Vulgarity is a crutch used by those without the ability to communicate effectively.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-swearing-a-sig...
Vulgarity is a crutch used by those without the ability to communicate effectively.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-swearing-a-sig...
You should really read the literature you try to post. From the abstract of the study the article cites (~and the article itself implies agreement with~):
"Overall the findings suggest that, with the exception of female-sex-related slurs, taboo expressives and general pejoratives comprise the core of the category of taboo words while slurs tend to occupy the periphery, *and the ability to generate taboo language is not an index of overall language poverty.*" [* Emphasis mine]
Edit: realized the article does make the distinction between the ability to generate profanity and the willingness to do so, which while interesting is mere conjecture propped up by an anecdote within the article. I contend there are times for profanity and times for avoiding it, but suggesting that because someone chooses profanity they must be less intelligent is perhaps a comfortable idea, but it may also be an elitist one.
It's actually a mid-elite idea, I'd say - that novice/mid/elite programmer meme springs to mind. For sure profanity is used a ton by those some would consider the rabble. Then there's medi-elite who are very pure in their language.
And then there's the academics, surgeons, and nuclear physicists who use quite a bit of profanity (especially the surgeons!) and teach their kids that profanity is a linguistic tool that is often super effective.
I think that's totally plausible! Especially because the fact is that "intelligence" is an incredibly fuzzy concept, such that one could be extremely intelligent in the STEM fields, as you mention, but then be simply average in linguistic ability.
Accordingly, even IF the willingness and ability to use profanity indicated a lesser linguistic intelligence, one would be mistaken to then assume that a person with that willingness is any less of a capable professional in non-linguistic fields
Swearing linked to more intelligence, not less [1]
[1] https://www.sciencealert.com/swearing-is-a-sign-of-more-inte...