The most obscene vowel (NSFW Text)

ZenGum • May 27, 2013 3:01 am
A while back, I was browsing a list of insults, and noticed the short "u" vowel sound seems to be over-represented in our most obscene phrases. To wit:

Cunt-punting Fuck-nugget
Cum-guzzling Thunder-cunt
Cock-juggling Cluster-fuck
Scum-sucking Cock-socket
Numb-nutted Cum-bucket

The short "i" sound earns an honourable mention for it's work with piss and shit, but the "u" rules when it comes to sex-related obscenity.

Are my observations accurate? Am I ignoring other obscenities?

If this hypothesis is the case, why would it be so?
sexobon • May 27, 2013 3:31 am
Without "u"s, those words would be useless.
footfootfoot • May 27, 2013 3:58 am
FCK, the only thing missing is yoU
sexobon • May 27, 2013 5:13 am
Frickin' A, "i" ain't missing "u" at all.
Chocolatl • May 27, 2013 6:33 am
I think in the examples you listed, that sound is actually a schwa, which is the most common vowel sound in English.
Clodfobble • May 27, 2013 9:48 am
It's pretty onomatopoetic for the grunting and moaning of intercourse, I'd say. Most people don't go "Eee! Eee!" as they're being pounded from behind by a burly pizza delivery man who just happened to show up.
Perry Winkle • May 27, 2013 9:57 am
Clodfobble;866147 wrote:
Most people don't go "Eee! Eee!" as they're being pounded from behind by a burly pizza delivery man who just happened to show up.


From my somewhat limited experience, Japanese porn vocalizations seem predominantly to be of the "Eee! Eee!" variety.
Clodfobble • May 27, 2013 10:07 am
But is that with tentacles, or without?

Let's ask Zen: do actual Japanese women say "Eee, eee" or "Uhh, uhh?"

And busterb too! What do Sumatran women say? Anyone else with exotic overseas experience?
footfootfoot • May 27, 2013 11:55 am
They do say eee eee. In fact they scream EEE EEE.
Sundae • May 27, 2013 12:35 pm
I've always loved the fact that when Lola laughs (in writing at least) it's "hi,hi,hi," rather than "ha,ha,ha."

But then I have the sort of mind that is amused by answering the phone by saying, "Hai!" knowing that most people will hear it as "Hi!"
toranokaze • May 27, 2013 8:57 pm
-Piss knuckles
-Eye Rape
-Cunt Scab
-Balls Boyle
-Carny Dick

I think hard vowels are more important than just the u
footfootfoot • May 28, 2013 1:33 am
Yeah, the Kuh sound is a big part of it.
Sundae • May 28, 2013 4:42 am
In the opinion of one author (no, I can't remember, sorry), bastard with a short a (as in bAt) sounds best and dirtiest of all semi-rude words.
And is therefore best delivered in many UK accents. Not all though.
I changed my pronunciation because the idea appealed to me so much.

Silly cunt.
ZenGum • May 28, 2013 6:12 am
Hard vowels, or hard consonants?

"Trollop" has a good offensive sound to it.
DanaC • May 28, 2013 6:46 am
Sundae;866247 wrote:
In the opinion of one author (no, I can't remember, sorry), bastard with a short a (as in bAt) sounds best and dirtiest of all semi-rude words.
And is therefore best delivered in many UK accents. Not all though.
I changed my pronunciation because the idea appealed to me so much.

Silly cunt.


bastard sounds best with a northern twang :P

as in 'Ned Stark's bastard'
ZenGum • May 28, 2013 9:16 am
Chocolatl;866137 wrote:
I think in the examples you listed, that sound is actually a schwa, which is the most common vowel sound in English.


Yes, and I should clarify that I never intended "cock-socket" to be pronounced that way - I just put it in because I liked the sound of it.

Clodfobble;866147 wrote:
It's pretty onomatopoetic for the grunting and moaning of intercourse, I'd say.


Interesting idea. How's this for a hypothesis: the most obscene words in any language will be onomatopoeia for the sound that culture makes while having sex.

... no, that assumes the link between sex and obscenity.

H2: in most languages, sex-related vocabulary will be onomatopoeia for the sounds that culture makes while having sex.


Most people don't go "Eee! Eee!" as they're being pounded from behind by a burly pizza delivery man who just happened to show up.


This is your go-to example of typical sexual behaviour? ;)

Still, in my head it connected with learning in grade six to spell cemetery with the mnemonic "he screamed EEE as he ran through the cEmEtEry".

I'm glad there aren't three Es in "delivery".
Sundae • May 28, 2013 11:57 am
Slightly off topic; I learned to spell many words by pronouncing them the way they were spelled rather than the way they sounded. Sometimes the two coalesced.
Bee-ee-ay-you-tiful for example.

However carr-ack-ter, sep-arr-ate and cal-ann-derr were ones I used to highlight the part of the spelling I was likely to get wrong. I don't really say them like that. But learning them that way helped me.

Like learning my Grandparents' telephone number by the sound and rhythm of the way it was said:
Oh One Two-Six-One, Nine-Double-Two-Three.
And that's not classified information any more, as any London Dwellar can tell you. ("01 if you're outside London"?)