Nine Nasty Words Buchzusammenfassung - das Wichtigste aus Nine Nasty Words

Einleitung anhören

00:00

Zusammenfassung von Nine Nasty Words

Name: Nine Nasty Words
Rating: 4 (129 reviews)
Author: John McWhorter

John McWhorter

English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever

4 (129 Bewertungen)

23 Min.

Themen

Change & Evolution General Knowledge Culture Anthropology

Inhaltsübersicht

Nine Nasty Words
in 7 Kernaussagen verstehen

Audio & Text in der Blinkist App

Kernaussage 1 von 7

What’s in it for me? An excellent history of bad words.

Swear words, sailor talk, curses, and expletives. Everyone knows there are certain words and phrases that pack a particularly powerful punch. But how did these words gain their potency, and why do they still shock so many?

These blinks delve into the curious world of profanity by examining the origins of a few of our most forbidden words. Drawing on the linguistic expertise of John McWhorter, this tour of taboo vocab examines words like fuck, shit, bitch, and hell through a historical, sociological, and political lens. In the end, you’ll gain a new appreciation for our risqué and ribald language.

A quick warning: These blinks contain highly offensive language. Please take care.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how hell lost its heat;
that a slur in the US is a meal in the UK; and
which career earns you the name Mr. Fuckbutter.

Damn and hell began as sinful and became secular.

There’s a long-standing Hollywood legend about the film Gone with the Wind. The story goes that the film’s producer, David Selznick, received a heavy fine when the movie was released.

You see, at the film’s climax, the leading star, Clark Gable, utters the now-classic line “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” The rumor is that back in 1939 damn was such a shocking word that allowing it on screen was tantamount to a crime. So Selznick had to pay up.

But this just isn’t true. In reality, while damn and its compatriot word hell were both considered bawdy, neither was actually banned. In fact, they were treated as acceptable forms of profanity – a distinction they still hold today.

The key message here is: Damn and hell began as sinful and became secular.

In today’s pantheon of taboo words, damn and hell hold a curious place. While these two expletives are absolutely considered among the four-letter terms we label profane, they nonetheless feel a bit tame. This isn’t a recent development, either. Even by the 1900s, both expletives were used regularly and rarely met with more than mild and perfunctory disapproval.

Yet this wasn’t always the case. Travel back a few hundred years and these words would feel more provocative. In Europe during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Christian doctrine reigned supreme. Pious followers of the faith were careful to abide by the Second Commandment, which forbids taking the Lord’s name “in vain.” Pledging a trivial oath in the name of God or Jesus was strictly discouraged, which is why there’s a taboo around so-called swear words like Oh God or For God’s sake!

Moreover, this prohibition extended to cursing people or things in the name of God. Asking the Lord to condemn, or damn, a given frustration was a serious breach of decorum. This injunction also extended to the word hell, as this was the expected destination for any soul God would damn. So, while an especially pissed peasant might be tempted to shout, “God damn you to hell!” such a phrase carried a seriously sinful weight.

Of course, over time the religious connotations of these words began to fade, and their usage crept into everyday language. Damn and its cousin goddamn became so common that Joan of Arc even referred to the English people as “Goddams” for their frequent use of the phrase. For its part, hell became just another interjection, such as in the phrases What the hell? and Hell, why not?

The origins of fuck as profanity remain shrouded in mystery.

In the 1930s, the lexicographer Allen Walker Read declared that fuck carried the deepest stigma of any word in the English language. And it’s true. In the early twentieth century, the so-called f-word had a notorious aura of transgression.

But in the Middle Ages, things were different. Official records from the eleventh and twelfth centuries speak of upstanding citizens such as Roger Fuckbythenavel, Simon Fuckbutter, and, of course, the honorable Henry Fuckbeggar, a prized member of Edward I’s inner circle.

Taboos around shit closely parallel our society’s relationship with shame.

On the surface, science and shit are almost diametrically opposed. While the former describes the rigorous process of using empirical data to understand the world, the latter refers to a more base biological function.

Yet these two terms share a common origin. Millennia ago, a language spoken in what is now Ukraine had the word skei, meaning “to cut off” or “slice.” Over time, skei spread around Europe. Latin speakers adopted it as sci, which came to be the root of “to know,” as one gained knowledge by cutting up the world for analysis. Thus, science.

Our anatomical terms are either playful, prurient, or prejudiced.

Flip on the radio and it won’t be long until you hear some libertine MC or lascivious diva extolling the virtues of a certain body part. Some will cheekily declare that “baby’s got back,” while others will simply explicitly direct you to “shake your ass.”

Of course, this freewheeling appreciation of the ass is relatively new. Even a mere century ago, people would go to great lengths to avoid uttering the word ass. More prim speakers might gesture vaguely to backsides or rumps, opt for the sartorial term seat, or, if especially cultured, revert to foreign vocabulary like the French derrière.

The N-word holds a particularly complex place in American culture.

In 2006, comedian Michael Richards was riding high off the success of Seinfeld, in which he played the lovable oaf Kramer. However, all his accumulated goodwill could not withstand one seriously dismal stand-up performance.

What happened was this: While on stage, Richards attempted to dispatch a heckler by delivering a caustic riff. In an unhinged and horrid retort, he repeatedly said the N-word. Yes, that N-word. Afterward, the comedian apologized and tried to mitigate the outburst as a joke gone horribly wrong. The public was unforgiving, and the incident essentially ended his career.

The f-word followed a long and winding path to become the f-slur.

It’s often said that the United States and the United Kingdom are two countries separated by a common language. While both nations predominantly use English, there remain major differences in how that tongue is wielded. Americans ride the elevator, while Brits ascend in lifts, for instance.

Perhaps the strangest example of this divide is the varied meaning of the f-word. No, not the four-letter f-bomb that we discussed in blink 2 – the other f-word. In the UK, this word is on the menu – it refers to a dish of chopped pork wrapped in bacon. And, if you wanted to have a smoke after the meal, you might also use a shortened version of this word to refer to your cigarette.

The word bitch shows the myriad ways profane words can change over time.

The year is 1397. Somewhere in the British Isles, a pregnant dog gives birth to a litter of puppies. Unfortunately, the young pups are all blind. A local scribe records the event in the town’s annals. Dutifully, he notes, “the bytche bringeth forth blynde whelpes.”

Around the same time period, a stage play features two women in a heated argument. One leading lady dismisses the other with a biting remark. She ruefully asks, “Whom calleste thou queine, skabde biche?” Or, as we would say, “Who are you calling queen, miserable bitch?”

Du möchtest die gesamte Zusammenfassung von Nine Nasty Words sehen?

Kernaussagen in Nine Nasty Words

Mehr Wissen in weniger Zeit

Sachbücher auf den Punkt gebracht

Kernaussagen aus Sachbüchern in ca. 15 Minuten pro Titel lesen & anhören mit den „Blinks”

Zeitsparende Empfehlungen

Titel, die dein Leben bereichern, passend zu deinen Interessen und Zielen

Podcasts in Kurzform ^Neu

Kernaussagen wichtiger Podcasts im Kurzformat mit den neuen „Shortcasts”

Worum geht es in Nine Nasty Words?

Nine Nasty Words (2021) is a foul-mouthed exploration of our linguistic taboos. This title picks apart exactly why some words come to be profane.

Wer Nine Nasty Words lesen sollte

Language-lovers aiming to deepen their appreciation of words
Salty talkers looking to pick up new profanity
Anyone curious about the origin of taboos

Über den Autor

John McWhorter, a linguistics professor at Columbia University, holds a PhD from Stanford University. His extensive writing on language and culture includes the best-selling titles Power of Babel: A Natural History of Language, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue: The Untold History of English, and The Language Hoax.

Kategorien mit Nine Nasty Words

Society & Culture Education

Ähnlich wie Nine Nasty Words

Words on the Move

John McWhorter

Why English Won’t – and Can’t – Sit Still (Like, Literally)

English And How It Got That Way

15 min

4.5

7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness

Jim Rohn

Power Ideas from America's Foremost Business Philosopher

Understanding the New Rules of Language

22 min

4.1

How to Talk to Anyone

Leil Lowndes

92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships

Elevate Your Mind, Unlock Your Power, Heal Your Soul

Neoliberalism and Global Order

17 min

4.3

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Marie Kondo

The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

The Jaw-dropping Tragedy That Shocked Ancient Greece

20 min

4.4

How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less

Nicholas Boothman

Make Instant, Meaningful Connections for Interviewing, Selling, Managing, Pitching

18 min

4.2

Every Job Is a Sales Job

Cindy McGovern

How to Use the Art of Selling to Win at Work

What the Rich Teach Their Kids about Money – That the Poor and the Middle Class Do Not!

Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time

17 min

3.6

How To Read Literature Like A Professor

Thomas C. Foster

A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines

15 min

4.1

Words Can Change Your Brain

Andrew Newberg and Mark Robert Waldman

12 Conversation Strategies to Build Trust, Resolve Conflict, and Increase Intimacy

The Persnickety Story of English Punctuation

A Magical Fable About Following Your Dreams

Burn Fat, Heal Inflammation, and Eat Like the High-Performing Human You Were Meant to Be

The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss

32 min

4.6

The Intelligent Investor

Benjamin Graham and comments by Jason Zweig

The Definitive Book on Value Investing

What you Thought Was a Diagnosis May Be Your Greatest Strength

The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction

25 min

4.4

How to Think More Effectively

The School of Life

A guide to greater productivity, insight and creativity

Build Your Personal Highlight Reel and Unlock Your Potential

19 min

4.6

On the Origin of Time

Thomas Hertog

Stephen Hawking's Final Theory

How to Accept Your Fears, Release the Past, and Live Your Courageous Life

21 min

4.3

Humor, Seriously

Jennifer Aaker & Naomi Bagdonas

Why Humor Is a Superpower at Work and in Life (And How Anyone Can Harness It. Even You.)

23 min

4.1

Neuro-linguistic Programming for Dummies

Romilla Ready and Kate Burton

A beginner's guide to one of psychology's hottest topics

My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future

16 min

4.6

How to Think Like a Philosopher

Peter Cave

Scholars, Dreamers and Sages Who Can Teach Us How to Live

The Remarkable Truth of How a Small Change Can Help You Stress Less and Enjoy Life More

Dispel the Misconceptions and Deliver a Winning Strategy

The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives

35 min

4.6

Lives of the Stoics

Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman

The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius

28 min

4.4

The Mind-Gut Connection

Emeran Mayer

How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health

15 min

4.5

The Catcher in the Rye

J.D. Salinger

A Coming-Of-Age Classic on Belonging and Teenage Alienation

The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8 A.M.)

A tour into the life and mind of award-winning actor Matthew McConaughey

40 min

4.3

Between the World and Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates

The 2015 National Book Award Winner is a deep look at being black in America today

19 min

4.3

The Future of the Office

Peter Cappelli

Work from Home, Remote Work, and the Hard Choices We All Face

It’s Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear

19 min

4.0

The Fifth Agreement

Don Miguel Ruiz and Don Jose Ruiz

A Practical Guide to Self-Mastery

14 min

4.5

A Brief History of Motion

Tom Standage

From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next

28 min

4.3

The Art of War (New Version)

Sun Tzu

Classic military strategy for politics, business, and everyday life

11 min

4.1

Nudge

Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein

Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth and Happiness

How to Be an Adult in Relationships

David Richo

The Five Keys to Mindful Loving

Cybersecurity Advice from the Best Hackers in the World

A Historical Novel on the Irrationality of Human Behavior in War

17 min

4.1

Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess

Caroline Leaf

5 Simple, Scientifically Proven Steps to Reduce Anxiety, Stress, and Toxic Thinking

22 min

4.3

❤️ für Blinkist️️️

Ines S.

Ich bin begeistert. Ich liebe Bücher aber durch zwei kleine Kinder komme ich einfach nicht zum Lesen. Und ja, viele Bücher haben viel bla bla und die Quintessenz ist eigentlich ein Bruchteil.

Genau dafür ist Blinkist total genial! Es wird auf das Wesentliche reduziert, die Blinks sind gut verständlich, gut zusammengefasst und auch hörbar! Das ist super. 80 Euro für ein ganzes Jahr klingt viel, aber dafür unbegrenzt Zugriff auf 3000 Bücher. Und dieses Wissen und die Zeitersparnis ist unbezahlbar.

Ekaterina S.

Extrem empfehlenswert. Statt sinnlos im Facebook zu scrollen höre ich jetzt täglich zwischen 3-4 "Bücher". Bei manchen wird schnelle klar, dass der Kauf unnötig ist, da schon das wichtigste zusammen gefasst wurde..bei anderen macht es Lust doch das Buch selbständig zu lesen. Wirklich toll

Nils S.

Einer der besten, bequemsten und sinnvollsten Apps die auf ein Handy gehören. Jeden morgen 15-20 Minuten für die eigene Weiterbildung/Entwicklung oder Wissen.

Julia P.

Viele tolle Bücher, auf deren Kernaussagen reduziert- präzise und ansprechend zusammengefasst. Endlich habe ich das Gefühl, Zeit für Bücher zu finden, für die ich sonst keine Zeit habe.