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You could teach her that "fuck" is a good word to express a specific emotion. Using it all the time risks other people thinking she is vulgar. Using it at just the right moment can be very effective in conveying her thinking.

I have a new daughter, and this is the approach I'm going to try. We'll try to convey that there are no bad words, per se -- only more or less appropriate times to use words. We'll also point out others' likely reactions.

I still remember how in University a friend of mine who "never" swore got everyone to pay attention when she finally did say "fuck".




Which specific emotion does "fuck" express? It seems to me like the word doesn't really express a specific emotion, rather tends to add some vague sense of anger to whatever else you were trying to express.


True. The "specific emotion" bit seems like nonsense, in retrospect. I guess it would be more accurate to say that "fuck" can be an effective way to convey sharp emphasis, or the vague frustration you mentioned.




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