Malaysia has been ranked 6th in the world for the use of vulgar or offensive language in online comments, according to a recent linguistic study conducted by researchers from the University of Queensland and Monash University in Australia.
The research, titled “Vulgarity in Online Discourse Around the English-Speaking World”, was led by Dr Martin Schweinberger and Professor Kate Burridge. It examined a database of over 1.7 billion words taken from online sources such as social media posts, comments, and blogs across 20 English-speaking countries. The goal was to analyze patterns of profanity and offensive language use in digital communication.
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Based on the frequency of vulgar words used online, here are the countries that topped the list:
Top 10 Countries with the Highest Online Vulgarity (by Percentage of Vulgar Words Used)
- United States – 0.036%
- United Kingdom – 0.025%
- Australia – 0.022%
- Singapore – 0.021%
- New Zealand – 0.020%
- Malaysia – 0.019%
- Ireland – 0.018%
- Jamaica – 0.015%
- Canada – 0.014%
- South Africa – 0.013% (inferred from full dataset)
Countries with the Lowest Reported Online Vulgarity:
- Bangladesh – 0.007%
- Ghana – 0.008%
- Tanzania – 0.008%
- Hong Kong – 0.009%
Malaysia’s Position and Online Behavior
Malaysia, ranking 6th with 0.019% of all words used online deemed vulgar, sits ahead of Ireland and Canada. While this percentage may seem small, in a database of billions of words, it reflects a notable level of expressive and sometimes offensive digital language use.
Researchers noted that the data primarily covers content written in English, meaning the figures are based on English-language posts by users in each country. However, the cultural nuances of swearing, local slang, and regional online behavior all influence the outcomes.
Different Regions, Different Swear Styles
The study also highlighted that each country has its own signature style of swearing. For instance:
- Ireland: “Feck” is a common soft expletive.
- United Kingdom: Frequent use of the C-word.
- United States: “Asshole” dominates the lexicon.
- Australia: Known for inventive insults like “cockknuckle,” helping them place high in the creativity rankings, despite not topping the overall list.
“Some Australians might be disappointed they’re not number one,” said Professor Burridge, “but the study suggests we still live up to our image of having a colourful and inventive bad language culture.”
Do you think the rankings are accurate? Let us know!
