Thursday, April 15, 2010

I fucking swear!

There's this interesting article in the NY Times that discusses the topic of cussing. I personally don't cuss very much especially as I get older. I still remember my young careless days when I used to cussed like a rum-soaked sailor. Not so much anymore, but when I do cuss I tend to do it with much gusto. One of the writers in the article mentions that a person finds it natural to cuss in his/her native language. It makes me wonder what language do I usually use when I cuss. The cuss has to be spontaneous and un-contrived. In other words it has to be naturally expressed, and I notice that I tend to do a lot of cussing when I'm driving - like every other driver on the road, I guess. Since driving in itself is a neutral, non-verbal act it means that any spontaneous verbal outburst would be expressed in one's own native language, as the presupposition goes. It got me thinking. I find myself cussing in both Malay and English when I'm driving, which, I guess, effectively makes me a bilingual native speaker. I realize that I have no control of what cuss words that come out of my mouth. It can easily be "pukimak kau" or "stupid motherfucker" for all I know. It then leads to another curiousity: in its natural resting state what language does my mind use? Do I dream in Malay or English? But then again, what the fuck do I know?

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