Have you ever wondered which country’s films might make your grandma blush the most? Well, buckle up, because we’ve gone deep into the world of subtitles to reveal the kings and queens of cinematic swearing.
Using OpenSubtitles.org’s treasure trove of English-language subtitle files, film data expert Stephen Follows sifted through dialogue from 42,704 movies released between 2000 and 2022. Our mission? To find out which nation’s films are the saltiest when it comes to language.
Swear-O-Meter: The Fight for the Foul-Mouthed Crown
Not all curse words are born equal. They have different impacts, and cultures view them through different lenses. That’s why we had a look at some heavyweight swear words like ‘F**k’,’Sh*t’, and ‘C**t’
Here’s a double whammy for you: we looked at both how many films use these spicy words and how often they pop up.
The Irish Have the Gift of the Gab… and the Swear
It turns out, films from Ireland are stuffed with the word ‘F**k’ more than any other country we looked at.
Meanwhile, Australians seem fond of referencing ‘Dick’ in their films. They’re not alone, though, with Canada and the USA close behind.
And if you’ve heard someone called a ‘Slut’ in a movie lately, there’s a good chance that film came from Thailand, Brazil, or Belgium. Different countries, favourite insults – who would’ve thought?
Douchebag’s the Word in North America
Films from the US and Canada really love the word ‘Douche’. It’s their go-to, according to the subtitles we combed through.
Methodology in a Nutshell
For the nerds among us, here’s how we did it. We provided over 400,000 subtitle files to film data expert Stephen Follows, and he took it from there – focusing on 42,704 live-action fiction flicks. He searched those subtitles for the selected swear words, taking into account all the different ways you could spell or mess them up with punctuation.
While this subtitle-driven approach gives us a great starting look at swears on the silver screen, keep in mind that it isn’t without its quirks. For example, ‘Dick’ might refer to someone’s name rather than an insult, and the subtitles might miss out on regional swear word variations.
Closing Thoughts
So there you have it – a tour through the world of swearing in movies. Who knew subtitle files could tell us so much about on-screen bad manners? Whether it’s for a laugh, shock value, or authenticity, filmmakers around the globe are peppering their scripts with colourful language.
And if subtitles are your thing or you fancy doing some filmic language studies of your own, remember where all this data came from: OpenSubtitles.org. Dive in, and who knows what you might uncover!
