Article: For Today's Teens, Swearing Is Commonplace; One Expert Says Foul Language Is Increasingly Used as Conversational 'Filler'

Adolescents and preteens are swearing more often in public than ever, especially at school, a top scholar on cursing says.

Teenagers are more likely to drop casual expletives, or "fillers," than the generation before them, and they have more trouble adjusting their conversation to fit their audience. That means adults, particularly strangers who cannot sanction the teens, hear more of the same language that the teens' friends hear, said Timothy Jay, an expert on the use of foul language in the United States.

Jay, author of "Why We Curse" and "Cursing in America," estimated that the average adolescent uses roughly 80 to 90 swear words a day.

"Elementary school teachers report that children ...