Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever
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- Create Date：2021-05-26 19:31:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：John McWhorter
- ISBN：B08J8FCL6X
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Dale
，
A Review of the AudiobookPublished in May of 2021 by Penguin Audio。Read by the author， John McWhorter。Duration: 6 hours， 52 minutes。Unabridged。John McWhorter is a linguist who teaches at Columbia University。 He does the nitty gritty linguistic work that professional linguists love to read about， but he also is pretty good at explaining linguistics to the non-professionals as well。In this book McWhorter explores the origins of nine taboo words in English。 Naturally， this brings to mind the famili A Review of the AudiobookPublished in May of 2021 by Penguin Audio。Read by the author， John McWhorter。Duration: 6 hours， 52 minutes。Unabridged。John McWhorter is a linguist who teaches at Columbia University。 He does the nitty gritty linguistic work that professional linguists love to read about， but he also is pretty good at explaining linguistics to the non-professionals as well。In this book McWhorter explores the origins of nine taboo words in English。 Naturally， this brings to mind the familiar cast of "four letter words"， but he also looks into other words that are similarly potent， such as the infamous "n word"。I found the book to be entertaining and an accessible look at how language changes over time - and sometimes it changes very quickly。 McWhorter cites written sources， music， plays， musicals， TV shows and movies as artifacts to show when the words were used， how they were used and if there was a change in their use。 For example， the word a**hole arrived fairly late and then underwent a dramatic change from being a wimp to being an obnoxious person。 I found this to be a very entertaining audiobook。 I rate it 5 stars out of 5。 https://dwdsreviews。blogspot。com/2021。。。 。。。more
Kit Wren
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A fun descriptive look at linguistics that is concerned with the language as it is spoken， which is distinct from how it is written， and looks at ways we can move the street into the library and classroom。 The section on in-group usings of slurs is fascinating and might change some minds， but then again， people seem pretty entrenched about what they think about those words。 Maybe a little to reliant on anecdotal evidence， but that's the limits of descriptivist grammar; in language， anecdotes are A fun descriptive look at linguistics that is concerned with the language as it is spoken， which is distinct from how it is written， and looks at ways we can move the street into the library and classroom。 The section on in-group usings of slurs is fascinating and might change some minds， but then again， people seem pretty entrenched about what they think about those words。 Maybe a little to reliant on anecdotal evidence， but that's the limits of descriptivist grammar; in language， anecdotes are basically all we have。 。。。more
Elizabeth
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I listened to the author reading the Audible version。 This book was a lot of fun， but what I really enjoyed was McWhorter’s perspective as a linguist and historian of the English language。
Andrew
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A short， mostly fun， diversionary read。 Not particularly focused， so chapter format and explanations are varied （the chapter for hell and the chapter for shit are completely different）。 McWhorter can write， but sometimes he seems too pleased with his own turns of phrase， especially when he juxtaposes erudition against the coarse topic at hand – that got tiresome。
Angus McKeogh
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I love language so might be more impressed with this book than others。 Perfect mix of the mundane， the serious， and the humorous。 Nine （and a few more by association） words that are deemed fairly nasty in the English language， their origins explained as well as their changing usage （with a sprinkle of foreign words as well）。 Great pandemic read。
Don Bennie
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Overall a pretty interesting and insightful trek through words， how they are used， their origins and how they got fromA to B。 #9 probably should haven subsumed into other chapters as the author states it could have been。
Alyssa
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Absolutely fascinating， and entertaining the whole way through。
David Drummond
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For any fans of etymology， this is a fun read about the origin and quirks of the profane words we have at our disposal。 Beyond one off explanations， the author provides a useful framework that is intertwined with the sense of humor and clever diction you'd expect from a linguist。 This won't shift any paradigms， but is an enjoyable read for anyone who enjoys the nuance of language。 For any fans of etymology， this is a fun read about the origin and quirks of the profane words we have at our disposal。 Beyond one off explanations， the author provides a useful framework that is intertwined with the sense of humor and clever diction you'd expect from a linguist。 This won't shift any paradigms， but is an enjoyable read for anyone who enjoys the nuance of language。 。。。more
Leah
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A very quick， very fun - and funny - book about nine nasty words， how they got their start， and how they came to be the taboo （or in some cases downgraded to just salty） terms we know today。There was also a surprising amount of page-time devoted to old Hollywood and I was here。 for。 it。
Angela
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Was quite informative and sometimes particularly entertaining。 A thoroughly good distraction for helping me to deal with some tough news。
britt_brooke
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Curse words are versatile as shit。 McWhorter explores the etymology and evolution of nine of the most commonly spoken nasty words （with a little hat tip to “hell” and “damn” which aren’t really bad these days）。 In addition to knowing his shit， McWhorter is very fucking funny。 Perfect audio！ And an extremely poignant point？ Slurs are the worst current-day obscenities。 100% true。 This fascinating study is one of my top reads of the year！
Jeff
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A rollicking etymological study of 9 common curse words。。 updated for the 21st century from George Carlin's Seven Words You Can't Say on Television。 Interesting to learn that these words go back up to 500 years- it's clear that our ancestors were no less raunchy than we are。 A rollicking etymological study of 9 common curse words。。 updated for the 21st century from George Carlin's Seven Words You Can't Say on Television。 Interesting to learn that these words go back up to 500 years- it's clear that our ancestors were no less raunchy than we are。 。。。more
L。A。 Jacob
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Great book An excellent and enjoyable read ， with history and plenty of nuggets to throw around at your next barbecue with friends
Petra X xxx
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The most important thing I took away from this book by the brilliant and genial John McWhorter was that when white people use the N-word which ends 'er' and hear black people using what they think is the same word， they are in fact hearing a homophone， the N-word， but it ends with 'a'。 One is a word so loaded with appalling racist connotations that it is best not uttered and has been censored from polite speech。 But the N-word 'a'， best also not spoken by whites because it is a word used within The most important thing I took away from this book by the brilliant and genial John McWhorter was that when white people use the N-word which ends 'er' and hear black people using what they think is the same word， they are in fact hearing a homophone， the N-word， but it ends with 'a'。 One is a word so loaded with appalling racist connotations that it is best not uttered and has been censored from polite speech。 But the N-word 'a'， best also not spoken by whites because it is a word used within the African-American community only， means friend or 'bro。 Life is change， and words and language evolve just as much as anything else。 So now I've been schooled when I hear local guys calling out 'N-word-a'， I know that they are not using 'N-word-er' ironically， but a word that has evolved in spelling and meaning。 The discussions of the words， fuck， ass， shit， damn and hell， penis， cunt， bitch and motherfucker were quite interesting and amusing， but I did not enjoy the book quite as much as other ones I've read by this author but it's still a 5 star。 btw I listened to the book as it makes sense for a linguistics book but also because the author has a really great voice and is an excellent narrator of his own words。____________________Notes on reading （view spoiler）[Update 2 On holiday with my bf last week （view spoiler）[yes I have a bf！！！ and for Americans holiday=vacation （hide spoiler）]， we were in an apartment for a week。 I asked my bf what he likes to do in the morning （view spoiler）[not that！ （hide spoiler）] and he said coffee， potty and breakfast。 I said， "potty？" and he got all coy and said yes he always goes potty before breakfast。 So I asked him， because I'm like that， where the toilet was and he said that my bathroom was。。。 But he did mean bathroom， it had a bath and toilet in。 His only had a shower and toilet。 Since I don't have mains water on the island but a cistern for the rainwater underneath the house， I have to conserve that a bit， so long， deep baths are a holiday pleasure which is why I got that bathroom。_____________________Update 1 Toilet。 I'm wondering if that's a word you can't say in the US。 I never hear anyone saying it， it's always 'restroom'， 'bathroom'， 'potty'， little girls' room'， 'wash room' etc。 In the UK， you can say toilet， lavatory， loo， ladies/gents， WC or even the bog （and many more）。 What you can't say without getting weird looks or misdirection， especially outside London， is to ask for the bathroom。 （Restroom is not really on either）。____________________ （hide spoiler）]The book starts by asking if we remember George Carlin's 'the seven words you can't say on television routine' - shit， piss， cunt， fuck， motherfucker， cocksucker and tits。 So far so good， what are the other two McWhorter is going to add though？ My guess is the N word and bitch。 And I was right！ 。。。more
Sam Schurger
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The book was an interesting read。 There is honestly not much else to say。 Well structured， entertaining， and all that。 It was interesting to learn about the words used in casual conversation。
Jamie
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This was pretty okay， I guess。 I think that I find McWhorter to be more engaging as a speaker than as a writer in that I can listen to him talk for hours， but I had to work a bit to maintain concentration as a reader。 It wasn't a hard book or anything like that， it just never really grabbed my attention the way that I'd hoped it would。 This was pretty okay， I guess。 I think that I find McWhorter to be more engaging as a speaker than as a writer in that I can listen to him talk for hours， but I had to work a bit to maintain concentration as a reader。 It wasn't a hard book or anything like that， it just never really grabbed my attention the way that I'd hoped it would。 。。。more
Ben Rogers
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Linguistics are so fascinating！This book was very interesting！I am captivated by language and words。 This book was very eye-opening about the history behind some of the famous English curse words。 This book was fun， funny， but also seriously interesting。 Very well written， and well researched。I would recommend this book alongside A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing， Reading， and Life for some reading on language and writing。4。1/5 Linguistics are so fascinating！This book was very interesting！I am captivated by language and words。 This book was very eye-opening about the history behind some of the famous English curse words。 This book was fun， funny， but also seriously interesting。 Very well written， and well researched。I would recommend this book alongside A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing， Reading， and Life for some reading on language and writing。4。1/5 。。。more
Peter Schutz
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goddamnit if john mcwhorter isnt the weirdest， most perverted—in how， i think i mean， he intermixes the personal and the impersonal as effortlessly as catching a butterfly in the air—and most autistic （which i mean as highest praise） public intellectual working today。 what a chunky Skippy peanut butter little book。 :）
Dean
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What a great little reading romp！
Miguel
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A smart， informative， and above all hilarious overview of the etymology and history of 9 words that are generally not uttered in ‘polite’ company。 This is one of the rare cases where it’s much more preferable to have the author read this as an audiobook given his great voice， although one needs to dial back to the playback speed due to his quicker cadence。 Thoroughly enjoyable throughout。
Don LaVange
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This fuckin' book was the real shit。 This fuckin' book was the real shit。 。。。more
James Adams
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F*cking brilliant
Paul
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A fascinating， and often laugh-out-loud funny exploration of some of the English language's most taboo words。 A fascinating， and often laugh-out-loud funny exploration of some of the English language's most taboo words。 。。。more
Dana
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I loved this book。 Highly recommend the audiobook version。
Michael
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Maybe I should have gotten the audiobook。 I’ve loved McWhorter’s Great Courses， and I listen to each new Lexicon Valley episode as soon as it’s released。 I’m a fan。 This book， sadly， didn’t flow。 The writing was convoluted， and each page would have half a dozen pop-culture references that were beyond me。 There was some very interesting information here， so three stars for that。
Arthur Gailes
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This is the most fun I've had with a book since， well， the last McWhorter book I read， Words on the Move。 The book starts with an anecdote of Babe Ruth's father signing an affidavit swearing that he "fucked" somebody's wife， and that's one of its least entertaining tangents。 The first half of this book is equal parts fascinating， illuminating， and hilarious， and McWhorter just seems delighted to talk about it all。 The chapters about the N and （other） F-word slow down a bit， perhaps necessarily， This is the most fun I've had with a book since， well， the last McWhorter book I read， Words on the Move。 The book starts with an anecdote of Babe Ruth's father signing an affidavit swearing that he "fucked" somebody's wife， and that's one of its least entertaining tangents。 The first half of this book is equal parts fascinating， illuminating， and hilarious， and McWhorter just seems delighted to talk about it all。 The chapters about the N and （other） F-word slow down a bit， perhaps necessarily， but even those provide good food for thought。 Nobody pieces together insights about psychology， history， and linguistics nearly as well as McWhorter does。 A delight。 。。。more
Alex Dimaio
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Like the author。 Not so much the book
Jim
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With one major exception （see below）， I loved this book。 In fact， I'd say it's one of John McWhorter's best books-- if not his best book-- yet。 （I'm referencing his popular linguistics books when saying that， I haven't read his scholarly work or his books on race。）I particularly like that， in addition to discussing the individual words themselves， he provided a compelling historical framework for how profanity has changed， over the centuries （e。g。 once words about God spoken in vain or lightly w With one major exception （see below）， I loved this book。 In fact， I'd say it's one of John McWhorter's best books-- if not his best book-- yet。 （I'm referencing his popular linguistics books when saying that， I haven't read his scholarly work or his books on race。）I particularly like that， in addition to discussing the individual words themselves， he provided a compelling historical framework for how profanity has changed， over the centuries （e。g。 once words about God spoken in vain or lightly were taboo-- then it became words about the body and its functions-- and now it's words that are slurs towards groups） as well as suggesting reasons for these changes。 I also appreciated how he used his discussions of individual words and their variants （e。g。 in addition to 'bitch，' he talks about son-of-a-bitch， bitchin'， etc。）。 not to just to discuss etymologies， but also to illuminate processes of language change in general， such as semantic change， grammaticalization， etc。 And， as always， McWhorter's prose is entertaining， witty and filled with examples both serious （e。g。 going back to an old Scots-language document for the first recorded use of the 'f-word' in an English dialect） and playful （citing examples of swear words in old cartoons） as well as some pretty funny personal anecdotes On many occasions， I laughed out loud while reading this （or， rather， while istening to it as an audiobook。）However， I must take umbrage with one of McWhorter's unnecessary digressions， in which he makes a bunch of mean-spirited and ignorant comments about rabbits。 （FYI: The fact that McWhorter mentions rabbits at all isn't entirely irrelevant; the word 'rabbit' does have a tangential connection to the 'c' word。）。 However， after making his etymological aside， McWhorter goes off on an extended rant about how 'blank' and vacuous they are as animals and pets。 As someone who had had four pet rabbits， each with his/her own distinct personality， and who knows how inquisitive， playful， and sociable they can be， I found this off-putting and just plain wrong。 My guess is that McWhorter's experience with rabbits is limited to having seen or kept them in in cages that were too small， where they had little room to run and explore， were given no toys， and where they were generally neglected socially by their caretakers-- such that he has never witnessed the complex， intelligent， inquisitive， playful， and imperious behavior can display when they are treated well and give the same， space， freedom and attention that one would give a cat or a dog。 And I understand that not everyone has had a chance to see a happy， healthy， house rabbit who is treated as。a true pet rather than a toy-- let alone spent enough time with them to be able to read their highly expressive body language。 So McWhorter isn't alone in his misinformed attitude。 Still， he chose to make the rant here， despite his lack of knowledge on the subject and its irrelevance to linguistics， so I'm deducting one star from what would have otherwise been a five-star review。 。。。more
Charly
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I'm an obsessive Lexicon Valley listener， and a lot is recycled material。 I'm an obsessive Lexicon Valley listener， and a lot is recycled material。 。。。more
Allison
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