Overview

Tracing the history of swearing from ancient Anglo-Saxon traditions and those of the Middle Ages, through Shakespeare, the Enlightenment and the Victorians, to the Lady Chatterley trial and various current trends, Geoffrey Hughes explores a fascinating, little discussed yet irrespressible part of our linguistic heritage. This second edition contains a Postscript updating various contemporary developments, such as the growth of Political Correctness.

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9780140267075

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Reviews

Hughes presents a history of swearing and foul language, from Anglo-Saxon times to the 1990s, covering an area from England to Australia, Quakers to convicts and from simple vituperation to the endlessly varied, inventive field of sexual vernacular. This is a wonderful tribute to the inventive power of language - deliciously filthy and wonderfully authoritative. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Geoffrey Hughes is Professor of History of the English Language at the University of the Witwatersand, Johannesburg.

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