Draw Attention to Oneself
Sometimes, people want to get attention if they are talking with someone. Mc Guire (1973) states that the speakers should gain the interest through the use
of strong, powerful language whose connotation can stimulate an instant reaction from the audience. Therefore, people may use taboo words to get the
listener‟s/the addressee‟s attention because of its strong connotation.
b. To Show Contempt
Taboo words can be functioned to show contempt. Contempt means the
c. To Provoke
Fitzgerald (2007) states that verbal obscenity can be the most efficient
symbolic process offered to someone intended for inviting chaotic reaction. That statement is relevant that taboo words have function to provoke someone. Taboo
words can be very provocative because of its strong connotation, so people may use taboo words to provoke someone.
d. To Mock Authority
People m a y use taboo words when they want to deliver their protest against governments or country institutions. McGuire (1973) states that verbal
communication can be used as a rebellion against power. In other words, people used taboo words because they want to express their disappointment about reality that different from what they have expected.
3. Swear Words
After regarding the concept and definition of taboo and taboo words, it can
be said if taboo words and swear words are almost similar. As Karjailanen (2002) states that even though every swear word is taboo, not every taboo words is swear words. For the example is Cannibalism. Cannibalism is taboo in some cultures,
but cannibalism is not a swear word. No one swears using cannibalism word. Ljung (2011) also states that swear words are words which are considered
as having bad connotation in both their content and form. For the example is shit word. The word shit is considered as something that has bad content, and its form is also said to be disgusting. Therefore, the word shit was used as a swear word in
have bad content also, but their forms are considered to be neutral. For this reason, these words feces and poop do not acquire swear word status. It can be said that a
word will acquire swear word status if that word has bad content and bad form. Pinker (2007) states that swear words are divided into many
classifications, but the main root of swear words is religion. The words that have connection with religious matters, for the examples are God, Jesus, and hell. Therefore, nowadays swear words are very massive. Swear words are developed
into the other roots, such as reproductive organs, excretory organs, taboo breaking behavior, racial/ethnic slurs, and blasphemy.
4. Types of Swear Words
As the researcher said above, there are several types of swear words. Each of swear word types has its own uniqueness and characteristic that make it
different each other. Jay (1992) categorizes types of swear words into six types, namely cursing, profanity, blasphemy, taboo or obscenity, insult and slurs, and
scatology.
a. Cursing
Jay (1992) states that the purpose of cursing is to harm people using words
or phrases. Cursing expression acts like verbal assault where the speaker wishes harm, pain or other evil consequences to the listener/the addressee. This indicates
that people who curse want to make the cursed person verbally hurt. Usually, the speaker uses cursing expression such as eat shit and die!
According to Jay (1992) people who curse usually use 2 types of curse,
made some special words in language. The examples of religious curse are damn
you, goddamn you, damn your hide, and to hell with you. Furthermore, the
examples of non-religious curse are Eat shit and die!, I hope you break your
neck!, and You should rot in jail for that crime!
b. Profanity
Jay (1992) describes profanity as something which is based on religion
distinction. To be profane that means to be ignorant or intolerant of the religious belief. To support Jay‟s description, Batistella (2005) also describes that profanity can be categorized as religious cursing because it usually includes the use of
something sacred. Profanity maybe a little bit similar with religious curse, the differences is the aim of curse and profanity. Curse aims to harm people, but profanity does not. People who use profanity maybe just swear to himself/herself
or to something. The examples of profanity are Jesus Christ!, For the love of
Christ! get off the phone! , and Does the pope shit in the wood?
c. Blasphemy
Blasphemy and profanity are almost similar, but they are actually different. When profanity talks about religion cursing, blasphemy talks about religion
attack. According to Jay (1992), blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence of God. That statement is supported by Levy (1995)
pope!, Shit on what it says in the bible!, and The church can stick their new fund drive!.
d. Taboo or Obscenity
Obscene means something disgusting to the senses. Taboo or obscenity are
classified as one because all obscene languages are taboo expressions which are restricted in public use. Taboo expressions are restricted both in explicit and
implicit way. In the other words, taboo words are not supposed to be used anywhere and anytime. Jay (1992) states that obscene words are the most offensive words. Obscene words become the most offensive words because almost
all of obscene words have strong meaning. People who use obscene words usually use sexual organs or excretory terms. The examples of obscenity are fuck,
motherfucker, cocksucker, cunt, and tits.
e. Insult and Slurs
Generally, insult and slurs have a same purpose, which is to attack
someone verbally. Usually the speaker uses the insult or slurs word alone. Insult or slurs words are totally different with another category, because they have no relation with religion or taboo things. Insult and slurs words usually come from
the image of the target. As Jay (1992) states that Insult and slurs do not gain their powers from denoting something sacred, but they are denoting real or imagined
homo, and bastard. Furthermore, examples of slurs are fatty, bubble but, dumb, weirdo, fag, liar, dago, honkey, nigger, and grease ball.
f. Scatology
Jay (1992) describes scatology as a terms that refers to human waste
products and processes. It means scatology terms has a strong relation with feces. Usually American children use this terms to insult someone, but adult may use it
too. The words used by children are different compared to adults for the same referent. The examples of scatology are poo poo, poop, crap, shit, shit ass, piss,
piss off, and fart.
Besides, Anderson and Trudgill (1992) categorize swear words into four types. They are expletive swearing, abusive swearing, humorous swearing, and auxiliary swearing (as cited in Lindahl, 2008, p.4).
a. Expletive Swearing
Expletive words are not directed towards others, because sometimes
expletive words are a reflexive reaction to something that happened unexpectedly to the spaker. Expletive words are usually used to express emotions, like anger, disappointment or frustration. The examples of expletive swearing are Hell!, Shit!,
and God damn it!.
b. Abusive Swearing
When expletive swearing is not directed toward others, abusive swearing is directed toward others. Abusive swearing includes name calling, and another expressions that are offensive and able to insult someone. The examples of
c. Humorous Swearing
Actually, humorous swearing has a similarity with expletive, which is
abusive. The difference between humorous and abusive swearing is the function. Humorous just means to be fun while abusive means to insult someone.
Humorous swear words usually take forms of abusive swear words, but they serve opposite functions, humorous swear words are playful rather than offensive. The examples of humorous swearing are You asshole., You bastard., and Go to hell.
d. Auxiliary Swearing
Swear words can also be auxiliary. It is directed toward people, but it is not
intended to insult others. Auxiliary swearing is the way of speaking, and it is
called as “lazy swearing” since it does not have any meaning or non-emphatic.
The examples of auxiliary swearing are This fucking X!, and Bloody Y!
The researcher is considering Jay‟s and Anderson and Trudgill‟s classification of swear words types are similar. The researcher uses Jay‟s
classification as the basic theory to answer the research questions about the types
of swear words because Jay‟s classification is more suitable to classify types of
swear words in 21st Jump Street movie.
5. The Reasons for Swearing
There are several reasons why people swear. The main reason for swearing
reasons for swearing into three parts which are psychological motives, social motives and linguistic motives (as cited in Karjalainen 2002, p.24).
a. Psychological Motives
Almost everybody has experienced that sometimes the reality, does not
always come the same as what he/she has planned before. Something can always go wrong (Anggawati L., personal communication, 2014). That sentence is a
reflection that everything may be not as beautiful as what have planned before. Mobile phone drop into the water, late to go to school/office, lost some money, hit the knee on the table, etc. In these situations, people have different reaction
toward the situations. People may release their feelings with different expression. One of expression that may be used is swearing. As Montagu (1967) states, swearing is the verbal expression, or venting, of the aggressiveness which follows
upon frustration. Therefore, the desire to swear will always be experienced under conditions which give rise to the frustration-aggression syndrome (as cited in
Karjalainen 2002, p.26).
People not only swear to insult, but also to express their happiness, surprise and frustration. As Jay (2009) states, swearing can be used to express someone‟s
emotion or feeling, for instance anger, frustration, joy, and also surprise. That statement is supported by Montagu (1967) that states crying can develop into
involved in psychological motive are joy, anger, frustration, joy, surprise, and sorrow. Those feelings make people swear in order to relief the emotions they get.
b. Social Motives
Not all swearing is triggered by frustration or aggression. Karjalainen
(2002) states that someone may swear to assert his/her identity in a group, to shock, to amuse, to insult, to indicate friendship etc. By doing so, social life can
also trigger someone to swear. Crystal (1995) describes “social swearing is the
most common swearing pattern” (as cited in Karjalainen 2002, p.26). Those
statements mean that social issues can make someone swear also. People may
swear because of their surroundings are doing so.
Therefore, there are several social motives for someone to swear. For the example is when someone joins a gang. If the gang/group members often swear,
someone who joins the gang will follow the gang‟s old member to swear because he/she will try to assert his/her identity in the gang.
c. Linguistic Motives
Everyone has different point of view about language as well as swear words. Some people may say that certain swear word is acceptable, but other
people may say that they should be banned. According to Andersson (1985), “we are free to use any of the tens of thousands of words in our vocabulary, as long as
they convey the message we wish to communicate”. So, from a purely theoretical and linguistic standpoint, people could say “What a very nice rocking chair” just
as well as “What a fucking nice rocking chair” – both would be just as acceptable
point of view related to everything, people will have different ways of speaking in expressing themselves using different lexicons, grammatical structures, etc.
Hence, linguistic motives of swearing are not directed to others. It just appears to emphasize what someone wants to say.
B. Theoretical Framework
This section synthesizes major theories that help the researcher in
conducting the research and answering the research questions. Moreover, in analyzing the data and answering the research questions, the researcher uses some related theories as the groundwork. The main theories used in this study are
mostly related to taboo, taboo words, and swear words. The researcher aims to investigate two important points of the objectives. The types of swear words and why the main characters in 21st Jump Street movie swear.
Specifically, Jay (1992) have categorized types of swear words into 6 types, namely cursing, profanity, blasphemy, taboo or obscenity, insult and slurs,
and scatology. By referring to Jay (1992) the researcher aims to find out types of swear words in 21st Jump Street movie.
Moreover, using swear words in 21st Jump Street movie has three major
reasons as they are all explained by Andersson (1985) , there are three reasons for swearing. The first reason is psychological motives. The second one is social
motives. The last reasons for swearing is linguistic motives. Further, the researcher also wants to find out whether or not those three reasons are found in
21st Jump Street movie.
22
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents a rationale for the method of this research and analysis. This chapter comprises six parts, namely the research method, the research setting, the research source, the instrument and data gathering technique,
the data analysis technique, and the research procedure.
A. Research Method
The researcher conducted this research using a qualitative method.
According to Ary, Jacobs and Razavieh (2002), “Qualitative research focuses on understanding social phenomena from the perspective of the human participants in
the study” (p. 22). Moreover, qualitative research gives deep understanding of the
phenomenon rather than only shows numerical data. Qualitative research focuses on the meaning of something, as Merriam (2014) states that qualitative
researchers are interested in understanding the meaning that have constructed. To be more specific, there are some methods that can be used in
conducting qualitative research, for examples content analysis, case study, and discourse analysis. The researcher used a discourse analysis. Fasold and Linton (2006) describes discourse analysis as the analysis of language above and beyond
a mere the accumulation of sounds, morphemes, words, clause, and sentences. Specifically, this method focuses on a power, domination and construction, and
analysis to analyze swear words in 21st Jump Street movie. Since the researcher
found the swear words in the transcript of 21st Jump Street movie, discourse
analysis was considered as the most appropriate technique for this research.
B. Research Setting
The researcher conducted this research from September 2015 until January 2016. Firstly, the researcher looked for the data source on August 2015. As a result, the researcher then chose 21st Jump Street transcript as the main source for
this study, the transcript was not written by the researcher since he got it from the internet. Secondly, the researcher obtained some books from the library as the
resources of the theories to answer the research questions. Thirdly, the researcher gathered the data from the transcript on September 2015. Fourthly, the data analysis was conducted from August until December 2015. Since this study did
not deal with human interaction and field study, the specific were not necessary to mention.
C. Data Source
The data source of this research was a transcript of 21st Jump Street movie.
The researcher downloaded the transcript from www.subscene.com. Many swear
words appeared in the transcript. That was the reason why the researcher was about to analyze the use of swear words in this movie. The researcher watched
D. Instrument and Data Gathering Technique
In conducting this discourse analysis research, there was only one major
instrument involved. It was 21st Jump Street movie‟s transcript as the subject document. The researcher employed the transcript to collect the data of the swear
words utterances. The transcript, consisted of two hundred and eight pages, and taken from www.subscene.com.
In gathering the data, the researcher used coding categories as the
technique. Frankel and Wallen (2006) state that apply coding categories is a technique that is used in discourse analysis method. Moreover, Frankel and
Wallen (2006) also mention that the researcher could decide the coding categories to get the data. In this study, the researcher made coding categories based on the previous research, knowledge and theories that related to the topic of this study.
The following table presented two objectives which became the focus of the study, which were, the types of taboo words and the functions of taboo words. The
format of the coding table showed how the researcher answered the first and second research questions of this study.
Table 3.1. Format of the Coding Table of the Types of Swearing and Reasons for Swearing in the 21st Jump Street Movie
No Code
Percenters? These guys are, like, big-time drug
00:16:43 Capt. Dickson: Infiltrate the dealers, find the
supplier
Jenko: But if we find the supplier first,we
God damn √ √ Capt. Dickson angry
No Code
Data Types Reasons
Explanation
Dialogue Swearing C P B O I & S S
P M
S M
L M
don't have to worry about the dealers. Capt. Dickson: God damn. Infiltrate the dealers, find the supplier
Legends:
01:02:03 : Hour: 01; Minute: 02; Second: 03
C : Cursing P : Profanity B : Blasphemy
O : Obscenity IS : Insult and Slurs S : Scatology
PM : Psychological Motive SM : Social Motive
LM : Linguistic Motive
E. Data Analysis Technique
There were two techniques involved in analyzing data in this study, namely counting and narrative analysis.
1. Counting
This technique is a characteristic of discourse analysis research which puts emphasis on counting the frequency of several aspects investigated that would be
the research results (Frankel & Wallen, 2006). Thus, the researcher used counting as the technique to analyze how many times each types of swear words and reasons for swearing found in 21st Jump Street movie. Moreover, the researcher
also used counting to identify the frequency of each types of swear words and reasons for swearing found in 21st Jump Street movie. For example, the researcher
counted how many times cursing and scatology expressions could appear in 21st
Jump Street movie and then the researcher counted all cursing and scatology
researcher found all types and reasons appeared in the movie, the researcher could determine which types and reasons that became the most dominant.
2. Narrative Analysis
Narrative analysis is one of discourse analysis techniques that analyzes or
interprets the data observed based on personal experiences or observations (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2011). The researcher used narrative analysis to find out why certain types of swear words and reasons for swearing could be
categorized as using certain types of of swear words and reasons for swearing, for example Jenko uttered swear word “fuck” and the swear word categorized as
taboo or obscenity. Based on that data, the researcher then tried to find out the reason why this types of swear word considered as taboo or obscenity in the form of narrative or descriptive analysis. Therefore, all the data presented in this
document analysis research was all in the form of narrative or descriptive texts.
F. Research Procedure
To answer the research questions, the writer had undergone the systemic research procedure. This section described the several steps of finalizing this research. There were six steps that had done by the researcher. Those steps were
deciding a problem, reviewing related literature, making table of analysis, deciding data source and identifying the data, interpreting the data, and reporting
result.
1. Deciding Problem
In this step, the researcher selected a problem to investigate. Since swear
this phenomenon, this study wanted to investigate what types of swear words and why people swear.
2. Reviewing Related Literature
The following step was finding out related literature to the problem which
was investigated. This step aimed to gain more understanding and insight that would be used as the grounded theory to answer the research problems. The researcher read some theories which mainly discussed taboo, swear words and the
language used and theories which talked about the methods used to conduct research. As a result, the researcher could understand the types of swear words
and the reasons for swearing. 3. Making Table of Analysis
After the researcher read some theories related to the topic investigated, the
researcher made a table as the place to put conversations which used swear words. The table was made before any analysis begun. Specifically, the researcher made
the table based on previous study which also used a table to identify types of swear words and why people swear.
4. Deciding Data Source and Identifying Data
After making the table of analysis, the researcher looked for data sources for the investigation. This study used 21st Jump Street movie transcription as the
5. Interpreting Data
In interpreting the data, the writer mostly used the theories from Jay (1992)
which discussed about types of swear words. Beside Jay‟s theory, the researcher also used Anderson (1985) theory which discussed about the reasons for swearing.
After the researcher had found all the features appeared in the transcription and put the conversation in the table, he started to categorize each type and reason of swearing.
6. Reporting Results
The last step involved in conducting this research was reporting the results.
29
CHAPTER IV
RESEARCH RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter presents the results of this study, which had been analyzed in ways justified in the methodology. In addition, this section discusses the findings and interprets them in light of the research questions. The first question aims to
find out types of swear words used in 21st Jump Street movie. The second
question aims to analyze the reasons for using swear words in 21st Jump Street
movie. The data used to answer the formulated problems were collected from 21st
Jump Street movie transcription.
A. Types of Swear Words in 21st Jump Street Movie
The first objective in this research was dealing with the types of swear
words in 21st Jump Street movie. In analyzing the data, the researcher used the
main theory from Jay (1992). Referring to Jay (1992) swear words are classified
into 6 types. Those types are cursing, profanity, blasphemy, taboo or obscenity,
insult and slurs, and scatology. 1. Cursing
The first type of swear words found in 21st Jump Street movie was cursing.
As stated in Chapter II, Jay (1992) describes cursing as an expression that used to
1) Schmidt: Do you guys really think this is a police matter? To get your Frisbee back?
Jenko: Get your own fucking Frisbee. (00:05:20)
Dialogue above happened when several men asked Schmidt and Jenko to take their Frisbee which fell to the lake. However, Schmidt and Jenko got angry
because they thought it was not their job as a police. Jenko even said “Get your own fucking Frisbee” to express his anger. The swear words fucking Frisbee belonged to cursing type because Jenko said that word intentionally to reject the guys‟ request and also to attack them verbally.
2) Jenko: You got the right to... Give me that! You got the right to... to
suck my dick, motherfucker! (00:08:13)
This monologue happened when Schmidt and Jenko caught a gang that hid
weeds in their motorcycle. However, Jenko forgot about the Miranda rights (a right to silence warning given by police of the U.S to criminal suspects in police
custody). Instead of saying the Miranda rights, Jenko said “suck my dick,
motherfucker”. The words suck my dick belonged to cursing because Jenko said
those word deliberately to attack the guys verbally.
3) Schmidt: No, watch my mom's shit, man! I'm gonna fucking kill you! You'll knock over my mom's vase!
Sanders: Fuck your mom's vase! Schmidt: Fuck this! (00:51:57)
The dialogue 3 was a part of a conversation between Schmidt and Sander when they were fighting at Schmidt‟s house. At that time, Schmidt was very
angry because Sanders wanted to break his mom‟s vase. Schmidt said “I‟m gonna
kill was included in cursing because the words were purposefully used to fear
Sanders so that he would not break the vase.
2. Profanity
The second type of swear words found in 21st Jump Street movie was profanity. As Bastistella (2005) stated in Chapter II, profanity can be categorized
as religious cursing because it usually includes the use of something sacred. The followings are the examples of profanity used in 21st Jump Street movie.
4) Schmidt: Shit! Shit, dude.
Eric: Are you okay, man? Hey, what the hell? Are you serious? Jenko: Well, turn that gay-ass music off. (00:24:26)
Dialogue 4 occurred when Schmidt and Jenko went to school on the first day. Schmidt and Jenko walked in the parking lot and they saw a group of students who stood in the parking lot. Accidentally, Jenko was angry and punched
a student‟s face because the student asked Jenko to shut up when Jenko was
talking to Eric. Eric was shocked and said “what the hell”. The swear words what
the hell belonged to profanity type because it included hell word which was a
sacred thing.
5) Capt. Dickson: Infiltrate the dealers, find the supplier
Jenko: But if we find the supplier first, we don't have to worry about the dealers.
Capt. Dickson: God damn. Infiltrate the dealers, find the supplier. (00:16:43)
In dialogue 5, Captain Dickson gave an instruction to Schmidt and Jenko to infiltrate the drug dealers and find the drug supplier. However, Jenko was
damn” to show that he did not like his opinion debated. The swear word God
damn was categorized as profanity because the word God was something sacred.
6) Eric: Come on, you guys. Come on. Please. Jesus. Some messed up shit went down yesterday. Yeah, after we made the exchange, our potential business partners got followed by some fucking cops.
Schmidt: That's insane, man. (01:19:58)
Dialogue 6 happened among Eric, Schmidt and Jenko. At that time, Eric
asked Jenko to come to him quickly. Eric swore the word Jesus to make Schmidt and Jenko rush. Jesus word belonged to profanity because it was something
sacred in Christian belief.
3. Blasphemy
The third type of swear words found in 21st Jump Street movie was blasphemy. As stated by Jay (1992) in Chapter II, blasphemy is the act of insulting
or showing contempt or lack of reverence of God. Blasphemy and profanity are
almost similar, but they are actually different. Profanity talks about religion cursing, while blasphemy talk about religion attack (Jay, 1992). The following is the example of blasphemy found in 21st Jump Street movie.
7) Schmidt: I'm really freaked out about going back to high school. It was just so fucking hard the first time. I know we haven't made our first arrest, or maybe I'm not the best cop. Korean Jesus, I just really don't want to fuck this up. I'm sorry for swearing so much (00:17:25) The monologue was taken when Schmidt was thinking out that he had to
go back to high school in disguise. He was afraid of bullying as what he had ever got in high school previously. Schmidt called the Jesus statue as Korean Jesus
Swear words Korean Jesus was categorized as blasphemy because it was considered religion attack.
4. Taboo or Obscenity
The fourth type of swear words found in 21st Jump Street movie was taboo
or obscenity. As has been stated in Chapter II, taboo or obscenity are classified as one because all obscene language are taboo expressions that restricted in public use. Jay (1992) states that obscene words are most offensive words. Moreover,
obscene words usually include some sexual organs or excretory terms. The
followings are the examples of taboo or obscenity found in the study.
8) Jenko: Okay, now, chemistry's the one with the shapes and shit, right? Schmidt: Fuck. (00:26:10)
The dialogue happened when Schmidt and Jenko were arguing their undercover identities; they thought their identities were switched. Schmidt didn‟t
know how to fight and Jenko did not know how to deal with Chemistry subject. Therefore, Schmidt swore the word fuck to express the unfairness he got. The word fuck was categorized as taboo or obscenity because it was related to sexual
terms since its meaning was copulation.
9) Schmidt : We gotta throw up. That kid, Billiam, died. We got to throw up. Just think of something gross. Think of something gross.
Jenko : You fucking think of something.
Schmidt : Okay, all right, all right. Your grandma's vagina, and there's a dick going into it.
Jenko : What the fuck are you saying? I don't know!
Schmidt : I'm just trying! I'm trying my best! I'm just trying! Jenko :Fuck! Come on, man! (00:33:21)
about something disgusting, unfortunately Jenko rejected it and he asked Schmidt to do it. Schmidt thought and said something gross, but Jenko did not know what
Schmidt was saying about, so he said fuck. Swear word fuck belonged to taboo or
obscenity because it had relation with a sexual thing since its meaning was
copulation and fuck word was a taboo.
10)Schmidt : I'm sorry. My mom's such a dick. Ugh! She just, like, smothers me with affection and makes me feel like I'm five years old. Molly : Wow. You're a sharer. I dig that. Well, I'm 18 years old, and my mom still packs a lunch for me every day.
Schmidt : There was this one month where she bought me 43 stuffed animals. The doctor thought I was gonna spontaneously grow a vagina. (00:44:16)
Dialogue 10 was another example of taboo or obscenity. In that dialogue, Schmidt was on the phone with Molly, but his mother disturbed him anyway
when he was calling Molly. Schmidt‟s mom used another phone in Schmidt‟s house to disturb him. Schmidt got angry and he said dick to his mom. The word
dick was deliberately used to express his annoyance. The word dick belonged to taboo or obscenity because it had relation with sexual thing since its meaning was
men‟s intimate part of body and dick word was a taboo.
5. Insult and Slurs
The fifth type of swear words used in 21st Jump Street movie was insult
and slurs. As Jay (1992) stated in Chapter II, Insult and words do not use
something sacred, but they use the real image or characteristics of the target.
Insult might be showing physical, mental or psychological qualities of the target,
11)Porsche driver : I'm on a call here, jackass.
Jenko : That's right. Go to sleep, bitch. (01:11:51)
Dialogue 11 was the example of insult and slurs found in 21st jump street. The dialogue happened when Jenko wanted to take someone‟s Porsche to the
highway when a gang chased after them. However, the Porsche‟s owner got angry
to Jenko and said Jackass. Moreover, the word jackass was considered as insult
because it showed Jenko‟s mental quality.
12)Schmidt : Sir, if I have to suck somebody's dick, I will. It's just... I'd prefer not to.
Deputy Hardy : I think you idiots are perfect. You're officially transferred.
Schmidt + Jenko : All right. Yeah. That's great. (00:10:55)
Dialogue 12 was part of conversation among Schmidt, Deputy Hardy, and
Jenko. Deputy Hardy thought that it would be perfect if he transferred Schmidt and Jenko to 21st Jump Street division. Deputy Hardy said that Jenko and Schmidt
were idiots, so they were perfect to join 21st Jump Street. Swear word idiots
belonged to insult because it showed Schmidt and Jenko‟s mental quality.
13)Jenko : Okay, those are Goths. Those are nerds. I don't know what they are. What the fuck are those things? I'm so confused right now. (00:23:14)
Monologue 13 was another example of insult and slurs. In that monologue,
6. Scatology
The last type of swear words found in 21st Jump Street movie was scatology. Jay (1992) describes scatology as a term that refers to human waste
products and processes. It means scatology term has strong relation with feces.
The following dialogues are some examples of this type of swearing. 14)Schmidt: This kid was actually talking to a tree this morning.
Capt. Dickson: Cut the bullshit! I want to know who's the supplier. Schmidt: We don't know. That's why there's a question mark on his face. (00:40:14)
Dialogue 14 was part of conversation among Captain Dickson, Schmidt, and Jenko. Captain Dickson listened to Schmidt‟s explanation about the drug
dealer, but Schmidt and Jenko still did not know who the supplier was. Captain Dickson was angry and swore bullshit to Schmidt and Jenko. Swear word bullshit was categorized as scatology because it had a strong relation with feces since
bullshit‟s meaning was bull‟s feces.
15)Jenko : What kind of bullshit do they say about a covalent bond in this school?
Delroy : They say it's when two atoms share both their electrons. It helps them to stick together. I could help you out if you want, tutor you for the test. (00:42:02)
Dialogue 15 was an example of scatology. In that dialogue, Delroy tested
Jenko‟s understanding about chemistry. He asked Jenko what covalent bond was,
and Jenko did not know the answer. Jenko asked Delroy about what covalent bond was. Jenko said that covalent bond was such a bullshit. Swear word bullshit was considered as scatology because it had strong relation with feces and human
16)Schmidt: This is my parents' bedroom.
Schmidt‟s friend: What the fuck, bro? Some privacy! Shit, shit, shit!
Schmidt: And that is a really gross three-way. (00:49:34)
Dialogue 16 wanted to show his house to Molly. Unfortunately, when he opened his parents‟ bedroom he got his friends were going threesome
promiscuity. His friends were shocked as well, because they never expected that Schmidt would come to the room. By seeing that, Schmidt said shit, shit, shit. Swear word shit belonged to scatology because it had strong relation with feces,
since shit‟s meaning was feces.
B. Reasons for Swearing
The second objective in this research is dealing with the reasons for the main characters in the 21st Jump Street movie to swear. In analyzing the data, the
researcher used theories which discuss reasons for swearing from Andersson
(1985). Andersson (1985) categorizes the reasons for swearing into 3 motives. They are Psychological Motives (PM), Social Motives (SM), and Linguistic
Motives (LM).
1. Psychological Motives
People tend to swear when something happened. As what Jay (2009) states
in Chapter II that swearing can express someone‟s emotion or feeling, for instance anger, frustration, joy, and also surprise. That statement meant that
joy, surprise, and sorrow. The following dialogues are some examples of psychological motives.
16)Schmidt: Now we have the wrong identities, you dumb-ass. I'm in drama. I suck at drama. It's girly and embarrassing
Jenko: Oh, my God. Relax, dude. Who cares? I can fake my way through band practice and app chemistry for a few weeks
Schmidt: AP Chemistry. AP Chemistry. And, no, you can't, because you don't even know what it's actually fucking called!
Jenko: It's going to be fine. You go to my classes, and I'm going to go to yours. (00:25:50)
It could be seen from dialogue 16 that Schmidt and Jenko argued about their wrong fake-identities. Schmidt was angry to Jenko because he was terrible at drama. He said that Jenko was a dumb-ass. Swear word dumb-ass was categorized
as psychological motives because Schmidt said that Jenko was a dumb-ass when he was angry to Jenko.
17)Jenko: I know everything.
Delroy: Really? What's a covalent bond?
Jenko: Fuck you, man. I don't need to tell you. (00:41:41)
Dialogue 17 was another example of psychological motives. In that
dialogue, Jenko said to Delroy that he knew everything about chemistry, then Delroy asked him about what covalent bond was. Jenko was angry to Delroy because he could not answer the question. Jenko said “fuck you” to Delroy. The
swear word fuck you considered as psychological motives because Jenko said that swear word when he was angry because he could not answer the question from
Delroy.
18)Schmidt : Oh, shit! He's got a gun! I'm going to throw this thing at him!
Dialogue 18 was part of conversation between Schmidt and Jenko when they were chased by One Percenter gang. Schmidt saw say the gang had guns with
them. He was afraid if the gang member shot them. Schmidt said “Oh, shit” when he saw that the man who chased them had a gun. Swear word shit here belonged
to psychological motives because Schmidt swore shit when he was afraid because one percenter gang might be shot them.
2. Social Motives
As the relationship between language and society and also how language functions in society were studied under the scope of sociolinguistics, it was very
closely related to the social motives of swearing. From the point of language, swearing could be regarded as a way of speaking when it was employed to communicate with other people. Thus, as the way common language had
functions in society, swearing, as a part of language, could also be functioned in different social contexts to reach the goal of communication. In relation to social
life, swearing expressions might be used to show social intimacy, friendliness, or in- group identity. On the other hand, swearing could also be used to show social distance and hatred towards other people or situations when it causes insult. Some
examples of this category are explained below.
19)Eric: Dude, that was awesome how you sabotaged that track meet, man. Organized sports are so fascist. It makes me sick.
Schmidt: That's just what I do.
Eric: Okay. Shit, man. See you around, all right? (00:39:21)
