Last week was an amazing day—summer-like, warm, and sunny. I went for a long walk with my family through the forest to the park, enjoying the sun’s golden beams. We were not alone. The park was full of people playing, walking, and biking, all appreciating the warmth granted by the sun.

I am currently reading Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, where the sun’s nourishment plays a significant role in the story. It made me reflect on how the sun is represented in language—how it is perceived and which of its characteristics have been used to express emotions and daily life experiences. To explore this, I turned to idioms and proverbs, which serve as linguistic fossils preserving the worldview of our ancestors.

Seattle narrowly avoided a tornado and 2-inch hail. If it had happened, we’d probably be using some strong language. That’s why in this issue; we’re tackling the controversial topic of swear words.

Personally, I don’t like swear words and rarely use them. Maybe only when I hit my finger with a hammer because it reduces pain – a scientifically proven fact.

However, when I travel to Poland or talk to my Polish friends, I hear swear words everywhere: in all sorts of conversations, on television, even in stand-up comedy shows. I always wonder why? Do they make our conversations better? Do they make us sound more confident?

The answers are in the short story below. Enjoy.

Go to the Seattle Polish Film Festival website and click on the button “Buy 2925 Early Bird Pass”.

First of all, I want to point out that vulgarisms are not words I am fond of. On the contrary, I dislike hearing and using them. They are intense and jarring. Swear words are not neutral; therefore, they cannot be used as meaningless sentence fillers or decorative additions to make speech sound more expressive. My professor, Jan Miodek, used to say that excessive swearing is a sign of linguistic poverty—language offers plenty of ways to express emotions without resorting to vulgarity. Swear words have their place, but they should remain silent until they are truly needed.