*!&@%%^#$@!&@ (pt.1)

I was listening to CBC Radio One's And Sometimes Y program today, as they were discussing, quite literally profanity. Why are certain words taboo and not others? What are the trends? What makes one word mildly offensive, and others incredibly offensive?

Ahhh...this was right up my alley...which is, if you didn't know already, a fascination with all things random and mundane. I find profanity extremely interesting, and have always thought about whether swearing is "sinful"...but that's a slight tangent (However, for the Christians out there, let me know what your thoughts are concerning swearing and sin...is there some magical list of words that can/cannot be said for you? I have my own opinions...but I want to hear from you first!)

speaking of religion, one of the segments in the program asked Montrealers at a bar what they considered to be offensive profanity...and this was the general consensus:
oh yes, warning...um...avert your eyes if you don't want to be offended?? not that most of you have ever really heard these words used anyway...

taken from wikipedia: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabarnak, May 20, 2007)
crisse (Christ) - "Christ"
câlice (calice) - "chalice"
ostie (hostie) - "host"
ciboire - "ciborium" or "pyx", the receptacle in which the host is stored
tabarnac (tabernacle) - "tabernacle"
calvaire - "Calvary"
viarge (vierge) - "the Virgin Mary"
baptême - "baptism"
ciarge (cierge) - "votive or Paschal candle"
maudit - "damn"
Mozusse (Moïse)- "Moses"

there are definite modifications to these words, and often times, they are combined...(such as "esti calice", for example), but isn't it just fascinating that they are all religious words? I mean...what makes the Eucharist so darn offensive? And in all seriousness, having grown up in Montreal(and people who live there/have lived there can testify for me), I have breathed these words around me...they are honestly used frequently and liberally, more so than any other English swear word. I believe what's offensive is a testament to the social era, and most definitely is culture specific...but another question I would ask, before I address it myself, is...how do words transform from being just common to profane?