Can Quebec’s Church-based curse words survive in a secular age?

[rug]

The social changes resulting from the desertion of Quebec church pews have been widely documented: smaller families, fewer marriages, a reformed education system, to name a few. The fate of religious buildings rendered obsolete has generated considerable angst.

But what, en criss, is going to happen to the province’s preferred swear words?

When francophone Quebecers whack a thumb with a hammer or get cut off in traffic, the curses that spew forth are overwhelmingly drawn from objects found in the Catholic Church: ostie, tabarnak, ciboire, câlice, criss! But a new book by a Montreal theology professor and an exhibition at a religion museum raise the question, how long can the distinctively Québécois swear words survive in a secular age?

At the Musée des religions du monde (Museum of World Religions) in Nicolet, about 110 kilometres northeast of Montreal, Jean-Francois-Royal is regularly struck by the widening gulf between Quebecers and their Catholic heritage. “We are at the point where we have a generation of students who ask, ‘Who is the guy on the cross?’ ” Mr. Royal, the museum’s director, said.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/09/09/can-quebecs-church-based-curse-words-survive-in-a-secular-age/

Sacrebleu!

[sharp_stick]

1. Sacrebleu

isn't even a mild curse in Quebec Tabarnac, calice!

My wife found it funny when the first French words I learned were all the curse words first.

[bengalherder]

2. Well they'll just have to make do with swear words

based on sex and excretion just like everyone else.

[Old and In the Way]

3. Growing up in a townh with a lot of French Canadians, I remember

a phrase which I think was a swear, but can't seem to find any reference to on Google, probably because I'm not spelling it right. The phrase, phonetically, sounded like "e cad vie". I think it was based on the word calvaire, "Calvary". That was quite a popular phrase in my neighborhood.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. Well, as you know, the UK is pretty secular, but in watching a lot of

UK films and reading British mysteries, I am strike by how often they use "Christ" as a swear word.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

5. I'm an atheist, and "Christ" is my favorite swear word

Right before "Jesus Christ", "Jesus H. Christ", and "Jesus Fucking Christ". Doesn't mean I believe in god - just that those words are particularly satisfying to use as curse words.

[Silent3]

8. I'm rather fond of "Christ on a crutch"...

...which makes little sense, but sometimes that phrase mysteriously suits the occasion.

This can be dragged out to, "Jesus H. Christ on a fucking crutch!" when particularly exasperated.

[LeftishBrit]

6. Very true

And 'Jesus' and if you're really frustrated 'Jesus Christ!'

And our favourite adjective 'bloody' comes from the presumably Catholic oath: 'By our Lady!'

[Odin2005]

7. Uh, aren't those religiously-based swear words still used in ultra-secular France?

I'm an Atheist and I still say "Goddammit" "go to Hell", "good Lord", and "Jesus Christ Almighty". :shrug: