“To my mind, the project has progressed exceptionally well. Not only have technology and infrastructure been established for sound research in the years ahead, but we have also gained a large number of registered users.”

These are the words of Prof Gerhard van Huyssteen, professor in Afrikaans and Dutch Linguistics at the North-West University (NWU), a year after the unique multidisciplinary research project on Afrikaans swear words was launched.

Prof Van Huyssteen says the project not only produced new multidisciplinary insights into Afrikaans swear words and swearing behaviour, but also developed effective ways of presenting scientific knowledge in up-to-date ways.

The project is divided into five subprojects. They are swearing and the legal world, an encyclopaedic construction of Afrikaans swear words (Vloekepedia), swearing in the world of entertainment and the media, a project website and, finally, a project to determine if and how the language of swearing can be used as a linguistic innovation to accomplish short-term language change.

He says the project on swearing and the legal world is on hold while the team awaits additional funding.

The Vloekepedia is well on its way. “A core lexicon of 711 words or expressions has already been compiled for the Vloekepedia, and offensiveness ratings for 24 words have been done empirically through questionnaires and the project website.”

However, the Covid-19 lockdown has left its mark on the project. Prof Van Huyssteen’s planned visit to the Institute for the Dutch Language in the Netherlands has been postponed and recordings of interviews in the entertainment world are also on hold.

Prof Van Huyssteen says the website (vloek.co.za) is fully functional, safe and end-user friendly. Other social media platforms that are up and running, under the care of a postgraduate student, are a Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest accounts.

“Two master’s students have registered to study the swearing, language innovation and language change aspects,” he says.

“The primary aim remains to supplement the gaps in knowledge on and understanding of swearing in the South African context, and the secondary aim is to investigate alternative, contemporary opportunities for scientific communication, focusing specifically on podcasts, blogs, videos and webinars.”

Prof Gerhard van Huyssteen