The Far Reaching Implications of the “F” Word

The “F word”. Recently I heard someone declare the “F” word to be the most versatile word in the English language. Insert it anywhere!  I am so “F-ing” sick of those “F-ing” refs!   What the “F” ?!! “F” this!   “F” that! What an “F-er”!  Oh “F”! That’s “F-ing” sick!! I saved the “F-ing” turtle! (I actually heard a kid belt that one out after he helped a turtle cross the road). You get my drift.  My opinion of the “F” word?  It’s a coarse word that anyone with intelligence or class should avoid.  Yet we all use it, myself included,at my weakest moments.  And it worries me….

There is a language disorder known as global aphasia. Global aphasia is characterized by the complete loss of the ability to comprehend spoken or written language. Verbal expression is limited to words or short automatic phrases such as explicatives. Meaning can sometimes appear to be present because of the emotional content of the explicatives.  Global aphasia can occur as a result of a head injury, stroke, or dementia, the most common example being Alzheimer’s disease. In my years as a speech therapist, I have treated dozens of people with global aphasia and observed many more who were resistant to treatment. I had one patient who could only say the number “one”.  I treated a priest who could only say “G-Damn it!”  So I know this condition occurs frequently! And it worries me…

One may ask, why do automatic phrases such as “1,2,3” and expletives survive when all other language is wiped out? The answer is frequency of use and emotional charge. Therefore, sequences we have rehearsed since we were very young such as counting or words we have said in an emotional situation, like “damn it”  are likely to persist even when every other word is gone. So what are the far reaching implications of the “F” word?  We are likely to hear it a lot.  It is both used frequently and in emotionally charged situations. It’s a double whammy.  It’s gonna be “F-ing” nasty!