No offense intended.While you might not include actual swearwords in your publication, I've got a feeling you've uttered more than one during its production (and hopefully not after it's been printed). If you've ever wondered about the origins and use of foul language, check out Ruth Wajnryb's Expletive Deleted: A Good Look at Bad Language (Free Press, 2005). With tongue firmly in cheek, Wajnryb, a linguist lin·guist n. 1. A person who speaks several languages fluently. 2. A specialist in linguistics. [Latin lingua, language; see and columnist for The Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald, explores the history and use of swears, including their increasing acceptance in print and over the airwaves airwaves Noun, pl Informal radio waves used in radio and television broadcasting . But first, she clarifies: Are we talking about cursing versus swearing, epithets versus insults, obscenity obscenity, in law, anything that tends to corrupt public morals by its indecency. The moral concepts that the term connotes vary from time to time and from place to place. In the United States, the word obscenity is a technical legal term. In the 1950s the U.S. versus profanity Irreverence towards sacred things; particularly, an irreverent or blasphemous use of the name of God. Vulgar, irreverent, or coarse language. The use of certain profane or obscene language on the radio or television is a federal offense, but in other situations, profanity ? From there, she covers specific words and their multiple, er, grammatical functions; swearing in other languages and how it's perceived; gender-specific terms; and even whether people "need" to swear at all. Although you personally may choose to water down your curses (heck! golly gol·ly interj. Used to express mild surprise or wonder. [Alteration of God.] golly interj an exclamation of mild surprise [originally a euphemism for !) or cover your ears (as one of my friends insists her young kids do when we adults let loose), you'll no doubt get a kick out of Wajnryb's delightful book. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion