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。