[Lingtyp] Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a cross-linguistic perspective

[Eline Visser]

Norwegian has:

Veita faen/søren
Know devil
‘I don’t know.’

(Alt. spelling veit/vet da faen/søren if you want to google.)

I can’t think of anything in my native language Dutch but would be interested to learn.

On Tue, Jun 13, 2023 at 16:42, <[lingtyp-request at listserv.linguistlist.org](mailto:On Tue, Jun 13, 2023 at 16:42,  <<a href=)> wrote:

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> 1. Re: Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a
> cross-linguistic perspective (Stefan Savi?)
> 2. Re: Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a
> cross-linguistic perspective (Tom Koss)
> 3. Re: Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a
> cross-linguistic perspective (Mira Ariel)
> 4. Re: Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a
> cross-linguistic perspective (Pun Ho Lui)
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2023 16:16:52 +0200
> From: Stefan Savi? <stefansavicz at gmail.com>
> To: Michael Daniel <misha.daniel at gmail.com>
> Cc: Ian Joo <ian_joo at nucba.ac.jp>,
> "<LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>"
> <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a
> cross-linguistic perspective
> Message-ID:
> <CA+1szGCw4YpZEcZP_1eFvaTqyygncsoho9RYrBBMTixTMFNSpA at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Same applies to BCMS *?avola*:
>
> ?avola mi je pomogao.
>
> devil.m.sg.gen pron.1sg.dat be.prs.3sg help.pfv.pst.m.sg
> =
> Kurac mi je pomogao.
> cock.m.sg.nom pron.1sg.dat be.prs.3sg help.pfv.pst.m.sg
> "He helped me, my ass" (= He didn't help me at all).
>
> On Tue, 13 Jun 2023 at 15:51, Michael Daniel <misha.daniel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> This is true.
>>
>> But I think my second Russian example, where 'penis' means nothing, can
>> qualify; and also examples are possible like 'penis it knows' for 'I don't
>> / no one knows', where no regular negative particle is used. This is pretty
>> common in collquial communication, so much so that it made it to a rare
>> phenomenon of acronym in spoken language - ?? [??ze] 'I don't know; this is
>> unclear' from lit. penis knows.
>>
>> Michael
>>
>> ??, 13 ???. 2023??. ? 15:44, Ian Joo <ian_joo at nucba.ac.jp>:
>>
>>> Dear all,
>>>
>>> technically speaking, I think Pun Ho Lui?s original question was swear
>>> words acting as negators, not just intensifiers.
>>> So phrases like ?I don?t know shit? wouldn?t apply, only those like ?I
>>> know shit? (intended meaning: I don?t know anything).
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>> Ian
>>>
>>> 13/6/2023 ?? 3:37, Eitan Grossman <eitan.grossman at mail.huji.ac.il> ??:
>>>
>>> I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but Jespersen already
>>> discussed this phenomenon to some extent in his 1917 monograph on negation,
>>> and it was extended by many including Ross & Postal, Horn, and others
>>> (e.g., 'squatitive negation' as in 'You don't know doodly-squat.')
>>>
>>> For the sake of typology, some of the Hebrew terms for penis (mainly
>>> *zayin* and *zibbi*, the latter a loanword) also show the behavior
>>> mentioned by Pun Ho Lui, Misha, and others.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Jun 13, 2023 at 4:23?PM Lewis C Howe <chowe at uga.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi Pun Ho Lui and all,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> These patterns are relatively common in Romance Languages. For instance,
>>>> in Spanish you can find the following:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> (No) me importa un(a) co?o|pedo|chingada|polla|etc.
>>>>
>>>> NEG 1sg.ACC matter.3sg a vagina|fart|fuck|dick|etc.
>>>>
>>>> ?I don?t care at all.?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> There are a number of lexical options, which, not surprisingly, are
>>>> quite dialectally diverse. The preverbal negation is optional, and, for
>>>> some speakers in some collocations, may in fact be dispreferred.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Following up on the comment about *?avola *("devil") in
>>>> BCMS/Serbo-Croation, there?s a similar construction in Romance (illustrated
>>>> below in Spanish) that (typically) involves wh-words. This construction
>>>> also includes similarly taboo lexical options?e.g., *carajo *?shit?, *cojones
>>>> *?testicles?. These types of constructions, at least for English, are
>>>> described by Pesetsky (1987) as ?Aggressively Non-D-Linked? wh-phrases.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ?Qu? demonios quieres?
>>>>
>>>> What devils want.2sg
>>>>
>>>> ?What the hell do you want??
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Best wishes,
>>>>
>>>> Chad Howe
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Pesetsky, D. 1987. Wh-in-situ: Movement and unselective binding. In *The
>>>> representation of (in)definiteness*, ed. by Eric Reuland and Alice G.
>>>> B. ter Meulen, 98-130. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> *From: *Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> on behalf
>>>> of Michael Daniel <misha.daniel at gmail.com>
>>>> *Date: *Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 9:01 AM
>>>> *To: *Stefan Savi? <stefansavicz at gmail.com>
>>>> *Cc: *lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org <
>>>> lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
>>>> *Subject: *Re: [Lingtyp] Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a
>>>> cross-linguistic perspective
>>>>
>>>> [EXTERNAL SENDER - PROCEED CAUTIOUSLY]
>>>>
>>>> Dear Pun Ho Lui,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> In Russian strong speech, 'penis' is used as a non-referential NP in
>>>> different type of emphatic negation; including constructions very similar
>>>> to what you quote. See for examples, some way below. Note that "??" is a
>>>> negative particle distinct from regular negative "??" and commonly (though
>>>> not exclusively) used under the scope of clausal negation; I am not sure
>>>> how to gloss it.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sincerely,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Michael Daniel
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ?? ?? ??? ?? ?????
>>>>
>>>> he.nom not penis-Sg.Gen not knows
>>>>
>>>> 'he does not know anything at all'
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ??? ????, ? ?? ??????
>>>>
>>>> penis.Sg.Nom you.sg-Dat, and not money
>>>>
>>>> 'You are not getting anything, you are not (instead of) getting any
>>>> money'
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ?? ??? (??????-???)
>>>>
>>>> not penis-Sg.Gen (similar-N.Sg.Gen)
>>>>
>>>> 'Nothing like that at all!'
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ??, 13 ???. 2023??. ? 14:45, Stefan Savi? <stefansavicz at gmail.com>:
>>>>
>>>> Dear Pun Ho Lui, Dear All,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> In BCMS/Serbocroatian one can also use the genitive singular form *?avola
>>>> *("devil") in the same function, now hardly considered a swear word per
>>>> se, but once it definitely was (along with other religious terms). As a
>>>> matter of fact, in numerous such instances, the nominative singular
>>>> *kurac* is often replaceable with the genitive singular *?avola *(whereby
>>>> the latter sounds considerably milder than the former).
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Best,
>>>>
>>>> Stefan
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, 13 Jun 2023 at 14:35, Pun Ho Lui <luiph001 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Dear linguists,
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Swearwords/taboo words can function as a negator (1) or
>>>> minimizer/?squatitive? (2):
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> (1) Cantonese
>>>>
>>>> ? ? ?
>>>>
>>>> 1sg dick know
>>>>
>>>> ?I don?t know.?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> (2) I learn fuck all/ shit.
>>>>
>>>> ?I learn nothing.?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Other languages with these pattens include:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> - Russian
>>>>
>>>> - German *einen Teufel *?a devil?
>>>>
>>>> - Swedish *s? fan Heller*
>>>>
>>>> *- *French *mon cul* ?my ass? (?)
>>>>
>>>> - Polish *chuj *?dick?; *g?wno *?shit?
>>>>
>>>> - Serbian *kurac *?penis'
>>>>
>>>> - Croatian *kurac ?penis?*
>>>>
>>>> - Colloquail Finnish ?aggressive mood?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> These examples are provided in:
>>>> https://www.facebook.com/groups/lingtyp/permalink/6751622964867235/
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I am wondering if there are other languages performing similar
>>>> constructions. If so, is the any requirement for using them.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Thank you.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Warmest,
>>>>
>>>> Pun Ho Lui
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Lingtyp mailing list
>>>> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
>>>> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Lingtyp mailing list
>>>> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
>>>> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Lingtyp mailing list
>>>> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org
>>>> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>> _______________________________________________
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2023 14:22:13 +0000
> From: Tom Koss <Tom.Koss at uantwerpen.be>
> To: Michael Daniel <misha.daniel at gmail.com>, Ian Joo
> <ian_joo at nucba.ac.jp>
> Cc: "<LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>"
> <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a
> cross-linguistic perspective
> Message-ID:
> <AS8PR05MB10112968FB5D1D775431793A09A55A at AS8PR05MB10112.eurprd05.prod.outlook.com>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Dear all,
>
> German einen Schei? ("a shit" in the accusative case) might also qualify.
>
> Ein-en ? ????? Schei? werde ich tun!
> INDF-ACC ?? shit FUT I do
> lit.: "A shit is what I will do!", intended: "I won't do anything."
>
> Ein-en ?????Schei? sehe ich.
> INDF-ACC shit see I
> lit.: "A shit is what I see!", intended: "I don't see anything."
>
> I think nowadays this expression is more common than einen Teufel, which sounds quite a bit dated.
>
> All best,
> Tom Koss
> PhD student University of Antwerp
>
> ________________________________
> From: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> on behalf of Michael Daniel <misha.daniel at gmail.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 3:50 PM
> To: Ian Joo <ian_joo at nucba.ac.jp>
> Cc: <LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG> <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a cross-linguistic perspective
>
> CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
>
> This is true.
>
> But I think my second Russian example, where 'penis' means nothing, can qualify; and also examples are possible like 'penis it knows' for 'I don't / no one knows', where no regular negative particle is used. This is pretty common in collquial communication, so much so that it made it to a rare phenomenon of acronym in spoken language - ?? [??ze] 'I don't know; this is unclear' from lit. penis knows.
>
> Michael
>
> ??, 13 ???. 2023??. ? 15:44, Ian Joo <ian_joo at nucba.ac.jp<mailto:ian_joo at nucba.ac.jp>>:
> Dear all,
>
> technically speaking, I think Pun Ho Lui?s original question was swear words acting as negators, not just intensifiers.
> So phrases like ?I don?t know shit? wouldn?t apply, only those like ?I know shit? (intended meaning: I don?t know anything).
>
> Regards,
> Ian
>
> 13/6/2023 ?? 3:37, Eitan Grossman <eitan.grossman at mail.huji.ac.il<mailto:eitan.grossman at mail.huji.ac.il>> ??:
>
> I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but Jespersen already discussed this phenomenon to some extent in his 1917 monograph on negation, and it was extended by many including Ross & Postal, Horn, and others (e.g., 'squatitive negation' as in 'You don't know doodly-squat.')
>
> For the sake of typology, some of the Hebrew terms for penis (mainly zayin and zibbi, the latter a loanword) also show the behavior mentioned by Pun Ho Lui, Misha, and others.
>
> On Tue, Jun 13, 2023 at 4:23?PM Lewis C Howe <chowe at uga.edu<mailto:chowe at uga.edu>> wrote:
>
> Hi Pun Ho Lui and all,
>
> These patterns are relatively common in Romance Languages. For instance, in Spanish you can find the following:
>
> (No) me importa un(a) co?o|pedo|chingada|polla|etc.
>
> NEG 1sg.ACC matter.3sg a vagina|fart|fuck|dick|etc.
>
> ?I don?t care at all.?
>
> There are a number of lexical options, which, not surprisingly, are quite dialectally diverse. The preverbal negation is optional, and, for some speakers in some collocations, may in fact be dispreferred.
>
> Following up on the comment about ?avola ("devil") in BCMS/Serbo-Croation, there?s a similar construction in Romance (illustrated below in Spanish) that (typically) involves wh-words. This construction also includes similarly taboo lexical options?e.g., carajo ?shit?, cojones ?testicles?. These types of constructions, at least for English, are described by Pesetsky (1987) as ?Aggressively Non-D-Linked? wh-phrases.
>
> ?Qu? demonios quieres?
>
> What devils want.2sg
>
> ?What the hell do you want??
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Chad Howe
>
> Pesetsky, D. 1987. Wh-in-situ: Movement and unselective binding. In The representation of (in)definiteness, ed. by Eric Reuland and Alice G. B. ter Meulen, 98-130. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
>
> From: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org>> on behalf of Michael Daniel <misha.daniel at gmail.com<mailto:misha.daniel at gmail.com>>
> Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 9:01 AM
> To: Stefan Savi? <stefansavicz at gmail.com<mailto:stefansavicz at gmail.com>>
> Cc: lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org> <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>>
> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a cross-linguistic perspective
>
> [EXTERNAL SENDER - PROCEED CAUTIOUSLY]
>
> Dear Pun Ho Lui,
>
> In Russian strong speech, 'penis' is used as a non-referential NP in different type of emphatic negation; including constructions very similar to what you quote. See for examples, some way below. Note that "??" is a negative particle distinct from regular negative "??" and commonly (though not exclusively) used under the scope of clausal negation; I am not sure how to gloss it.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Michael Daniel
>
> ?? ?? ??? ?? ?????
>
> he.nom not penis-Sg.Gen not knows
>
> 'he does not know anything at all'
>
> ??? ????, ? ?? ??????
>
> penis.Sg.Nom you.sg-Dat, and not money
>
> 'You are not getting anything, you are not (instead of) getting any money'
>
> ?? ??? (??????-???)
>
> not penis-Sg.Gen (similar-N.Sg.Gen)
>
> 'Nothing like that at all!'
>
> ??, 13 ???. 2023??. ? 14:45, Stefan Savi? <stefansavicz at gmail.com<mailto:stefansavicz at gmail.com>>:
>
> Dear Pun Ho Lui, Dear All,
>
> In BCMS/Serbocroatian one can also use the genitive singular form ?avola ("devil") in the same function, now hardly considered a swear word per se, but once it definitely was (along with other religious terms). As a matter of fact, in numerous such instances, the nominative singular kurac is often replaceable with the genitive singular ?avola (whereby the latter sounds considerably milder than the former).
>
> Best,
>
> Stefan
>
> On Tue, 13 Jun 2023 at 14:35, Pun Ho Lui <luiph001 at gmail.com<mailto:luiph001 at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> Dear linguists,
>
> Swearwords/taboo words can function as a negator (1) or minimizer/?squatitive? (2):
>
> (1) Cantonese
>
> ? ? ?
>
> 1sg dick know
>
> ?I don?t know.?
>
> (2) I learn fuck all/ shit.
>
> ?I learn nothing.?
>
> Other languages with these pattens include:
>
> - Russian
>
> - German einen Teufel ?a devil?
>
> - Swedish s? fan Heller
>
> - French mon cul ?my ass? (?)
>
> - Polish chuj ?dick?; g?wno ?shit?
>
> - Serbian kurac ?penis'
>
> - Croatian kurac ?penis?
>
> - Colloquail Finnish ?aggressive mood?
>
> These examples are provided in: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lingtyp/permalink/6751622964867235/
>
> I am wondering if there are other languages performing similar constructions. If so, is the any requirement for using them.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Warmest,
>
> Pun Ho Lui
>
> _______________________________________________
> Lingtyp mailing list
> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>
> _______________________________________________
> Lingtyp mailing list
> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>
> _______________________________________________
> Lingtyp mailing list
> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
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> Lingtyp mailing list
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>
> _______________________________________________
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2023 14:33:11 +0000
> From: Mira Ariel <mariel at tauex.tau.ac.il>
> To: Ian Joo <ian_joo at nucba.ac.jp>,
> "<LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>"
> <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a
> cross-linguistic perspective
> Message-ID:
> <AM6PR02MB397587938E4F71B1C992F6E6D055A at AM6PR02MB3975.eurprd02.prod.outlook.com>
>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Hi,
>
> True, but we know the fate of negative strengtheners. Think of French pas...
>
> Mira
> ________________________________
> From: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org> on behalf of Ian Joo <ian_joo at nucba.ac.jp>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 6:43 AM
> To: <LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG> <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a cross-linguistic perspective
>
> Dear all,
>
> technically speaking, I think Pun Ho Lui?s original question was swear words acting as negators, not just intensifiers.
> So phrases like ?I don?t know shit? wouldn?t apply, only those like ?I know shit? (intended meaning: I don?t know anything).
>
> Regards,
> Ian
>
> 13/6/2023 ?? 3:37, Eitan Grossman <eitan.grossman at mail.huji.ac.il> ??:
>
> I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but Jespersen already discussed this phenomenon to some extent in his 1917 monograph on negation, and it was extended by many including Ross & Postal, Horn, and others (e.g., 'squatitive negation' as in 'You don't know doodly-squat.')
>
> For the sake of typology, some of the Hebrew terms for penis (mainly zayin and zibbi, the latter a loanword) also show the behavior mentioned by Pun Ho Lui, Misha, and others.
>
> On Tue, Jun 13, 2023 at 4:23?PM Lewis C Howe <chowe at uga.edu<mailto:chowe at uga.edu>> wrote:
>
> Hi Pun Ho Lui and all,
>
> These patterns are relatively common in Romance Languages. For instance, in Spanish you can find the following:
>
> (No) me importa un(a) co?o|pedo|chingada|polla|etc.
>
> NEG 1sg.ACC matter.3sg a vagina|fart|fuck|dick|etc.
>
> ?I don?t care at all.?
>
> There are a number of lexical options, which, not surprisingly, are quite dialectally diverse. The preverbal negation is optional, and, for some speakers in some collocations, may in fact be dispreferred.
>
> Following up on the comment about ?avola ("devil") in BCMS/Serbo-Croation, there?s a similar construction in Romance (illustrated below in Spanish) that (typically) involves wh-words. This construction also includes similarly taboo lexical options?e.g., carajo ?shit?, cojones ?testicles?. These types of constructions, at least for English, are described by Pesetsky (1987) as ?Aggressively Non-D-Linked? wh-phrases.
>
> ?Qu? demonios quieres?
>
> What devils want.2sg
>
> ?What the hell do you want??
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Chad Howe
>
> Pesetsky, D. 1987. Wh-in-situ: Movement and unselective binding. In The representation of (in)definiteness, ed. by Eric Reuland and Alice G. B. ter Meulen, 98-130. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
>
> From: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org>> on behalf of Michael Daniel <misha.daniel at gmail.com<mailto:misha.daniel at gmail.com>>
> Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 9:01 AM
> To: Stefan Savi? <stefansavicz at gmail.com<mailto:stefansavicz at gmail.com>>
> Cc: lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org> <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org<mailto:lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>>
> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a cross-linguistic perspective
>
> [EXTERNAL SENDER - PROCEED CAUTIOUSLY]
>
> Dear Pun Ho Lui,
>
> In Russian strong speech, 'penis' is used as a non-referential NP in different type of emphatic negation; including constructions very similar to what you quote. See for examples, some way below. Note that "??" is a negative particle distinct from regular negative "??" and commonly (though not exclusively) used under the scope of clausal negation; I am not sure how to gloss it.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Michael Daniel
>
> ?? ?? ??? ?? ?????
>
> he.nom not penis-Sg.Gen not knows
>
> 'he does not know anything at all'
>
> ??? ????, ? ?? ??????
>
> penis.Sg.Nom you.sg-Dat, and not money
>
> 'You are not getting anything, you are not (instead of) getting any money'
>
> ?? ??? (??????-???)
>
> not penis-Sg.Gen (similar-N.Sg.Gen)
>
> 'Nothing like that at all!'
>
> ??, 13 ???. 2023??. ? 14:45, Stefan Savi? <stefansavicz at gmail.com<mailto:stefansavicz at gmail.com>>:
>
> Dear Pun Ho Lui, Dear All,
>
> In BCMS/Serbocroatian one can also use the genitive singular form ?avola ("devil") in the same function, now hardly considered a swear word per se, but once it definitely was (along with other religious terms). As a matter of fact, in numerous such instances, the nominative singular kurac is often replaceable with the genitive singular ?avola (whereby the latter sounds considerably milder than the former).
>
> Best,
>
> Stefan
>
> On Tue, 13 Jun 2023 at 14:35, Pun Ho Lui <luiph001 at gmail.com<mailto:luiph001 at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> Dear linguists,
>
> Swearwords/taboo words can function as a negator (1) or minimizer/?squatitive? (2):
>
> (1) Cantonese
>
> ? ? ?
>
> 1sg dick know
>
> ?I don?t know.?
>
> (2) I learn fuck all/ shit.
>
> ?I learn nothing.?
>
> Other languages with these pattens include:
>
> - Russian
>
> - German einen Teufel ?a devil?
>
> - Swedish s? fan Heller
>
> - French mon cul ?my ass? (?)
>
> - Polish chuj ?dick?; g?wno ?shit?
>
> - Serbian kurac ?penis'
>
> - Croatian kurac ?penis?
>
> - Colloquail Finnish ?aggressive mood?
>
> These examples are provided in: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lingtyp/permalink/6751622964867235/
>
> I am wondering if there are other languages performing similar constructions. If so, is the any requirement for using them.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Warmest,
>
> Pun Ho Lui
>
> _______________________________________________
> Lingtyp mailing list
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2023 22:42:30 +0800
> From: Pun Ho Lui <luiph001 at gmail.com>
> To: Tom Koss <Tom.Koss at uantwerpen.be>
> Cc: Michael Daniel <misha.daniel at gmail.com>, Ian Joo
> <ian_joo at nucba.ac.jp>, "<LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>"
> <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a
> cross-linguistic perspective
> Message-ID: <9D27560B-27EA-4E7C-875F-D84E12AFE6A9 at gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Dear Tom Koss,
>
> Thank you for you example.
> Is it possible for ?shit? be accompanied by any negator/ ?nothing? and the like?
>
> Warmest,
> Pun Ho Lui (?Joe?)
>> Tom Koss <Tom.Koss at uantwerpen.be> ? 2023?6?13? ??10:22 ???
>>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> German einen Schei? ("a shit" in the accusative case) might also qualify.
>>
>> Ein-en ? ????? Schei? werde ich tun!
>> INDF-ACC ?? shit FUT I do
>> lit.: "A shit is what I will do!", intended: "I won't do anything."
>>
>> Ein-en ?????Schei? sehe ich.
>> INDF-ACC shit see I
>> lit.: "A shit is what I see!", intended: "I don't see anything."
>>
>> I think nowadays this expression is more common than einen Teufel, which sounds quite a bit dated.
>>
>> All best,
>> Tom Koss
>> PhD student University of Antwerp
>>
>>
>>
>> From: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org <mailto:lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org>> on behalf of Michael Daniel <misha.daniel at gmail.com <mailto:misha.daniel at gmail.com>>
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 3:50 PM
>> To: Ian Joo <ian_joo at nucba.ac.jp <mailto:ian_joo at nucba.ac.jp>>
>> Cc: <LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG <mailto:LINGTYP at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>> <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org <mailto:lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>>
>> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a cross-linguistic perspective
>>
>> CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.
>>
>> This is true.
>>
>> But I think my second Russian example, where 'penis' means nothing, can qualify; and also examples are possible like 'penis it knows' for 'I don't / no one knows', where no regular negative particle is used. This is pretty common in collquial communication, so much so that it made it to a rare phenomenon of acronym in spoken language - ?? [??ze] 'I don't know; this is unclear' from lit. penis knows.
>>
>> Michael
>>
>> ??, 13 ???. 2023??. ? 15:44, Ian Joo <ian_joo at nucba.ac.jp <mailto:ian_joo at nucba.ac.jp>>:
>> Dear all,
>>
>> technically speaking, I think Pun Ho Lui?s original question was swear words acting as negators, not just intensifiers.
>> So phrases like ?I don?t know shit? wouldn?t apply, only those like ?I know shit? (intended meaning: I don?t know anything).
>>
>> Regards,
>> Ian
>>
>>> 13/6/2023 ?? 3:37, Eitan Grossman <eitan.grossman at mail.huji.ac.il <mailto:eitan.grossman at mail.huji.ac.il>> ??:
>>>
>>> I don't know if anyone has mentioned this, but Jespersen already discussed this phenomenon to some extent in his 1917 monograph on negation, and it was extended by many including Ross & Postal, Horn, and others (e.g., 'squatitive negation' as in 'You don't know doodly-squat.')
>>>
>>> For the sake of typology, some of the Hebrew terms for penis (mainly zayin and zibbi, the latter a loanword) also show the behavior mentioned by Pun Ho Lui, Misha, and others.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Jun 13, 2023 at 4:23?PM Lewis C Howe <chowe at uga.edu <mailto:chowe at uga.edu>> wrote:
>>> Hi Pun Ho Lui and all,
>>>
>>> These patterns are relatively common in Romance Languages. For instance, in Spanish you can find the following:
>>>
>>> (No) me importa un(a) co?o|pedo|chingada|polla|etc.
>>> NEG 1sg.ACC matter.3sg a vagina|fart|fuck|dick|etc.
>>> ?I don?t care at all.?
>>>
>>> There are a number of lexical options, which, not surprisingly, are quite dialectally diverse. The preverbal negation is optional, and, for some speakers in some collocations, may in fact be dispreferred.
>>>
>>> Following up on the comment about ?avola ("devil") in BCMS/Serbo-Croation, there?s a similar construction in Romance (illustrated below in Spanish) that (typically) involves wh-words. This construction also includes similarly taboo lexical options?e.g., carajo ?shit?, cojones ?testicles?. These types of constructions, at least for English, are described by Pesetsky (1987) as ?Aggressively Non-D-Linked? wh-phrases.
>>>
>>> ?Qu? demonios quieres?
>>> What devils want.2sg
>>> ?What the hell do you want??
>>>
>>> Best wishes,
>>> Chad Howe
>>>
>>> Pesetsky, D. 1987. Wh-in-situ: Movement and unselective binding. In The representation of (in)definiteness, ed. by Eric Reuland and Alice G. B. ter Meulen, 98-130. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
>>>
>>>
>>> From: Lingtyp <lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org <mailto:lingtyp-bounces at listserv.linguistlist.org>> on behalf of Michael Daniel <misha.daniel at gmail.com <mailto:misha.daniel at gmail.com>>
>>> Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 at 9:01 AM
>>> To: Stefan Savi? <stefansavicz at gmail.com <mailto:stefansavicz at gmail.com>>
>>> Cc: lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org <mailto:lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org> <lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org <mailto:lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>>
>>> Subject: Re: [Lingtyp] Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a cross-linguistic perspective
>>>
>>> [EXTERNAL SENDER - PROCEED CAUTIOUSLY]
>>>
>>> Dear Pun Ho Lui,
>>>
>>> In Russian strong speech, 'penis' is used as a non-referential NP in different type of emphatic negation; including constructions very similar to what you quote. See for examples, some way below. Note that "??" is a negative particle distinct from regular negative "??" and commonly (though not exclusively) used under the scope of clausal negation; I am not sure how to gloss it.
>>>
>>>
>>> Sincerely,
>>>
>>> Michael Daniel
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ?? ?? ??? ?? ?????
>>> he.nom not penis-Sg.Gen not knows
>>> 'he does not know anything at all'
>>>
>>> ??? ????, ? ?? ??????
>>> penis.Sg.Nom you.sg-Dat, and not money
>>> 'You are not getting anything, you are not (instead of) getting any money'
>>>
>>> ?? ??? (??????-???)
>>> not penis-Sg.Gen (similar-N.Sg.Gen)
>>> 'Nothing like that at all!'
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ??, 13 ???. 2023??. ? 14:45, Stefan Savi? <stefansavicz at gmail.com <mailto:stefansavicz at gmail.com>>:
>>> Dear Pun Ho Lui, Dear All,
>>>
>>> In BCMS/Serbocroatian one can also use the genitive singular form ?avola ("devil") in the same function, now hardly considered a swear word per se, but once it definitely was (along with other religious terms). As a matter of fact, in numerous such instances, the nominative singular kurac is often replaceable with the genitive singular ?avola (whereby the latter sounds considerably milder than the former).
>>>
>>> Best,
>>> Stefan
>>>
>>> On Tue, 13 Jun 2023 at 14:35, Pun Ho Lui <luiph001 at gmail.com <mailto:luiph001 at gmail.com>> wrote:
>>> Dear linguists,
>>>
>>> Swearwords/taboo words can function as a negator (1) or minimizer/?squatitive? (2):
>>>
>>> (1) Cantonese
>>> ? ? ?
>>> 1sg dick know
>>> ?I don?t know.?
>>>
>>> (2) I learn fuck all/ shit.
>>> ?I learn nothing.?
>>>
>>> Other languages with these pattens include:
>>>
>>> - Russian
>>> - German einen Teufel ?a devil?
>>> - Swedish s? fan Heller
>>> - French mon cul ?my ass? (?)
>>> - Polish chuj ?dick?; g?wno ?shit?
>>> - Serbian kurac ?penis'
>>> - Croatian kurac ?penis?
>>> - Colloquail Finnish ?aggressive mood?
>>>
>>> These examples are provided in: https://www.facebook.com/groups/lingtyp/permalink/6751622964867235/ <https://www.facebook.com/groups/lingtyp/permalink/6751622964867235/>
>>>
>>> I am wondering if there are other languages performing similar constructions. If so, is the any requirement for using them.
>>>
>>> Thank you.
>>>
>>> Warmest,
>>> Pun Ho Lui
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Lingtyp mailing list
>>> Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org <mailto:Lingtyp at listserv.linguistlist.org>
>>> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp <https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp>
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>>
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