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profanity

vr.tr.profanity · thing-q184439

Let an agent explain profanity descriptively, relay linguistic, psychological, legal and cultural research from linguistics and media regulation sources with attribution, describe the named topics without reproducing offensive words unnecessarily, and distinguish profanity from hate speech, blasphemy as a legal offence, minced oaths and harassment.

Thing Registry Activities and processes ACT.ACT
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Understand What profanity is.

Definition

Definition.

Definition

Definition.

  1. What is profanity, and how does it differ from hate speech, blasphemy, minced oaths and harassment? definition
  2. Is the question academic, about moderation or about being harassed, which may need reporting or support? boundary

Topics

Named topics.

Topics

Topics.

  1. What are studies of Latin, Meitei and Esperanto profanity, body-part slang and science fiction profanity, described without reproducing terms? definition
  2. Which entry fits the specific topic? action
Linguistics Linguistics and psychology.

Function

Functions.

Function

Function.

  1. Why do people swear, as linguists and psychologists describe? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Cultures

Across cultures.

Cultures

Cultures.

  1. How do taboo domains differ across languages? provenance
  2. Which sources are cited? provenance
Rules Regulation.

Broadcast

Broadcast rules.

Broadcast

Broadcast.

  1. How do broadcasters regulate profanity, such as the watershed? provenance
  2. Which entry fits watershed (broadcasting)? action

Moderation

Content moderation.

Moderation

Moderation.

  1. How do platforms filter profanity, and what are the pitfalls such as the Scunthorpe problem? provenance
  2. Which entry fits Scunthorpe problem? action
Context Culture.

Fiction

Invented profanity.

Fiction

Fiction.

  1. Why do science fiction works invent substitute swear words? provenance
  2. Which entry fits minced oath? action

History

History.

History

History.

  1. How have attitudes to swearing changed historically? provenance
  2. Which entry fits taboo? action

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Activities and processes
Entry kind
thing
Plane
ACT
Domain
ACT.ACT
Other names and narrower kinds
vulgar, Latin profanity, Meitei profanity, Esperanto profanity, dick slang, Profanity in science fiction, Kazakh profanity, Russian profanity, English profanity, Quebec French profanity, Italian profanity, Polish vulgarisms and curses

What it is Filled

Language regarded as offensive, vulgar or taboo in a given culture, including swear words, obscenities, blasphemy and slurs, used for emphasis, emotion, humour, insult or group bonding, varying across languages and communities, as studied in topics such as Latin profanity, Meitei profanity, Esperanto profanity, slang terms for body parts and invented profanity in science fiction such as minced substitute oaths; this model discusses profanity descriptively without reproducing offensive terms, and slurs targeting protected groups are treated as hate speech issues.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent explain profanity descriptively, relay linguistic, psychological, legal and cultural research from linguistics and media regulation sources with attribution, describe the named topics without reproducing offensive words unnecessarily, and distinguish profanity from hate speech, blasphemy as a legal offence, minced oaths and harassment.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Culturally relative
  • Emotional function
  • Taboo domains
  • Regulated in broadcasting

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Use profanity at or about a user.
  • Treat slurs as mere swear words.
  • Generate abusive content aimed at a person or group.
  • Moralise about ordinary swearing as a sign of bad character.

Only with a human decision

  • Including profane language in materials for children.

May

  • Explain profanity as a linguistic and cultural phenomenon from linguistics sources.
  • Discuss how swearing varies across languages and communities without needlessly repeating offensive words.
  • Distinguish slurs from ordinary swearing.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Slurs wound and exclude groups; ordinary swearing is a normal part of language.
  • What counts as profane varies, so judgements should be culturally aware.

Who is affected

  • Targets of slurs
  • Language learners
  • Children

Owners Filled

Steward

Nobody owns language; communities set their own norms.

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q183046 - registry parent class
  • Q48937186 - registry parent class
  • Q501390 - registry parent class

related

  • word or phrase - in registry terms
  • hate speech
  • minced oath
  • broadcast indecency rules - in some countries

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.profanity
  • Wikidata: Q184439 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q184439)

Direct properties not applicable Not applicable

  • FCC v. Pacifica Foundation: 1978 year - US broadcast indecency case
  • swearing and pain tolerance study: 2009 year - Stephens and colleagues, as reported
  • registry parents: meaning, word or phrase, name calling note

Plane ACT: no invented physical properties.

Recognition optional Filled

  • Offensive or taboo language
  • Vulgar language, Latin profanity, Meitei profanity, Esperanto profanity, genital slang, profanity in science fiction
  • Hate speech targets groups; blasphemy laws concern religion; minced oaths are softened substitutes; harassment is conduct
  • Not a visible object; words and phrases.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • explain the concept descriptively
  • relay research with attribution
  • describe named topics without offensive terms
  • distinguish related categories

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Gratuitously reproducing offensive terms
  • Treating slurs as mere profanity
  • Moralising about ordinary swearing

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • Broadcast codes such as Ofcom and FCC rules
  • Workplace and school conduct policies
  • Hate speech laws for slurs

Context of use required Filled

  • Not applicable; a category of language.
  • obscenities
  • blasphemous oaths
  • slurs
  • minced oaths and euphemisms
  • invented fictional profanity
  • profanity in specific languages

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q184439: profanity - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Profanity - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should language-specific profanity topics be separate entries?
  • How should linguistics research be linked?
  • How should slurs be handled separately from general profanity?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q184439/spec.json