Table 1
Summary of sociodemographic factors.
| SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS | DATA TYPE | OPTIONS |
|---|---|---|
| Age group | Ordinal (3) | 18–39; 40–59; 60+ |
| Sex | Nominal (2) | Male; Female |
| Population group | Nominal (4) | Black; Coloured; Indian; White1 |
| Length | Ordinal (7) | >199; 190–199; 180–189; 170–179; 160–169; 150–159; <150 |
| Mother’s primary language | Nominal (12) | List of South Africa’s eleven official languages, plus Dutch |
| Father’s primary language | Nominal (12) | List of South Africa’s eleven official languages, plus Dutch |
| Language used primarily with family | Nominal (13) | List of South Africa’s eleven official languages, plus Dutch, as well as a bilingual (Afrikaans and English) option |
| Language used primarily with friends | Nominal (13) | List of South Africa’s eleven official languages, plus Dutch, as well as a bilingual (Afrikaans and English) option |
| Language primarily used for work | Nominal (13) | List of South Africa’s eleven official languages, plus Dutch, as well as a bilingual (Afrikaans and English) option |
| Languages proficient in | Nominal (12) | List of South Africa’s eleven official languages, plus Dutch |
| Identification with a geolect | Nominal (2) | Yes; No. If “yes”, then the respondent gets a list of typical Afrikaans geolects to choose from, or to specify their own geolect. |
| Country of residence | Nominal (12) | South Africa, with a specification for one of the nine provinces; Namibia; Belgium; The Netherlands |
| Period in country of residence | Ordinal (4) | >6 years; 4–6years; 1–3years; <1 year |
| Country of childhood | Nominal (12) | South Africa, with a specification per one of the nine provinces; Namibia; Belgium; The Netherlands |
| Highest qualification | Nominal (10) | List of typical kinds of qualification in South Africa |
| Income group | Ordinal (7) | List of typical categories |
| Identification with a gender group | Nominal (2) | Yes; No. If “yes”, then the respondent can specify their own gender group. |
| Religiousness as a child/teenager | Nominal (5) | Very religious; Religious; Somewhat religious; Not really; Not at all |
| Religiousness currently | Nominal (5) | Very religious; Religious; Somewhat religious; Not really; Not at all |
| Political views | Nominal (5) | Very conservative; Conservative; Moderate; Liberal; Very liberal |
| World view (pertaining to moral and social issues) | Nominal (5) | Very conservative; Conservative; Moderate; Liberal; Very liberal |
Table 2
Summary of swearwords and number of respondents for each word.
| WORD | TOTAL RESPONSES | RESPONSES WITH COMPLETE METADATA | WORD | TOTAL RESPONSES | RESPONSES WITH COMPLETE METADATA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| asshole | 8 | 7 | jirre | 13 | 10 |
| ballas | 12 | 10 | jissis | 184 | 152 |
| bebliksemd | 189 | 155 | kak | 197 | 167 |
| bedonderd | 147 | 123 | kerriekop | 25 | 19 |
| befok | 13 | 9 | kont | 48 | 38 |
| bekak | 11 | 8 | kots | 163 | 135 |
| blerrie | 31 | 18 | magtig | 12 | 12 |
| bliksem | 19 | 16 | ma-se-poes | 15 | 11 |
| bliksems | 104 | 88 | moer | 20 | 16 |
| boudservette | 194 | 155 | moerskont | 12 | 9 |
| demmit | 12 | 11 | moffie | 222 | 180 |
| donder | 12 | 11 | naai | 23 | 20 |
| doos | 34 | 24 | naaier | 18 | 15 |
| drol | 14 | 11 | piel | 29 | 18 |
| eiers | 7 | 6 | piele | 208 | 167 |
| etter | 22 | 13 | pis | 9 | 9 |
| feeks | 184 | 147 | poep | 10 | 9 |
| flerrie | 77 | 67 | poephol | 39 | 30 |
| flippen | 133 | 114 | poes | 26 | 19 |
| fok | 21 | 16 | rooikop | 125 | 104 |
| fokken | 208 | 174 | shit | 21 | 16 |
| fokker | 55 | 44 | skyt | 130 | 109 |
| fokkit | 45 | 31 | slet | 18 | 14 |
| fokkof | 9 | 5 | slymkonyn | 169 | 138 |
| fokkol | 16 | 13 | stront | 9 | 8 |
| foktog | 18 | 15 | swerkater | 20 | 17 |
| frieken | 158 | 126 | swernoot | 178 | 147 |
| fuck | 16 | 12 | teef | 10 | 7 |
| gat | 5 | 3 | tos | 159 | 126 |
| god | 26 | 22 | tril | 5 | 4 |
| gots | 154 | 125 | voëlverklikker | 150 | 120 |
| hel | 16 | 15 | wetter | 6 | 6 |
| helleveeg | 130 | 108 | wolgordyn | 129 | 110 |
| hoer | 29 | 19 | wortelkop | 222 | 176 |
| hol | 10 | 9 |
Table 3
Response dimensions.
| DIMENSION | QUESTION | END-POINT LABELS |
|---|---|---|
| Production frequency | How often do you say or write the word? | Never … Very often |
| Perception frequency | How often do you hear or read the word? (E.g., in conversations, on the radio or TV, in magazines or books, on the internet, etc.) | Never … Very often |
| Offensiveness (self) | How offensive do you find the word personally? | Not at all … Very |
| Tabooness (others) | How taboo or socially unacceptable is the word for people in general? (E.g., in a workspace, classroom, at a party with friends, family, and colleagues) | Not at all … Very |
| Emotionality | What emotional charge does the word have for you? | Very negative … Very positive |
| Conspicuousness | How conspicuous is the word? (To what degree does it grab your attention?) | Not at all … Very |
| Familiarity | How well do you know what the word means? | Not at all … Very well |
| Sex of referent | Can the word be used to refer only to men, to men and women, or only to women? | Women only … Men only |
Figure 1
Vloekmeter showing results for fokken (“fucking”) and flippen (“fricking”).