A NEW age of politeness may be dawning. Gordon Ramsay, the foul-mouthed celebrity chef, has been told to put a sock in it for his new programme, even though it is called The F-Word.

As a sign of its confidence, Channel 4, once known as the porn channel, will broadcast Ramsay’s cookery show at 8pm on Sundays, an hour before the watershed. However, the star may need more coaching. On hearing of the new stricture, Ramsay said: “We’re f***** then, aren’t we.”

Muting Ramsay’s curses is not the only sign of a backlash against swearing. Residents of the Hollingdean estate in Brighton banded together last week to come up with a “no swearing” code of conduct. In future, all new tenants will be required to sign a contract agreeing not to use foul language in public.

“This is a voluntary code of good manners, something to aim for,” said Nicky Cambridge, a community worker who helped to draw up the agreement. “It’s about treating others with respect and not using threatening language.”

Are these portents of society drawing a line at the onslaught of loutish language, declaring “Shut it!” to mindless effing and blinding? Not everyone is so happy about this development. One band of academics finds the Hollingdean phenomenon positively alarming. Lexicographers — those who study English usage and compile dictionaries — want more fruity language, not less.

They report that, with the loosening of taboos against swearing, we face a shortage of powerful curses. It may not seem like it, but like the rainforest and fossil fuels, expletives are running out.

So common are the f-word and the c-word in current usage that the wordsmiths are beginning to worry about where the English language will go next when it comes to powerful obscenities. John Ayto, compiler of The Oxford Dictionary of Slang, said: “We are in danger of running out of expletives, particularly in moments of stress. We just hear them too often. In linguistic terms English has been bleached — the meaning gradually drips out of a word and loses its capacity to shock.”

Thirty years ago, “bloody” was as effective as “f***” is now, said Ayto. “Think of swearwords as you would the upper and lower ranges of the human voice. We are losing the top register and our language is emasculated.”

Historians hark back to a golden age of cursing. As Professor Jonathan Bate, a Shakespeare scholar, says: “In the 16th century there was a huge number of new words entering the language. This gave dramatists great opportunity and power.”

Today trend forecasters detect a retreat from obscenity. Sandra Griffin, of Headlightvision, a research consultancy, believes less is more in swearing. A recent survey of young people in 16 countries revealed they were turned off by explicit language.

“Overexposure is a real danger,” she said. “So many people are so used to swearwords that they zone them out. We found a real desire for subtlety and for just plain silliness.”

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