&#%@$!

In our daily language there is a group of words that are prohibited, secret, without clear meanings.  We confide the expression of our most brutal or subtle emotions and reactions to their magical ambiguities.  They are evil words, and we utter them in a loud voice only when we are not in control of ourselves...  Each letter and syllable has a double life, at once luminous and obscure, that reveals and hides us.  They are words that say nothing and say everything...  They are the bad words, the only living language in a world of anemic vocables.  They are poetry withing the reach of everyone.
(Octavio Paz, The Labyrinth of Solitude, 73-74)

Language fascinates me.  Being humans, we assign meaning to seemingly random strings of phonemes.  That's the fundamental pattern of verbal communication:  the sender encodes an idea or message into words (either spoken or written), and the receiver decodes and interprets.  It's interesting how some words carry more weight than others.  For example, when I combine letters/sounds into words like pear, spine, or burrito man, you probably don't react as strongly as when I combine them into words like rape, penis, or brain tumor.  Really, it's the idea behind the words that gets us.

I like how Paz describes swear words.  They "say nothing" because they're often interjected expletives, but "say everything" because they convey more emotion and meaning than other words.  He talks about these words as a preface to his explanation of a certain swear word/phrase that holds particular significance to Mexican culture and history.  His explanation is both thorough and insightful.

At BYU and in the LDS culture, we are encouraged to use clean, uplifting language.  However, I have to admit that a well-placed and well-timed swear word can be very effective at showing seriousness, expressing extreme emotion, or creating humor.  (I especially think it's funny when swear words are extended to as many as three syllables in a southern accent.)  Those who swear often don't know how to use swear words - they should be saved for specific circumstances.  Frequent use diminishes the true meaning behind a word.

We should not forget the other end of the spectrum:  holy words.  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).  These too carry immense significance and meaning.  Some words are so sacred that they cannot be written or repeated.

Words can tear down and destroy or create and inspire.  In our everyday conversations, let’s not forget how powerful words can be, whether sacred or profane.