Overview

"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. 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."

Full Product Details

9780593188798

Table of Contents

Reviews

Rollicking, salty, learned, and intensely informative, John McWhorter's Nine Nasty Words is a grand tour through the history of the profanities we (sometimes) abhor and (sometimes) revel in (and sometimes both), peppered with cameos by everyone from Geoffrey Chaucer and Cole Porter to Tallulah Bankhead and the too-little-known singer-songwriter Lucille Bogan, still making people blush seventy-odd years after her death, God bless her. I laughed frequently and learned plenty.--Benjamin Dreyer, New York Times bestselling author of Dreyer's English

Rollicking, salty, learned, and intensely informative, John McWhorter's Nine Nasty Words is a grand tour through the history of the profanities we (sometimes) abhor and (sometimes) revel in (and sometimes both), peppered with cameos by everyone from Geoffrey Chaucer and Cole Porter to Tallulah Bankhead and the too-little-known singer-songwriter Lucille Bogan, still making people blush seventy-odd years after her death, God bless her. I laughed frequently and learned plenty.--Benjamin Dreyer, New York Times bestselling author of Dreyer's English Dispensing his vast linguistic expertise with the lightest and deftest of touches, John McWhorter shows brilliantly how the 'nastiest' words can teach us about the dynamic and unruly nature of all language. Anyone interested in words (and not just the nasty ones) should read this book.--Joe Moran, author of First You Write a Sentence. If you want to get down and dirty in the gutter of English (and, be honest, who doesn't?) you'd better go with a guide who knows his shit. McWhorter gives a jovial, expert tour of the 'bedrock swears' from the offensive and profane to the merely 'salty, ' not just where they came from, but how they have shifted and morphed in force, meaning, grammar and in the effect they produce.--Arika Okrent, author of In the Land of Invented Languages

Author Information

John H. McWhorter teaches linguistics, American studies, and music history at Columbia University. He is a contributing editor at The Atlantic and host of Slate's Lexicon Valley podcast. McWhorter is the author of twenty books, including The Power of Babel- A Natural History of Language, Losing the Race- Self-Sabotage in Black America, and Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue- The Untold History of English.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available