Items related to What the F: What Swearing Reveals about Our Language,...
Synopsis
"A sneaky--charming, consistently engrossing--introduction to linguistics." --New York Times Book Review
Everyone swears. Only the rare individual can avoid ever letting slip an expletive. And yet, we ban the words from television and insist that polite people excise them from their vocabularies. That's a fucking shame. Not only is swearing colorful, fun, and often powerfully apt, as linguist and cognitive scientist Benjamin K. Bergen shows us, the study of it can provide a new window onto how our brains process language. How can patients left otherwise speechless after a stroke still shout out "Goddamn!"? Why did Pop Francis say "fuck" in the middle of a speech? When did a cock cease to be a rooster? Why is "crap" vulgar when "poo" is just childish? And what are we doing when we give someone the bird?
What the F? Let me effing tell you.
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Review
"Interesting and insightful"--National Review
"An illuminating read, and makes the case for swears as a salutary aspect of our lexicon."--A.V. Club
"In What the F, a self-proclaimed 'book-length love letter to profanity, ' cognitive scientist Benjamin K. Bergen succeeds in bringing me around to appreciate the broader context, as well as the finer points, of the role 'bad' words play in human society."--Science
"Full of cute tidbits you can drop at cocktail parties.... It's a quick read, not a detailed, academic dissection. But don't mistake breeziness for triviality: cursing plays a central role in our lives."--Ars Technica
"Some prospective readers may avoid this book because of its subject matter. That would be a gosh-darned shame."--Science News
"It takes courage, energy, extraordinary intellectual chops, and a sense of fun to take on profanity. Ben Bergen has all in full measure. Read this book."--George Lakoff, Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics, The University of California, Berkeley
"Oh, it's a lot of fun, and scientifically sound too!"--Language Hat
"A lively study with the potential to offend just about anyone.... From a linguistic and sociological viewpoint, the book is illuminating, even playful...an entertaining...look at an essential component of language and society."--Publishers Weekly
"A winner for the psycholinguistics nerd in the house."--Kirkus Reviews
"An elegant, insightful, and ballsy application of rigorous linguistic methods to swearing, that most revealing--and ignored--corner of language.... Though a descriptivist to the core, I issue the following prescription: read this effing book!"--Jesse Sheidlower, author of The F-Word
Book Description
It may be starred, beeped, and censored-yet profanity is so appealing that we can't stop using it. In the funniest, clearest study to date, Benjamin Bergen explains why, and what that tells us about our language and brains.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherBasic Books
- Publication date2018
- ISBN 10 1541617207
- ISBN 13 9781541617209
- BindingPaperback
- LanguageEnglish
- Number of pages304
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What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves
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Basic Books (edition Reprint), 2018
ISBN 10: 1541617207
ISBN 13: 9781541617209
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What the F: What Swearing Reveals about Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves
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What the F (Paperback)
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Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. It may be starred, beeped, and censored -- yet profanity is so appealing that we can't stop using it. In the funniest, clearest study to date, Benjamin Bergen explains why, and what that tells us about our language and brains. Nearly everyone swears-whether it's over a few too many drinks, in reaction to a stubbed toe, or in flagrante delicto. And yet, we sit idly by as words are banned from television and censored in books. We insist that people excise profanity from their vocabularies and we punish children for yelling the very same dirty words that we'll mutter in relief seconds after they fall asleep. Swearing, it seems, is an intimate part of us that we have decided to selectively deny. That's a damn shame. Swearing is useful. It can be funny, cathartic, or emotionally arousing. As linguist and cognitive scientist Benjamin K. Bergen shows us, it also opens a new window onto how our brains process language and why languages vary around the world and over time. In this groundbreaking yet ebullient romp through the linguistic muck, Bergen answers intriguing questions: How can patients left otherwise speechless after a stroke still shout Goddamn! when they get upset? When did a cock grow to be more than merely a rooster? Why is crap vulgar when poo is just childish? Do slurs make you treat people differently? Why is the first word that Samoan children say not mommy but eat shit? And why do we extend a middle finger to flip someone the bird? Smart as hell and funny as fuck, What the F is mandatory reading for anyone who wants to know how and why we swear. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9781541617209
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What the F: What Swearing Reveals about Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves
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