Editing Profanity (section)

== History and study ==
Historical profanity is difficult to reconstruct, as written records may not reflect spoken language.{{Sfn|Hughes|2015|pp=xix, xxii}} Despite being relatively well known compared to other linguistic mechanisms,{{Sfn|Van Lancker|Cummings|1999|pp=83–84}} profanity has historically been understudied because of its taboo nature.{{Sfn|Matusz|2017|p=33}} Profanity may be studied as an aspect of linguistics and sociology, or it can be a psychological and neurological subject.{{Sfn|Ljung|2011|p=3}} Besides interpersonal communication, understanding of profanity has legal implications and related to theories of language learning.{{Sfn|Matusz|2017|p=34}}{{Sfn|Van Lancker|Cummings|1999|pp=83–84}}

In modern European languages, swearing developed from early Christianity, primarily through restrictions on [[taking God's name in vain]] in the [[Old Testament]].{{Sfn|Ljung|2011|p=6}} Invocations of God were seen as attempts to call upon his power, willing something to be true or leveling a curse.{{Sfn|Hughes|2015|p=xvi}} Other mentions of God were seen as placing oneself over him, with the person uttering a name implying power over the name's owner.{{Sfn|Matusz|2017|p=39}}

Modern study of profanity as its own subject of inquiry had started by 1901.{{Sfn|Johnson|Lewis|2010|p=106}} [[Sigmund Freud]] influenced study of the topic by positing that swearing reflects the subconscious, including feelings of aggression, [[Anti-social behaviour|antisocial inclinations]], and the broaching of taboos.{{Sfn|Hughes|2015|p=369}} Significant activity began in the 1960s with writings on the subject by [[Ashley Montagu]] and [[Edward Sagarin]], followed by increased study the following decade.{{Sfn|Ljung|2011|p=3}} Specific types of discriminatory profanity, such as ethnophaulism and homophobia, came to be described as part of a broader type of profanity, [[hate speech]], toward the end of the 20th century.{{Sfn|Hughes|2015|p=220}} Another increase in the study of profanity took place with the onset of the 21st century.{{Sfn|Matusz|2017|p=33}}