How old is the idea of "curse words"? Have there always been words that kids shouldn't say or that aren't used in polite company?

by rickforking
Searocksandtrees

hi! there's a section on swearing in the FAQ; most of the posts are just examples of swearing (isn't that always the first thing we learn in other languages), but a few ask the question "why?", so you'll find some background there:

It may also be worth x-posting this to /r/Linguistics; they have a stickied 'Q&A' post for questions