I absolutely love crisp eruptions.ĬHANG: And you write that swear words - they actually show up in a different part of our brain than does regular language, right? MCWHORTER: What you need is a nice, crisp eruption to allow you to blow off a certain amount of steam with something that used to be a word but now is more a gesture.ĬHANG: Right. And in English, the ideal curse word is monosyllabic and has consonants on both ends, and that's part of why a certain curse word beginning with F is often the most satisfactory one. You're going somewhat beyond the boundaries. The informal agreement is that we will use them sometimes, and it is to erupt, to try to create intimacy. So it's not that these are words that somehow exist but aren't allowed to be used. MCWHORTER: Well, you know, profanity is delicious because it's the way that we use language to transgress. And I just want to start with, what is so delicious about profanity? Like, what makes an ideal swear word? But the story of what we can and cannot say in spaces like the radio is a part of your book. It's such a pleasure to have you with us.ĬHANG: So I don't think I need to explain to you that we obviously cannot say on the air most of the words that you write about in this book. This new book is called "Nine Nasty Words: English In The Gutter," and it was written by linguist John McWhorter. Well, a new book explores why, out of all the words out there, four-letter ones are so satisfying to say out loud, and it looks at how illicit language has evolved over the centuries. You know what I'm saying? Of course you do. Sometimes, you know, there is just no other word that can quite replicate the f-bomb. It may be hard to tell on the air, but I am a huge fan of profanity.
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