French-Canadian curse words

[kedrys]

My sister send me this article from the WaPo - reminded me of a cussword thread we had a couple of weeks ago.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/04/AR2006120401286.html

Enjoy the cultural diversity or something. :rofl:

[Flaxbee]

1. Actually the article makes a very interesting point:

"When you get mad, you look for words that attack what represses you," said Louise Lamarre, a Montreal cinematographer who must tread lightly around the language, depending on whether her films are in French or English. "In America, you are so Puritan that the swearing is mostly about sex. Here, since we were repressed so long by the church, people use religious terms."


I was in Montreal a few months ago and heard "Tabernac!" as a cuss/swear/pissed-off word several times. I kinda like it...

[u4ic]

2. Yes, it's tabernac

odd they put 'tabernacle' in the article...

Watch the fundies heads explode after reading that article...:o

[kedrys]

4. I've also seen it spelled "tabarnak"

sometimes with a c instead of a k. "Tabarnouche" is the watered-down version I remember.

I still use those cusswords from time to time. When anyone asks me what I just said, I reply "Just don't let my mom hear you repeat that." They usually giggle and drop it. :rofl:

My mom can outcuss me, btw, although she usually doesn't cuss at all. But when she gets good and pissed off, wow! :wow:

[Bassic]

5. Tabarnak or tabarnac is the correct spelling.

Edit: the correct spelling of it when used as a swear word. Most of the church terms we use to swear are a bit modified. For example tabernacle becomes tabarnak, Sacrement becomes Sacrament, Hostie sometimes becomes Estie, and so on.

[idgiehkt]

3. that is an awesome point.

never heard it put that way before. Groovy.

[Bassic]

6. Which point exactly?