The Role of Swear Words in Bad Boys: Ride or Die: A Sociolinguistic Exploration of Dialogue

Abstract

The use of harsh language in popular media, particularly films, significantly impacts audience perception and plays a crucial role in character development. One film that exemplifies this phenomenon is Bad Boys: Ride or Die. This study analyzes the use of swear words in the Bad Boys: Ride or Die movie. The objectives of this research are to identify the types of swear words used and to explore their functions within the narrative. This research adopts a qualitative approach, with data drawn directly from the Bad Boys: Ride or Die movie. The analysis is guided by Jay’s (2009) categorization of swear words. The findings reveal nine distinct categories of swearing. The most prevalent category was scatological and disgusting objects, which appeared 91 times, followed by sexual references with 52 occurrences, and ancestral allusions with 24 occurrences.