Quebec French profanity

Quebec French profanities, known as (singular: ; , "to consecrate"), are words and expressions related to Catholicism and its liturgy that are used as strong profanities in Quebec French (the main variety of Canadian French) and in Acadian French (spoken in Maritime Provinces, east of Quebec, and a small portion of Aroostook County, Maine, in the United States). are considered stronger in Canada than the foul expressions common to other varieties of French, which centre on sex and excrement (such as , "shit"). History The originated in the early 19th century, when the social control exerted by the Catholic clergy was increasingly a source of frustration. One of the oldest is , which can be thought of as the Franco-Canadian equivalent of the English "goddamn it". It is known to have been in use as early as the 1830s. The word in its current meaning is believed to come from the expression ("Don't say that, it is sacred/holy"). Eventually, started to refer to the words Quebecers were not supposed to say. This is likely related to the commandment "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). The influence and social importance of Catholicism at that time allowed to become powerful forms of profanity. As a result of the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s, the influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec has declined but the profanity still remains in use today. Some people feel it was an overall disdain to all things Catholic church and the influence the church had on society. List of common These are commonly given in a phonetic spelling to indicate the differences in pronunciation from the original word, several of which (notably, the deletion of final consonants and change of to before ) are typical of informal Quebec French. The nouns here can also be modified for use as verbs (see "Non-profane uses", below). Additionally, some forms, notably and , can become semi-adjectival when followed by , as in (Scram, you fucking cat!); is often added at the end for extra emphasis.