Download or read book The Origins of Euphemisms and Swear Words in the English Language written by Judith Huber and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2004-05-15 with total page 17 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 2 (B), University of Hamburg (Institute for Anglistics/ American Studies), course: Proseminar: Lexicology, language: English, abstract: Modern English is known to be a language made up of mainly two different roots: the Germanic language that was spoken by many inhabitants of the British Isles before the Norman Conquest in 1066, and the Romanic language that the Norman invaders brought with them. These two origins, however, are not distributed equally on the English vocabulary: very generally speaking, Germanic words more often denote basic concepts, while Romanic words more often denote abstract concepts. This is illustrated by the fact that the General Service List (GSL), listing the 2000 most frequent (and therefore most basic) English words, is made up by 50.98 percent of words of Germanic origin, whereas in the Computer Dictionary (CD)1, which consists of 80 096 words, only 26.28 percent of the entries have Germanic roots, but a majority of 58.52 percent have Latin or Romanic ones (Scheler 1978: 72). Therefore it seems quite obvious that swear-words in particular should, to a higher percentage, have Germanic roots, because the concepts they denote are mostly ‘basic’, the domain in which Germanic words are represented to a greater extent than Latin or Romanic words. Moreover, bearing in mind that words of Latin or Romanic origin are more likely to denote abstract concepts and that they often seem to have a certain taste of ‘culture’ and ‘good education’, one could suppose that there is a higher percentage of Latin or Romanic words among euphemisms. These considerations led to the following hypothesis:
Download or read book An Encyclopedia of Swearing written by Geoffrey Hughes and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-03-26 with total page 600 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the only encyclopedia and social history of swearing and foul language in the English-speaking world. It covers the various social dynamics that generate swearing, foul language, and insults in the entire range of the English language. While the emphasis is on American and British English, the different major global varieties, such as Australian, Canadian, South African, and Caribbean English are also covered. A-Z entries cover the full range of swearing and foul language in English, including fascinating details on the history and origins of each term and the social context in which it found expression. Categories include blasphemy, obscenity, profanity, the categorization of women and races, and modal varieties, such as the ritual insults of Renaissance "flyting" and modern "sounding" or "playing the dozens." Entries cover the historical dimension of the language, from Anglo-Saxon heroic oaths and the surprising power of medieval profanity, to the strict censorship of the Renaissance and the vibrant, modern language of the streets. Social factors, such as stereotyping, xenophobia, and the dynamics of ethnic slurs, as well as age and gender differences in swearing are also addressed, along with the major taboo words and the complex and changing nature of religious, sexual, and racial taboos.
Download or read book A Cursory History of Swearing written by Julian Sharman and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2019-12-13 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This fun little book, as one can guess from the title, covers the history of swearing worldwide. Although it is not an in-depth look, it includes amusing anecdotes from Ancient Greece, English Medieval, and France, amongst many others. The book also discusses swear words that were common in the era and region as well as their origins.
Download or read book Damn written by Rob Chirico and published by Pitchstone Publishing (US&CA). This book was released on 2014-12-01 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Swearing, cussing, or cursing, out of anger, excitement, or just because, is something most of us do, at least to some degree. Turn on the television or open a magazine, and there it is. Damn! is an insightful and entertaining look at our evolving use of profanity over the last half-century or so, from a time when Gone with the Wind came under fire for using the word "damn" to an age where the f-bomb is dropped in all walks of life. Writer and artist Rob Chirico follows the course of swearing through literature, the media, and music, as well as through our daily lives. From back rooms and barracks to bookshelves and Broadway; and from precedents to presidents, the journey includes such diverse notables as George Carlin, the Simpsons, D. H. Lawrence, Ice T, Barack Obama, Nietzsche, and, of course, Lenny Bruce. If you have ever stopped and wondered WTF has happened to our American tongue, don't get out the bar of soap until you finish Damn!
Download or read book Swearing written by Geoffrey Hughes and published by Wiley-Blackwell. This book was released on 1991 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the earliest times swearing has existed in many variegated forms, from the deadliest curse to the most trivial expletives of annoyance. Hedged about with all manner of complex pressures, personal, societal, religious, sexual and other forms of taboo, it remains a phenomenon only imperfectly understood. Geoffrey Hughes traces these two contrasting strands through our linguistic history. His discussion starts with the use of language as magic in 'primitive' society, the binding oath of heroic commitment in Anglo-Saxon warrior society and the emergence of blasphemy in the medieval age of faith. With the Renaissance came a shift from a religious to a secular idiom of swearing, a period combining rich exuberance in language with severe restraint. This oscillation between institutional censorship and individual defiance continues to modern times. Professor Hughes includes in this broad-ranging survey such topics as xenophobia and the racist basis of abuse, graffiti, the sexual and sexist patterns of swearing, the multifarious forms of euphemism and the curious varieties of verbal duelling known as 'flyting' and 'sounding'. His book is a tireless exploration of a little discussed but irrepressible part of our linguistic heritage.
Download or read book The World s Worst Swear Words Their Surprising Origins written by Brian Loo Soon Hua and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Profanity is dynamic, ever-changing, constantly shifting in form and meaning over time. We might find it unbelievable today, but during the Middle Ages "By God's bones!" and "God's truth!" were far more offensive than "c*nt", "sh*t" and piss - all three of which were mundane enough to appear in maps and other official records as part of medieval street names! "Queer" meant "peculiar". a "bitch" was simply a female dog and both men and women of all ages could be "sluttish"!In this series, linguist Brian Loo Soon Hua takes readers on a journey to explore the rich origins of obscenity, slurs and insults from various languages - starting with English.
Download or read book Swearing written by Geoffrey Hughes and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 1998-03-26 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tracing the history of swearing from ancient Anglo-Saxon traditions and those of the Middle Ages, through Shakespeare, the Enlightenment and the Victorians, to the Lady Chatterley trial and various current trends, Geoffrey Hughes explores a fascinating, little discussed yet irrespressible part of our linguistic heritage. This second edition contains a Postscript updating various contemporary developments, such as the growth of Political Correctness.
Download or read book Holy Sh t written by Melissa Mohr and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-05-30 with total page 327 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A humorous, trenchant and fascinating examination of how Western culture's taboo words have evolved over the millennia
Download or read book Words from Hell written by Jess Zafarris and published by Chambers. This book was released on 2023-11-07 with total page 413 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The English language is where words go to be tortured and mutilated into unrecognizable shadows of their former selves. It's where Latin, Greek, and Germanic roots are shredded apart and stitched unceremoniously back together with misunderstood snippets of languages snatched from the wreckage of conquest and colonialism. It wreaks merciless havoc upon grammar and spelling. It turns clinical terms into insults and children's tales into filthy euphemisms. With an emphasis on understanding where the foulest words in the English language came from-and the disgusting and hilarious histories behind them-this book demonstrates the true filth of our everyday words. But this book is more than just a list of vulgar words and salacious slang. It's a thoughtful analysis of why we deem words as being inappropriate as well as revealing 'good words' that have surprisingly naughty origins. Dirty-minded word nerds and lewd linguistics lovers will derive unadulterated pleasure in leering at the origins of swear words, sexual lingo, inappropriate idioms, violent vocabulary, and terminology for bodily functions-not to mention the unexpectedly foul origins of words you thought were perfectly innocent. If it's inappropriate, stomach-churning, uncomfortable, or offensive, this book reaches into the dark recesses of history and exposes them for all to see. True to the Chambers brand, this book combines humour, scholarly research and a beautiful design. It is a book to enjoy, collect and revisit time and time again.
Download or read book Swearing and Cursing written by Nico Nassenstein and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2020-04-20 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While most of the more recent influential work on swearing has concentrated on English and other languages from the Global North, looking at forms and functions of swear words, this contribution redirects the necessary focus onto a sociolinguistics of swearing that puts transgressive practices in non-Western languages into the focus. The transdisciplinary volume contains innovative case studies that address swearing and cursing in parts of the world characterized by consequences of colonialism and increasingly debated inequalities. Turning away from more conventional and established methodologies and theoretical approaches, the book envisages to address transgressive linguistic practices, performances and contexts in Africa, Asia, America and Europe –including individuals' creativity, subversive power and agency. Due to its interdisciplinary and non-mainstream focus, this volume is an essential addition to the field of studies.
Download or read book The Anatomy of Swearing written by Ashley Montagu and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A pioneering work."--Steven Smith, University of Essex
Download or read book Wicked Words written by Hugh Rawson and published by Three Rivers Press. This book was released on 1989 with total page 435 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Describes the history of words used as curses, and looks at how the connotations of words change over time
Download or read book Nine Nasty Words written by John McWhorter and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times bestseller One of the preeminent linguists of our time examines the realms of language that are considered shocking and taboo in order to understand what imbues curse words with such power--and why we love them so much. Profanity has always been a deliciously vibrant part of our lexicon, an integral part of being human. In fact, our ability to curse comes from a different part of the brain than other parts of speech--the urgency with which we say "f&*k!" is instead related to the instinct that tells us to flee from danger. Language evolves with time, and so does what we consider profane or unspeakable. Nine Nasty Words is a rollicking examination of profanity, explored from every angle: historical, sociological, political, linguistic. In a particularly coarse moment, when the public discourse is shaped in part by once-shocking words, nothing could be timelier.
Download or read book Filthy English written by Peter Silverton and published by Portobello Books. This book was released on 2011-11-03 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the Sex Pistols swore live on tea-time telly in 1976, there was outrage across Britain. Headlines screamed. Christians marched. TVs were kicked in. Thirty years on, all those words are media-mainstream - bandied about with impunity on TV and in the papers. This is the story of our bad language and its three-decade journey from the fringes of decency to the working centre of a more linguistically liberal nation. Silverton takes a clear, comprehensive and witty look at swearing and the impact of its new acceptability on our language, our manners and our society. He considers how we have become more openly emotional, yet more wary about insulting others. And how it's seemingly become alright to say **** and **** but not ****** or ****. This is the story of that cultural revolution, written by one who was there at the start, proudly striking some of the first blows in the long struggle for the right to reclaim filthy English and use it.
Download or read book Bozzimacoo written by Mary Marshall and published by Michael Joseph. This book was released on 1975 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Bleep written by James Ross and published by . This book was released on 2000-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The most often used American English insults, euphemisms, and curses are outlined in this reference guide. It is an informative and humorous look at the taboo language regularly heard on the sweet, in movies, on the radio, at work, and in magazines and newspapers. Each illustrated topic uses an entertaining dialogue format to explore commonly used euphemisms, insulting expressions, vulgarisms, profanities, and obscene terms. Quizzes, crossword puzzles, and word games help to test the reader's knowledge of swearing. Also included is a dictionary of 2,500 words complete with definitions, sample sentences to demonstrate typical context and use, and interesting word origins.
Download or read book Bad Words written by Karen D. Vieira and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2017-08-02 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cussing, Cursing, Swearing! Profanity at its finest and the history behind some of the worst words in the English language. Bad words are known to relieve pain, make you laugh, help gain friendships, and allow you to dominate conversations. Use this reference book wisely or just on the toilet. Remember, just because you read it, doesn't mean you have to say it...
