I thought of this post because Richard Pryor died today. For the few of you that may not know who he was, he was a comedian that taught white Americans how to say "mother-****er". I showed his stand-up act to my friend from Moscow. She is a level 4 English speaker, but she had to watch it a few times because he spoke so fast. She thought it was the funniest 'M-F' thing she had ever seen. I asked her about swearing in Russia... She said men are more likely to swear in public, but women swear amongst friends. <knitting-circle " it's knit, pearl, knit, pearl you silly (fill in blank)"> Social strata has a bit to do with it as well. Factory workers swear alot as do high-end stock traders. Academics swear very little. Sports fans seem to swear alot too. My Belarusian friend was introduced to baseball by me. She loves the game, I sent her home with a Whiffle-ball set and a profound hatred for the Yankees. (I live in the Red Sox Nation) She would call out to opposing team players, wave and send kisses while she spouted epitaphs that can't be repeated.
I swear at work to my maids, they love me for it. I'm "one of the guys" to them even though I'm a boss. I hug the head of housekeeping and say "sooka moi" (моя сука), she's a mean old lady that isn't well liked. I have picked up some other 'choice' phrases from the maids (мои девушки). I learned 'sooka' watching Patton with a Belarusian friend, the "I won't drink with a Russian son of a bitch" "From one son of a bitch to another" scene. THAT'S A DIRECT QUOTE !
I have taught a few of the maids the difference between BEACH and BEACHE, one is the sand next to the ocean, the other is head of housekeeping. At the end of the season, I have a party on the BEACH(пляж) for my girls (мои девушки) and the BEACHE(сука) won't be allowed.