<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Dear All,<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thank you for the active engagement in this vey cultured conversation regarding shit and sexual organs.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">It seems that swearwords in most of the examples are being nominal, functioning similar to ’nothing/anything', with only my Cantonese example (1) being negator-like—preceding a predicate without being part of the argument structure.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">If the nominal swearwords are indeed similar to ‘nothing’/ ‘anything’, do they indicate a sentential-level negation? Or should they be an NPI? </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Warmest,</div><div class="">Joe </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class="">Pun Ho Lui <<a href="mailto:luiph001@gmail.com" class="">luiph001@gmail.com</a>> 於 2023年6月13日 下午8:34 寫道：</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div class=""><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" class=""><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Dear linguists,<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Swearwords/taboo words can function as a negator (1) or minimizer/“squatitive” (2):</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">(1) Cantonese </div><div class=""> 我 撚 知</div><div class=""> 1sg dick know</div><div class=""> ‘I don’t know.’</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">(2) I learn fuck all/ shit.</div><div class="">‘I learn nothing.’</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Other languages with these pattens include:</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">- Russian </div><div class="">- German <i class="">einen Teufel </i>‘a devil’</div><div class="">- Swedish <i class="">så fan Heller</i></div><div class=""><i class="">- </i>French <i class="">mon cul</i> ‘my ass’ (?)</div><div class="">- Polish <i class="">chuj </i>‘dick’; <i class="">gówno </i>’shit’</div><div class="">- Serbian <i class="">kurac </i>‘penis'</div><div class="">- Croatian <i class="">kurac ‘penis’</i></div><div class="">- Colloquail Finnish “aggressive mood”</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">These examples are provided in: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/lingtyp/permalink/6751622964867235/" class="">https://www.facebook.com/groups/lingtyp/permalink/6751622964867235/</a></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">I am wondering if there are other languages performing similar constructions. If so, is the any requirement for using them.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Thank you.</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="">Warmest,</div><div class="">Pun Ho Lui</div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></div></blockquote></div><br class=""></div></body></html>