Tagalog profanity

Tagalog profanity includes a wide range of offensive, blasphemous, and taboo words or expressions in the Tagalog language of the Philippines. Due to Filipino culture, expressions which may sound benign when translated back to English can cause great offense; while some expressions English speakers might take great offense to can sound benign to a Tagalog speaker. Filipino, the national language of the Philippines, is the standard register of Tagalog, so as such the terms Filipino profanity and Filipino swear words are sometimes also employed. In Tagalog, profanity has many names: in a religious or formal context, it is called lapastangang pananalita ("blasphemous/irreverent speech") or pag-alipusta/panlalait ("insult"). The word paghamak is also sometimes used formally and has a sense similar to "affront". Colloquially, the words mura ("swear word") and sumumpâ ("to wish evil [on someone]") are used. Owing to successive Spanish and American colonial administrations, some Tagalog profanity has its etymological roots in the profanity of European languages. Other concepts, like hiya, are similar to sociological concepts such as face, which are common across East Asia. Unlike in Western culture, where certain words are never acceptable in all but the most informal contexts, Tagalog profanity is context-sensitive: words which are considered profane or insulting in one context are often acceptable in another.