An interesting example of assumptions even professional linguists make...

[tree_and_leaf]

I came across a post on Language Log - the story which inspired it is well worth clicking through, too, as it's the tale of one Australian farmer* trying to get rid of her 'arsehole geese' on social media with radical honesty.

What brought me up short, though, was the author's observation that

Most dictionaries I consulted classify "arsehole" as vulgar and offensive, but I always thought of it as a jocular, watered-down version of another word.

And I sat there racking my brains as to what on earth 'arsehole' could be a jocular euphemism for. I mean, surely he couldn't mean 'cunt', because it's not the same body part at all....

The comments shed more light, and a consensus emerged that North Americans seem likely to think that 'arsehole' is a humorous/ archaic term that's less offensive than 'asshole', whereas British and Australians tend to think that 'asshole' is a relatively harmless Americanism.

They then continue on to a brief discussion of the difficulties nonnative speakers have in working out how offensive particular swearwords are (see: the baffling belief of many Germans that 'fuck' is not actually that rude). But it's fascinating to see the same phenomenon at work between two regional varieties of the same language!


* Though I'm not sure how long they've been farming; I could have told you geese were potentially trouble!

Comments

[sartorias]

Whereas American's think the German Schweinhund is funny.

[tree_and_leaf]

To be fair, I think 'Schweinhund' is slightly comical in German now, if only because it sounds so old fashioned.

[caulkhead]

I've heard it quite often in the phrase 'innere Schweinhund' (ie the bit of you that would rather sit around on the sofa than go and do whatever energetic thing you had in mind), but not on its own, I think.

[tree_and_leaf]

Yes, likewise - and 'innere Schweinhund' definitely isn't sweary.