Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 12:27:47 -0400

From: Ron Butters RonButters[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM

Subject: Re: sociolinguistic competence



Maybe, to be consistent, then,

one might become silently angry

whenever one is subjected to

Julia Cochran writes:

other religiously/theologically

framed expressions such as "damn

it," "go to hell," and "oh my God!"



Good point--the difference for me is that "damn

it" and "oh my God!" are not directed at me, nor are they generally totally

gratuitous, i.e., they have some kind of primary linguistic function beyond

the merely phatic. as for "go to hell," that usually does make me angry.