What the heck? Casual cursing by teens is rising

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Adolescents and preteens are swearing more publicly than ever — especially at school, experts say.It's conversational swearing — in the hallways and in the classroom —

that is on the rise, says Timothy Jay, one of the leading scholars on

cursing in the United States.

Teens are more likely to drop casual expletives, or "fillers," than the

generation before them and have more trouble adjusting their

conversation to fit their audience. That means adults — especially

strangers who cannot sanction the teens — hear more of the same

language that the teens' friends hear, says Jay, author of "Why We

Curse" and "Cursing in America."

He estimates that the average adolescent uses roughly 80 to 90 swear words a day.

"Elementary school teachers report that children are using more

offensive language at school than they have in the past," says Jay, who

is compiling data for a study he will complete in the fall examining

preteens and swearing. "They have been breaking the rules at school

more frequently in the last 10 years."

Jay, a psychology professor at the Massachusetts College of Liberal

Arts in North Adams, Mass., has been studying swearing trends since the

1970s. He points out that language values in the United States

constantly change.

"Our language values are shifting, and it's just different, not better or worse," he says.

At R.W. Emerson Junior High in Davis, seventh-grader Kaley McGrew, 13,

hears peers using cuss words as fillers when they can't think of

another way to express themselves.