01 Nov 2026, 08:35 PM

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Academics and lexicographers are exploring how swearing is tied to national cultural identities – and how the internet may cause new, creative cursing to ‘flourish’Get our weekend culture and lifestyle emailFrom Kath & Kim’s “pack of shunts” to Colin from Accounts’ call to “Go and trim your fuckin’ hooves for netball, cunt!”, the way Australian TV shows have incorporated creative vulgarities into their dialogue mirrors the way people like to swear – and linguistic researchers say younger generations of Australians in particular see once-taboo profanities as signifiers of cultural identity.But a fondness for the C word in Australian TV doesn’t make Australians the world’s biggest swearers. Research published in 2025 by linguists Martin Schweinberger of the University of Queensland and Kate Burridge of Monash University showed the nationality that swore the most often online were Americans, followed by the British, with Australians ranking third. Continue reading...

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