Bad Words: And What They Say About Us

Author:   Philip Gooden
Publisher:   Little, Brown Book Group
ISBN:  

9781472141576


Pages:   320
Publication Date:   05 September 2019
Format:   Hardback
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

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Bad Words: And What They Say About Us


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Overview

Once upon a time, the worst words you could utter were short, simple and tended to be four letters in length. Now things are more complicated. To be insulted as a 'snowflake' or an 'expert' is arguably worse than being called a **** or a **** or even a ****. So what are today's 'bad words' and how are they different from yesterday's taboo expressions? This entertaining guide to the shifting sands of bad language is indispensable in an increasingly divided world in which abuse becomes ever more widespread and vituperative. Philip Gooden shows how and why taboo words and contentious expressions, including those four-letter ones, were first used in English. He discusses the ways such words have changed over the years and explores how a single syllable or two may possess an almost magical power to offend, distress or infuriate. BAD WORDS investigates the most controversial and provocative words in the English language in a way that is both anecdotal and analytical. Combining intrigue and scandal, the book delves into expressions connected to religion, ethnicity, nationality, politics, swearing and oaths, and includes contemporary issues like political correctness and elitism.

Full Product Details

Author:   Philip Gooden
Publisher:   Little, Brown Book Group
Imprint:   Robinson
Dimensions:   Width: 13.00cm , Height: 3.00cm , Length: 20.00cm
Weight:   0.340kg
ISBN:  

9781472141576


ISBN 10:   1472141571
Pages:   320
Publication Date:   05 September 2019
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   To order   Availability explained
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.

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. . . while the low-hanging sound of 'bollocks' seems to imitate the thing it describes. If that low-hanging sound is music to your ears, Bad Words has plenty. * Times Literary Supplement *


. . . while the low-hanging sound of 'bollocks' seems to imitate the thing it describes. If that low-hanging sound is music to your ears, Bad Words has plenty. - Times Literary Supplement


Author Information

PHILIP GOODEN is a graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford. He writes books about language as well as historical crime novels. The former include Who's Whose? A No-Nonsense Guide to Easily-Confused Words, The Story of English, and (as co-author) Idiomantics and The Word at War. He has been nominated for a CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award.

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