[Lingtyp] Swearwords as a negator and/or minimizer: a cross-linguistic perspective
Paolo Ramat
paoram at unipv.it
Fri Jun 16 09:55:08 UTC 2023
Dear Randy, the plural _cats_ is phonetically equivalent to Ital. _cazzo_
/'katso/ with the usual dropping of the final vowel (more exactly a
schwa). Consequently, _cats_ seems ti be a loanword / espression used in
particular not formal contexts -- though the non-standard Ital. usual
vulgar form for "I have nothing" would be "Non ho un cazzo", with double
negation and article.
Best,
Paolo
Il Ven 16 Giu 2023, 10:57 Randy John LaPolla <RandyLaPolla at ntu.edu.sg> ha
scritto:
> Hi Pier,
> Growing up in an Italian neighborhood in New York, we would use a lot of
> Italian terms in our English, and one common expression (pronounced in the
> Napolitano way, with the final vowel dropped, as with Maron for Madona)
> was, for example if you were playing cards or some other game, “I got
> kats”, meaning 'I have nothing’.
>
> All the best,
> Randy
> ——
> Professor Randy J. LaPolla（罗仁地), PhD FAHA
> Center for Language Sciences
> Institute for Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences
> Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus
> A302, Muduo Building, #18 Jinfeng Road, Zhuhai City, Guangdong, China
>
> 邮编：519000
> 广东省珠海市唐家湾镇金凤路18号木铎楼A302
> 北京师范大学珠海校区
> 人文和社会科学高等研究院
> 语言科学研究中心
>
> On 15 Jun 2023, at 12:15 AM, Pier Marco Bertinetto <
> piermarco.bertinetto at sns.it> wrote:
>
> Dear All,
> I was hoping somebody else would provide the Italian view on this, but
> since nobody did... (well, Paolo Ramat did, but there is more to say about
> it).
>
> The word *cazzo* [katso] 'penis' is very often heard in colloquial
> speech, and one can now also hear it in the media, especially in
> entertainment programs (inconceivable until some 20 years ago).
> It can be used in different ways, for instance as a self-contained
> exclamation, expressing a wide range of meanings (both positive and
> negative ones).
> As far as I can tell, in negative clauses it is used in two ways:
>
> 1) as a negation emphasizer
> *Non ho capito un cazzo*
> 'I did not understand a hell (of it)'
>
> 2) as an emphatic negator
> *Col cazzo che ho capito* [lit. 'with the penis that I understood';
> strong emphasis on *cazzo*]
> Same meaning as above, but with the pragmatic addition of reacting to the
> contrary opinion (possibly, merely hypothesized as a rhetorical
> alternative).
>
> Needless to say, there are vernacular alternatives, like the originally
> Sicilian *minchia* [minkja], which is a possible alternative in usage
> (1). I am not sure I ever heard it in usage (2), but I cannot exclude that
> some people do. The interest here lies in the incipient grammaticalization
> path that one can detect from intensifier (1) to actual negator (2).
>
> Ad maiora!
> Pier Marco
>
>
>
> Il giorno mar 13 giu 2023 alle ore 22:50 Miestamo, Matti M P <
> matti.miestamo at helsinki.fi> ha scritto:
>
>> Hi, All,
>>
>> Finnish is quite interesting in this regard. Swearwords (e.g. paskat
>> ’shit’, vittu ’female genitals (vulgar)') can be used as negators clause
>> initially. The standard negation construction in Finnish has a negative
>> auxiliary inflected for person and number, and then the lexical verb
>> appears in a non-finite connegative form. Interestingly, with these
>> swearwords used as negators, the lexical verb can also appear in the
>> connegative form, so the swearword takes the place of the negative
>> auxiliary in the construction. There is some variation, though, and
>> sometimes the lexical verb occurs with finite inflecttions. Here are some
>> (colloquial Southern FInnish) examples:
>>
>> Mä laulan suihkus ’I sing in the shower'
>> 1SG sing.1SG shower.INE
>>
>> Mä en laula suihkus ’I don’t sing in the shower'
>> 1SG NEG.1SG sing.CNG shower.INE
>>
>> En mä suihkus laula ’I don’t sing in the *shower*’ (more contrastive
>> with the negator appearing initially)
>> NEG.1SG 1SG shower.INE sing.CNG
>>
>> Vittu mä suihkus laula ’I *don’t* sing in the shower’, ’The hell I sing
>> in the shower’
>> SW 1SG shower.INE sing.CNG
>>
>> Vitut mä suihkus laulan ’I *don’t* sing in the shower’, ’The hell I sing
>> in the shower’
>> SW.PL <http://sw.pl/> 1SG shower.INE sing.1SG
>>
>> (It has even been suggested that the personal pronoun is cliticized to
>> the swearword and then it could be seen as a paradigm — vittu-mä, vittu-sä,
>> etc. that has been half-humorously called the aggressive mood...)
>>
>> The system is more complicated than can be shown here, but I hope this
>> gives an idea of how it basically works. Unfortunately there isn’t much
>> written on it in English. (Note also that it is in many ways related to an
>> emphatic negative construction where negation is expressed without overt
>> negators; there is a short account of this in my paper "Negatives without
>> negators” in the 2010 Rara Rarissima volume.)
>>
>> Best,
>> Matti
>>
>> --
>> Matti Miestamo
>> https://www.mv.helsinki.fi/home/matmies/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > Eline Visser <eelienu at pm.me> kirjoitti 13.6.2023 kello 22.51:
>> >
>> >
>> > 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> wrote:
>> >>
>> >> Send Lingtyp mailing list submissions to
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>> >> Today's Topics:
>> >>
>> >> 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
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>> >> >>>
>> >> >> _______________________________________________
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>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >> _______________________________________________
>> >> >> Lingtyp mailing list
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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>
>> >> 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>
>> >> https://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/lingtyp
>> >> -------------- next part --------------
>> >> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
>> >> URL: <
>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lingtyp/attachments/20230613/fc5d375a/attachment-0001.htm
>> >
>> >>
>> >> ------------------------------
>> >>
>> >> 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
>> >> 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>
>> >> 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
>> >>
>> >> -------------- next part --------------
>> >> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
>> >> URL: <
>> http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/lingtyp/attachments/20230613/b93c89ca/attachment-0001.htm
>> >
>> >>
>> >> ------------------------------
>> >>
>> >> 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
>> >> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >> _______________________________________________
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>> >>
>> >> Subject: Digest Footer
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>> >>
>> >> ------------------------------
>> >>
>> >> End of Lingtyp Digest, Vol 105, Issue 10
>> >> ****************************************
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> --
>
> ========================================================= |||| Pier Marco Bertinetto
> ------ professore emerito
> /////// Scuola Normale Superiore
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