English as a second language- swear words

[Piginapokiee]

I teach English as a second language (third in some cases). My students like to swear. Sometimes they get it wrong.

I have a class of school leavers. They will all be 16 this calendar year.

I have been thinking of doing one lesson all about how to use swear words correctly.

As a parent, would you object to this?

Yes I would object. It's not what English classes are for. It is what Google translate is for.

Probably. Not because I'm a prude but it's not what I'm paying you for.

It would be fun and appropriate if not too sweary! Maybe broaden it out to insults in the English language. Avoid saying cunt!

Cunt is definitely a step too far! I would only use one lesson to discuss how to use swear wordss properly. They already use them, and sometimes incorrectly.

And ‘you’ aren’t paying me- this is in a multilingual school

You did ask.

Since you ask, I would object.

The problem with teaching swear words is that it could be seen as normalising it.

You pick up swear words, you don't learn how to use them in a language class.
Let them be authentic and swear how they like/know how to.
I don't think it's a good idea at all.
Are they swearing in class? If that's the case, you tell them there is no swearing in class and what they are saying is inappropriate.

Ok, maybe I could get behind British idioms including insults.

But I stick with my answer - classrooms are not for teaching swearing. It undermines the classroom and the swearing.

@Piginapokiee yes, I would object to you teaching them "how to swear correctly", but I wouldn't object to you teaching them what the swear words mean, because if they know they might think twice about repeating some of them. Hopefully you will also tell them that many people find swearing aggressive and/or offensive, so they should think twice about doing it around people they don't know well, in public places, around younger children, at school, or in the workplace.

I also teach ESL, my students are slightly older than yours. I tell my students that they should never use words they don't understand and that they can always ask me what a word means, this includes swear words. I do think a lesson teaching them is a step too far though. And for me, swearing in class is always inappropriate, I'm not sure how I would enforce that as a rule if I had introduced it myself.

a lesson on teaching idioms sounds fun, and you could include a few of the milder swear words (bloody hell), but I wouldn’t go as far as teaching proper swear words.
we have plenty of idioms in English to make it a fun session. And where they come from is quite interesting too.

Yes I would object.

I am an interpreter and when I was training I had a full session dedicated to it!
If they’re going to use swear words at least they should use them correctly 🤣🤣
I bet they will be more engaged than any other class!
Yeah, avoid the C word.

Yes, I would consider this a completely appropriate element of English to teach.

I'd steer clear of cunt and the like, but I'd correct their mistakes and make sure they understand the different grades of swearing, from friendly/ banter to terms that might be seen as aggressive. It will help them to navigate social situations and not get into trouble.

Yes, I also think there could be a place for it. I teach a few biligual children (a different subject). They have picked up English swear words that I hear them use with others, or occasionally when something goes wrong in a lesson or whatever, but they don't really use the appropriate one for the situation - often too strong, or just one that doesn't really sound right. They aren't currently surrounded by native English speakers, so aren't going to learn from others in the same way. It's not my job to teach this, but there are times when I want to tell them that what they're saying doesn't sound right, but I can't really do that without sounding like I object to the swearing itself, which I don't (I do sometimes say it's not appropriate in the environment/audience to swear, but that's a kind of different point). But they could more seriously offend someone, or just not fit in, without realising why, if they did go somewehre more English. So I think actually it could be really helpful, depending on the purpose of the class and the level of the students.

I hate to break it to you, but swearing is normal

What a stupid idea.

Also, I came to the Uk (from another English speaking country) and had to learn slang/swears that are used here, and even though I spoke English fluently, it was still a long process of getting them right for the situation. Eg I picked up 'knackered' as a synomym for exhausted, but didn't really know where it came from or how informal it was. That kind of thing. It took years to become a bit more natural with some of the slang. And someone pointing out a few terms might have helped. Even 20 years later, there are still the odd words/phrases that I find different from how they're used where I come from, and start to notice a distinction!

Of course it's also very context/area/dialect/generation dependent, which makes it harder to teach and pick-up.

I think it is a good idea. I had to pull up my DSD8 last year, who only speaks German, for saying fuck all the time. She had heard it from her DM, who also doesn’t speak English.
I just explained that in my language it is very bad to use that word, plus what it meant and that it hurt my heart to hear someone so young using it. Everyone uses it in Germany when shit would probably be more appropriate.

I think it's risky but if I did it I'd stick to a) the meaning of words and b) clips of film or TV characters using them in context. I wouldn't have the students practice or role play stuff.

It would depend where the children are from for me. If they are from somewhere where swearing is not the done thing, you could get complaints. I worked in India for a while and swearing in the office would have been pretty shocking.

It has become normalised in many social circles, especially for young people, accelerated by social media and by it being reflected on TV etc. However, it is inappropriate in many other settings, and people need to understand that.

I think it’s a brilliant idea. Particularly because it’s important to learn about the context of swearing- different cultures/languages have different ideas about what’s appropriate. I remember my Spanish SIL learning about English swearing and asking “Who can I say this in front of?”

I think there’s a way to frame it that puts you on a good footing should anyone complain.

Focus on idioms, cover the wrong side of bed, umbrella theory, piece of cake etc as well as swear words - their actual definitions and how colloquially used as the comparative scale and what’s not acceptable. Do it in the context of correcting errors and preventing social faux pas.