女性开始讲粗话，性别歧视问题就解决了？

Earlier this week I put an empty jar on top of my kitchen counter with a label saying “No swearing”. This device is supposed to stop my daughters from breaking linguistic taboos: if they curse, they have to deposit a dollar in the jar.

前些天我在厨房操作台上放了一只空玻璃罐，上面贴了一张标签“不准讲粗话”。我打算用这个东西阻止我的女儿们打破语言禁忌：她们要是讲粗话，就得往罐子里投进一美元。

But the device is also meant to control me. In recent months, as stress has risen in these politically tumultuous times, swear words have been popping out of my mouth. So I have committed to honour that dollar pledge as well, in a bid to prevent my daughters from copying me.

而这个玩意儿对我也是一个约束。最近几个月，政局动荡压力俱增，害得我有时也忍不住说脏话。因此我保证我也要遵守拿美元立誓的规矩，以免女儿们跟我学坏。

Is this just a piece of domestic trivia? Perhaps. But, as anthropologists have long argued, the way that cultures define “swearing” is a barometer for social norms. And when it comes to western culture today, the question of whether we do (or do not) swear reveals some interesting points about changing gender roles — and the internal conflicts that these keep throwing up.

这只是一件家常小事吗?也许吧。然而，诚如人类学家们一直认为的那样，不同文化界定“粗话”的方式是社会规范的晴雨表。而说到当今的西方文化，我们到底有(没有)讲粗话?这个问题还揭示出一些有关性别角色转变的有趣事实——以及这些性别角色转变带来的内部冲突。

To understand this, take note of some fascinating research conducted by Barbara LeMaster, a linguistic anthropologist at California State University, and presented at the American Anthropological Association in Minneapolis last month. She recently examined the patterns of swearing among American men and women during the past century, drawing on survey data, historical records and published texts.

要理解这点，可以关注一下加州州立大学(California State University)语言人类学家芭芭拉•乐曼思特(Barbara LeMaster)所作的一些有意思的研究。她在2016年11月在明尼阿波利斯举行的美国人类学协会(American Anthropological Association)会议上陈述了这些研究。近期，她考察了过去一个世纪美国男性和女性讲粗话的规律，借鉴了大量调查数据、历史记录和已发表的文献。

She started by noting that most western swear words fall into three categories: they refer to sex, excrement or religion. That, in a sense, is no surprise: the reason swear words have the power to shock is that they disregard conventions and break taboos. In the case of American culture, sexual activity, excrement and religion are considered respectively to be private, “dirty” and sacred. Thus talking about these concepts in public and/or with disrespect overturns boundaries.

首先她注意到，大部分西方人说的脏话可以分成三大类：性、排泄物或宗教。从某种意义上说，那不足为奇：脏话有语出惊人的效果，就在于它们对规矩置若罔闻，而且百无禁忌。就美国文化而言，人们认为性行为、排泄物和宗教信仰分别是私密的、“肮脏的”和神圣的。因此在公众场合及/或无礼地谈论这些话题，会颠覆人际交往的边界。

But language is never static and swearing is no exception. When LeMaster looked back at how men and women spoke a century ago, she noticed a striking gender divergence: men who were angry employed words linked to sex, excrement and religion (ie phrases similar to modern swear words). However, women “had special language”, LeMaster said. They used phrases that subverted religion in a more subtle manner, such as “oh goodness” or “my gracious”, as well as others that no longer offend, because religion has lost its dominant cultural role.

但是语言从不会一成不变，脏话也不例外。当乐曼思特回顾一个世纪前男人们以及女人们的说话方式时，她发现了一个惊人的性别差异：男性发怒时会说那些跟性、排泄物和宗教有关的污言秽语(即跟现代的脏话相似)。然而，乐曼思特说，女人们则“有专用语”。她们在使用那些冒犯宗教的词语时，会用一种比较文雅的表达方式，比如“哦，天呐”或“我的老天爷”，以及另外一些不再被视为冒犯的表达方式，因为宗教已经失去了其在文化中的主导地位。

The reason for this split is not hard to find: a century ago, male and female roles were separated in many areas of life, and the cultural ideal of “femininity” presented an assumption that women should be subordinate, meek and submissive. Talking like a man — in an aggressive, crude way — was taboo.

这种差异出现的原因并不难发现：一个世纪以前，在众多生活领域中，男女分工明确，且理想的“女性特质”被假设为，女人应该是从属的、温顺的、唯命是从的。像男人一样说话——口气强硬、粗鲁——是被忌讳的。

Today, the concept of “acceptable” female behaviour has shifted: women are politicians, business leaders, scientists, soldiers and journalists. They still do not have quite the same cultural freedom as men; just look at the opprobrium heaped on Hillary Clinton or the way that forceful women are often described as “bossy”. But as roles have shifted, speech expectations have changed — and continue to change.

如今，对于“可接受”的女性举止，人们的观念已然改变：女性可以成为政客、商界领袖、科学家以及新闻工作者。但她们仍旧不能享有与男性等同的文化自由;只要看看公众对希拉里•克林顿(Hillary Clinton)的大加责难，或是人们形容女强人的惯用语“专横”便能了然。但是，随着女性的角色改变，人们对于女性谈吐的预期也发生了变化——而且仍在不断改变。

When LeMaster looked at how people swear today she discovered that women are using as many swear words as men, if not more. “Women have started to use the strong language used by men, but men are not using the words used by women [a century ago].” And while the balance of words associated with sex, excrement and religion varies, this distinction now reflects religion and class as much as gender.

在观察当今人们怎么讲粗话时，乐曼思特发现，如今女性说出的脏词在数量上与男性不相上下，甚至可能更多。“女人们开始讲以往只会出自男性之口的粗话，不过男人们却没使用(一个世纪前的)女性用语。”同时，尽管与性、排泄物及宗教相关的词语在比重上有所不同，但这种差异现在既反映性别，也反映宗教和阶层。

Is this a good thing? Many readers might howl “No!” And since I am a creature of my own cultural environment and biases, in some senses I share this dismay: I hate the idea of a world shaped by “foul” language, particularly if it involves my daughters.

这是件好事吗?很多读者也许会高呼“不是!”而因为我也是由自身所处的文化环境和各种偏见塑造出的个体，所以在某种意义上，我也同样感到沮丧：我憎恨一个由“粗鄙”语言堆砌的世界，特别是如果我的女儿们也身处其中。

Hence my introduction of that swearing jar.

所以我才想出了脏话玻璃罐的主意。

Then again, the fact that swearing is now an equal-opportunity practice is cheering in some ways. Winning the right to shout “f**k you!” without needing to apologise (too much) was never a feminist ideal; and it is utterly trivial compared with the infinitely more serious issues that women are grappling with today. But the only thing worse than a world where people shout obscenities is a place where this is only culturally permitted for men. Language, like much else, should be gender blind.

可话说回来，骂人如今已成为一种机会均等的行为，从某种角度看，这也是可喜的。争取到大骂“**你!”而无需(太多)道歉的权利从来不是女权主义的理想;况且比起当下女性正竭力应对的严肃得多的问题，这根本微不足道。但是，比人人都污言秽语更糟的是在文化上只准男人们口无遮拦。和其他许多事情一样，语言应该是“性别盲”的。

So maybe it is time for men to start copying old-fashioned female speech, and for all of us to limit ourselves to saying “goodness” or “darn”. That might sound peculiarly mild or mealy-mouthed. It might even leave us fuming in these volatile times. But now, more than ever, a little extra civility, respect and graciousness could go a long way — for women and men. It might even help to create a more equal world.

所以，或许是时候让男人们学学以前女人们的谈吐，然后让我们所有人在感叹时只限于说“上帝”或“可恶”。这可能听起来过于温和或拐弯抹角。这甚至可能让我们在当今动荡时代气不打一处来。但是，当今比以往任何时候更突出的是，多一点文明礼仪、尊重和善意可能大有裨益——对男人和女人皆是如此。这甚至有可能有助于创建一个更加平等的世界。