Nine Nasty Words

I listened to this on audio, and that has pros and cons. McWhorter has a great voice and it makes it a lot of fun. But the subject matter of linguistics does require a fair bit of visualization to see the progression (at least for me). So I would barely get from “Shit and nice used to be the same word? That's interesting!” before already forgetting the way they changed throughout the years. I'd have probably gotten more out of this long term if I had read it physically, but I certainly enjoyed listening to it.

I enjoyed learning the origins of a lot of these words, and how murky the English language truly is. I also thought it was super fascinating how swears have progressed from “about religion” “about the body” and “about social groups”. I had never really considered “slurs” the same as “swears”. Which makes sense, because I consider myself somebody who swears but not somebody who uses slurs. Although it really puts into perspective how this changes over time. People from a different generation may have felt the same outrage at me saying “Jesus Christ!” as some of us feel about slurs today.

I knocked one star off because McWhorter brings up rabbits, due to them being tangentially related to the word “cunt”, but then drifts off into a random aside about how rabbits are “blank” creatures that don't have any intelligence or spark to them, and “never amount to much of anything”. I've had four rabbits, one of which is absurdly intelligent for an animal with such a small brain, and all of whom were complex, social, intelligent, and loving animals. I imagine McWhorter has experienced rabbits solely in tiny cages with no engagement or socializing. This normally would not be something that bothered me enough to knock a star off a book about linguistics...however, the book is about linguistics, including factually incorrect statements about rabbits for no purpose, and I have no way to express my disappointment to McWhorter himself so...one star less it is. I hope someone informs him of his mistake someday.

But again, very enjoyable read. I certainly recommend it (besides the rabbit slander