Swearing in the Cinema

Abstract

The exposure of children to profanity continues to be a concern for parents, media researchers, and policy makers alike. This study examines the types, frequency, and usage of profanity in movies directed at and featuring teenagers. A review of relevant literature explores the nature, use, and psychology of profanity, its potential social effects, and its prevalence in the media. A content analysis was conducted of the ninety top-grossing domestic teen films in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s (thirty from each decade) in the US based on domestic gross box-office amounts. Results indicate no change in preferences in types of profanity used over the decades. Teen and adult characters use similar profanity types; however, teens are more likely to use the seven dirty words than adults, whereas adult characters use mild words. Male characters use more profanity than female characters, and although both sexes frequently use mild profanity, females show a higher percentage for this type and males have a higher percentage for using the seven dirty words. Finally, results indicate that within and across rating categories (PG and PG-13), the amount of profanity in teen movies has actually decreased since the 1980s.

The Animal House effect: How university-themed comedy films affect students’ attitudes

“…Although sexual activity may not necessarily be classified as risk-taking, we explored the show casing of sexual behaviors to determine if they were over represented, relative to academic behaviors. Finally, we expected that risk-taking behaviors would be more often associated with male versus female characters because they are traditionally associated with men rather than women (Evertt et al 1998;Sparks 1996;Eschholz and Bufkin 2001;Cressman et al 2009). …”

“…Not surprising is the tendency for television and movies to depict men as leaders and providers and women as mothers and housekeepers (e.g., Moore and Cadeau 1985;Scharrer et al 2006). Consistent with masculine and feminine traits, male characters are more likely to curse (Cressman et al 2009) and commit violent acts (Stern 2005b) than female characters are. In addition to the portrayal of gender stereotypes, the media perpetuates stereotypes about visible minorities.…”

A linguagem tabu em contexto: um estudo exploratório da linguagem tabu do ponto de vista das variáveis do registro

“…A linguagem tabu tem sido tema de estudo frequente no âmbito acadêmico (MONTAGU, 1967;ANDERSSON, TRUDGILL, 1990;LANCKER, CUMMINGS, 1999;JAY, 2000;KARJALAINEN, 2002;ALLAN, BURRIDGE, 2006, 2009JOSEPH, 2006;MCENERY, 2006;CRESSMAN et al, 2009;STAPLETON, 2010;LJUNG, 2011;BEERS FÄGERSTEN, 2012;BEERS FÄGERSTEN, STAPLETON, 2017; BEDNAREK 2019, entre outros). Contudo, é de relevar a inconsistência terminológica correlacionada com a linguagem tabu, referida já por outros autores (BEERS FÄGERSTEN, 2012;GODDARD, 2015;BEDNAREK, 2019, entre outros).…”

A Systemic Functional Linguistic Analysis of Teen Dialogue in Teen Films of Different Ratings

“…in the United States took the form of the Hays Code, created in 1927 and enforced in the early 1930s (Kozloff, 2007;Dibbets, 1999). The Code was meant to prohibit filmmakers from including certain types of content in their films (Cressman et al, 2009). Although the system and ratings have evolved significantly from the initial do's-and-don'ts list, it is still predicated on a somewhat subjective notion of acceptable versus unacceptable content.…”

“…The use and frequency of swearing is one of the more pertinent topics in the literature examining language in film. One study found that swearing frequency in PG and PG-13 films that starred and were targeted towards teenagers had decreased over time, although it always remained quite present in these films (Cressman et al, 2009). That being said, many of the studies dealing with profanity in film have opted for studying specific films through case studies.…”