#the art of swearing

[babytarttdoodoo]

Please (if you want to) expand on what you said about the different ways Roy and Jamie swear because that is extremely fascinating

I mean, I'll start by saying I am in no way a linguistics expert. I also lack the cultural and social background to speak about the swearing habits of Mancunians and Londoners with any authority. (Again, to clarify, I am Scottish.)

However, being familiar with the accents in question, being immersed in British media my entire life, and having had voice training does mean I have an instinctual 'feel' for what sounds right for their characters... or what does for me, at least.

Swearing and rambling under the cut.

Beyond just swear words, the cadence and tones of Roy and Jamie's voices are vastly different.

Jamie talks faster, for one. It is a bit of a trend that the further north you go in the UK, the speedier the speech gets. I slow down a lot, even if I'm just visiting England, in order to be understood by non-Scots.

Therefore, Jamie uses longer words or phrases more casually in conversation (if not always correctly, bless his heart) because the rhythm of his speech allows for it. This also means that if he swears mid-sentence, it's basically just punctuation and comes across as a habit.

Adding adjectives adds emphasis. So when he is intentionally swearing directly at someone, he would call that someone a "big hairy baby twat" rather than just a "twat".

(I will also point out that I think "fucking dickhead" is criminally underused by Jamie in both canon and fanon.)

Roy, on the other hand, has a slower rhythm. He still swears very naturally (obviously) but is more likely to use single syllable words i.e. "fuck", "prick", "shit".

The way that vowels sound in his accent also plays a part here. For example, he says "fah-ck", as opposed to Jamie's softer "foh-ck", which is immediately more tonally aggressive (the different way they draw out the vowels is important too but I can't think of how to describe it).

Roy doesn't need to add on anything extra because the harder tone of his voice gives every swear a weighty impact. However, that's not to say he can't get creative.

Let's take Roy calling the woman harassing Jamie a "nutty arsemonger" in the Protective RoyxJamie fic. I agonised over what Roy was going to say because when he takes a second to think about how he's going to insult someone, things get colourful.

Cultural influence plays a bigger part in these scenarios.

The use of "nutter" is pretty widespread in the UK. "Nutty" as a descriptor, however, is a bit more specific and something I'd personally associate with the South.

That has to be paired with something and, particularly as he's talking to a woman, that makes things complicated.

Now, if I'm being brutally honest, in reality, someone of Roy's background and age would probably have said "cunt". It's very much not as big of a deal over here as I know it can be in the States. Tat said, it still felt a bit harsh to me as something someone in the 'Ted Lasso' universe would say. It's also very gender-charged and if Roy were going to use it, he's more likely to say it to another man.

For similar reasons, I discounted him calling her a "cow" or a "bitch". Less severe, but still not quite right for a man in his (at this point) early 40s who goes out of his way to be respectful to the women he knows. (Moments of idiocy aside, of course.)

That brought me to "arse". Anyone can be one. Great.

But he can't just say "nutty arse" and call it a day. Firstly, because "s" is a soft sound, especially in a deep tone, and the insult sounds incomplete in Roy's voice if he doesn't end on a hard note. Say it to yourself, try out your best Kent impression - it isn't right, is it?

Jamie absolutely could just say "arse" because the "ah" sound is very harsh in his accent and the "s" is more pronounced by his higher voice.

But Roy needs something more to round out the phrase. I landed on "arsemonger" eventually because of the meaning more than anything. (Generally used for someone without class, implies promiscuity.) Introducing that "ger" at the end also sounded a lot better and more natural.

I don't know if I'm making any sense here but hopefully this communicates a bit of what I meant?

If you're looking to delve a bit deeper (without the swearing), a good point of reference might be the Ninth Doctor and Rose's era of 'Doctor Who'. It's not perfect (Christopher is from Salford, Billie from Swindon) but it's another really good example of North/South talking habits.

'Only Fools and Horses' might give you a good idea of the language Roy grew up around, just bear in mind it's more in tune with his parents' generation.

'Coronation Street' is the obvious touchstone for Manchester accents but I haven't watched it in a long time. The kids in 'Waterloo Road' might be a bit more relevant as contemporary examples.

[victusinveritas]

Silly Game Time: What're some of your favorite curse words, expletives, and swears?

If you prefer, they can be more polite substitutions (heck, frick, etc.) or old-timey options (tarnation, excrescence, etc.) so long as you genuinely like them. Oh! If you speak multiple languages, include your favorites in those, too!

Simple on this one: Fuck. Though "Feck" (no sexual connotations as such, more of a Hiberno-English minced oath--the oath it is mincing, of course, is entirely sexually connotative.) has its uses, as does "Jesusfuckballs" and similar jammed-together curses. "Errant cuntery" is a favorite borrowed from a Scottish friend.

[prokopetz]

I'm firmly convinced that there are certain archaeological artifacts we'll never fully understand because what sparked their creation was some prehistoric craftsperson thinking to themselves "hey, you know what would be fucked up?"

[wolfythewitch]

Vampires when they’re being interviewed idk

[sergle]

the threshold has been crossed, it is now springtime!!

[itsangrynar]

At this point i might be oversharing but who cares. Anyway, thumbs up for the painter who repainted him with no crown 👍

[stargirl230]

thanks for the light

I was just trying to figure out how procreate works but then the op brainworms got to me and 35 hours later here we are! can you tell I miss home-cooked meals :')

(no reposts; reblogs appreciated)

[himuronanart]

I like to think that my fav is simply looking out for my wellbeing :)

[retquits]

i only recently realized march's roots are showing in his summer portraits 🫣

[star-dragon-art]

where the villain arc really started

[manzanamarim]

These attorneys sure are ace or smth idk

[hummise]

do you ever just

[the line is from a fic by @/Rauchendes_GNU on ao3]

[celestialalpacaron]

Jealous little brat 🥰 Angel I promise they’re just sharing intel about overlords, relax bb girl asgbswjjhwjhwhjwjw

[prokopetz]

If you're catching yourself thinking "that piece of media can't possibly be old enough to [X]", remember the 5/10/20 rule:

If it's five years old, it's old enough to have been a formative influence for up-and-coming artists; this is when all the people who had their brains fucked by it as teenagers start hitting their 20s

If it's ten years old, it's old enough to have crossed the irony threshold; if it's the sort of media that's amenable to deconstructions (or "deconstructions"), expect them here

If it's twenty years old, it's old enough for the first wave of nostalgic revivals, often as a delayed reaction against the above-cited deconstructions; otherwise known as the "retro" event horizon

Yes, this does mean that, for example, Gamecube launch titles are retro now. That is how time works.

[lovetositinsilence]

a moment for themselves

[isjasz]

[Day 223]

The sunset :D