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Ec-ran was crouched beside the still form of Ero, swaying strangely. When he heard Huvuraft's command, he paused, wrinkled his nose, and said, "I've already done all that. I don't like you Huvuraft."

Huvuraft turned his head sharply, "Paranaath ess..." But his cry ended in a roar: Furesh had half turned, pinned his wrist to the ground, drew it backwards, tore the sinews of the arm away.

Often growling, slamming something or slapping your forehead stands in for swearing.

It would also be funny if a character, in a moment of failure, started yelling, "Head-desk! Head-desk!" Of course, that would only make sense in a modern setting.

Heehee! Oh, our chat-wired generation...

For example: Racdrops, Frink, Sprink, and many other words are "bad" in these books

Author:	Green Mist [ December 18th, 2011, 10:53 am ]
Post subject:	Fake Vulgar Language
Hello everyone! I have been reading the Legend of the Guardians series, and I noticed something that really caught my eye! In this book, the author decided to make some vulgar or "bad" words that weren't vulgar in our language! For example: Racdrops, Frink, Sprink, and many other words are "bad" in these books, and I was wondering: Does your story have any fake vulgar words? How did you come up with them? How "bad" are they?

Author:	Lady Eruwaedhiel [ December 18th, 2011, 5:54 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
I don't have any nonsense words that are only used for swear words, because the idea of a particular series of sounds that have no other meaning otherwise being offensive is just silly to me. I do, however, have words that have a cultural or moral significance that are used as swear words. Most to all of these are used by the elves, as they are the most prominent race with a culture different from humans'. Their "colorful" language includes: Faithful or Wraiths of the Faithful: Faithful are sworn servants of Quintor (God). Not a term to be used inappropriately in polite company. By the Seven Bridges or By the Seven Bridges of Estielle: Refers to the elven river-city; a mild expletive. Mí-adh: Elvish for ill luck. Fairly mild. By Laecla: Refers to the elven homeland. Fairly mild. I know there are more, but I can't think of any right now...

Author:	Tsahraf ChahsidMimetes [ December 20th, 2011, 3:57 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
Quote: Ec-ran was crouched beside the still form of Ero, swaying strangely. When he heard Huvuraft's command, he paused, wrinkled his nose, and said, "I've already done all that. I don't like you Huvuraft." Huvuraft turned his head sharply, "Paranaath ess..." But his cry ended in a roar: Furesh had half turned, pinned his wrist to the ground, drew it backwards, tore the sinews of the arm away. As far as I know this is all I have done of that sort. Huvuraft is beginning to curse in another language. It was not exclamatory, but was more of what Rab-Shakeh did. There are two times that I can remember in the Bible where exclamatory foul language is used, and both times the Bible does not quote it; it says what they did, rather than what they said: 1 Samuel 17:43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. Mark 14:70 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. 71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. There is something different about exclamatory cursing, swearing, blasphemy and so on, that is different from the argumentative sort, and I do not believe it should be written, maybe not even in another language. The argumentative sort would be like this: Exodus 5:2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. Something interesting: the Bible gives a list of abominations at one point, and says that they are the specific abominations that he is punishing the Canaanites for, and in that list in the middle of all kinds of sexual abominations it says that they took the name of the LORD in vain: Leviticus 18:21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. ...27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) 28 That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you.

Author:	Lady Elanor [ December 20th, 2011, 10:23 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
Wonderful, informative post there, Tsahraf. Thank you!

Author:	Green Mist [ December 20th, 2011, 1:42 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
That's really interesting, Tsahraf!

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Author:	AzlynRose [ December 20th, 2011, 2:21 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
Agrees Thank you for posting that, Tsa. Gives us some interesting thoughts on the matter. Nods

Author:	Lady Eruwaedhiel [ December 21st, 2011, 10:01 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
I use it more for showing culture instead of shock value since the reader doesn't know what most of it means when it first appears. What do you think about that?

Author:	Green Mist [ December 21st, 2011, 10:19 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
That makes sense.

Author:	Riniel Jasmina [ December 21st, 2011, 10:56 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
I've heard it said that swears originated from calling on the name of your deity, so "Holy Cow" is from India. Modern swears are basically the same, except in a humanistic society people have switched to invoking the name of refuse and incest or naming that power their own by condemning something directly. I don't know how far I consider this to count... I know not all interjections are wrong (I say rats and shucks but that doesn't mean I worship rodents or corn husks) but it kind of makes you want to think before you say anything. On the other hand, "By the shucks of <insert corn god>" would be a pretty funny expletive.

Author:	kingjon [ December 21st, 2011, 11:34 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
Perhaps the best example of this being well-done that I can think of is in (the late) Anne McCaffrey's Pern books, where it's nearly all along the lines of "Shells!", "By the First Shell!", and so on---this being (supposedly) an (if I recall correctly) deliberately-atheistic (thus the complete absence of any references to God) colony that's forgotten its origins, and whose survival depends on the (originally genetically-engineered) dragons. If you're going to use your characters' expletives, oaths, etc., for subtle worldbuilding---and whether or not this is advisable is a good question---I suggest exploring McCaffrey's approach.

Author:	Green Mist [ December 22nd, 2011, 8:33 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
Thank you kingjon!

Author:	Tsahraf ChahsidMimetes [ December 22nd, 2011, 1:26 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
There are, of course, exclamations that are completely innocent, the most obvious one being "Oh!." And there is the exclaiming of random words, as long as you make sure you are not actually using vulgar language. A lot of seemingly nonsense words people say are actually the worst kind of language. An example of how it happens (with something I do not consider as wrong as the rest because it is based on the Catholic religion) is "blimey:" it is actually a slurring of "bloody Mary." I would not use it, because it is vulgar and disrespectful, but I would not use "holy cow" either, because it is connected with Buddhism. Basically if you hear someone using a nonsense sounding word as an exclamation you need to find out what it means before you use it yourself, though of course the person you hear using it may not know what it means either. One that is not a wrong exclamation is "yuck," which is an onomatopoeia of vomiting. I use "akh" usually.

Author:	Aemi [ December 22nd, 2011, 1:30 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
Often growling, slamming something or slapping your forehead stands in for swearing.

Author:	Aemi [ December 22nd, 2011, 1:50 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
But none of those are as good as keeping your cool, of course. That character must have had a problem with anger management. It would also be funny if a character, in a moment of failure, started yelling, "Head-desk! Head-desk!" Of course, that would only make sense in a modern setting.

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Author:	AzlynRose [ December 22nd, 2011, 6:29 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
Aemi wrote: Often growling, slamming something or slapping your forehead stands in for swearing. That sounds very interesting. Aemi wrote: It would also be funny if a character, in a moment of failure, started yelling, "Head-desk! Head-desk!" Of course, that would only make sense in a modern setting. Laughs Oh dear, that would be funny! The terms you could make up with worldbuilding....

Author:	Green Mist [ December 22nd, 2011, 9:04 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
Haha!! That would be hilarious!!! In a short story I made, my main character says "Ugh! Face-palm!".

Author:	Aemi [ December 23rd, 2011, 12:09 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
Heehee! Oh, our chat-wired generation...

Author:	Tsahraf ChahsidMimetes [ December 26th, 2011, 4:21 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
Aemi wrote: Heehee! Oh, our chat-wired generation... Though you realize that some of things that have come from being used on chat, such as face-palm or does something are quite understandable (though unfamiliar to different people) and could have come from somewhere other than computer use. It is only that certain devices of language are more likely to be used by people who talk about certain things or communicate in certain ways. For instance, some airplane pilots would use acronyms a lot from using radios. End of lecturebubble.

Author:	Mistress Kidh [ August 20th, 2012, 11:59 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
I do not write fake vulgar language so much as vulgar I do not know the meaning of.... Sometimes my characters are less than clean. They say things that are less than clean. But I don't translate it, and I don't want to. I don't ask what it means. I suppose that comes out the same as the examples you gave, just sort of a different perspective... Green Mist de Mimetes wrote: For example: Racdrops, Frink, Sprink, and many other words are "bad" in these books I also have bad words in my books that I do know the meaning of but which I do not translate anyway for the sake of my readers. Green Mist de Mimetes wrote: How "bad" are they? Depends on the word. Some are extremely crude, the ones which I do not ask about. Some are not. There are also some words that are actually very 'bad' that I do translate, because to an English person they aren't bad. I just portray the badness through the affect on the people hearing it there.

Author:	Green Mist [ August 24th, 2012, 8:10 pm ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
Wise choice.

Author:	Lady Abigail Mimetes [ February 18th, 2015, 12:24 am ]
Post subject:	Re: Fake Vulgar Language
My elves are the only ones so far with an actual "bad" word, which is in the form of an insult. I don't know if it's translated or not, but you learn the meaning through reactions and context.