Swearing
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Review
"Excellent, non–prescriptive history." Literary Review
"Erudite and splendidly researched book ... quite fascinating." Daily Telegraph
"A provocative and stimulating book." Glasgow Herald
"Professor Hughes shows real skill in handling the social history aspect of the book, blending theme and chronology into a digestive mixture." Punch --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
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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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is good. Hughes knows his stuff. This book goes right back to the beginning of time and deeply analyses all documents that survive. Sometimes it went a bit too deep for me which led me to think this is more of a book for students/academics of English rather than the layman. To be honest I have only dipped in and out of the book as the analyses did get very heavy and boring sometimes. The parts I have read are very interesting nonetheless and it is good to see someone treating swear words as ordinary words. I would recommend this book overall.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Geoffrey Hughes' thoroughly absorbing historical study of swearing is, as a previous reviewer implies, substantially academic in both its conception and execution; a fact which may prove off-putting to the otherwise interested layman. Given the vast historical(and literary) canvass upon which Hughes' presents his formidable array of sources and references, some degree of scholarly presentation is both essential and inevitable. This does not imply that the book is unreadable, merely that it may require from the reader a little more concentration and attention to detail than they may possibly be used to. Starting with the heroic oaths of the Germanic languages and the old english epic poem Beowulf, Hughes proceeds through sacred blasphemy and 'flyting' in the times of Chaucer and Shakespeare and thereby on to the effects of Puritanism, particularly in the licentious reaction of the likes of Rochester during the Restoration; then onwards through what Hughes calls the "Reign of Decorum" during the Enlightenment and the Victorian era, and the "linguistic mores" of the New World settlers; finally dealing with the 20th and 21st centuries, a time during which the focus of swearing, according to the author, has completed its shift from "religious matters ... to sexual and bodily functions, and from opprobrious religious categorization ... to national and racial insults", a time which has also witnessed the controversial rise of political correctness. Hughes covers all this and much more in an erudite yet still accessible way while not foregoing a touch of humour here and there(though this may say more about my reaction than Hughes' intentions!). Nevertheless, I found this an extremely interesting, enlightening and entertaining read and if you have any interest in the origins and development of the English language I would highly recommend this book. It may require a little concentration at times but it is eminently worth the effort.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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6 reviews
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Excellent book on a topic that's usually swept under the rug
2 Nov 2002
Format:Paperback
This is an excellent history of the rich lexicon of the true English language. Shows how various traditions such as verbal baiting (flyting), 'blasphemies', and 'profanities' developed in in the tapestry of English ... and interesting in that it describes only a few hundred years ago or less the "four letter words" were just everyday language whereas blasphemy was regarded as beyond the pale. Interesting topsy-turvy compared to today's use!
Learn where common or archiac expressions developed etc. Marvel at the rich linguistic traditions of working class English and the broad variation that Australian swearing can give to a single word.
Although some reviews have said this is "academic" in tone (meaning well researched and footnoted I suppose) and it is indeed rigorous, it is a VERY LIVELY read which any moderately literate person can get excellent enjoyment from.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Such Language, Mr Hughes!
31 Mar 2010
Format:Paperback
Swearing, A Social History of Foul Language, Oaths and Profanity in English, Geoffrey Hughes, © Geoffrey Hughes, 1991, 1998; Penguin Books, London
It would appear that swearing and/or the use of oaths is a universal human constant regardless of language, culture, social mores, etc. I really have to wonder if the first recognizable word to come out of the mouths of our most ancient ancestors wasn't an oath or a swear word prompted by the impact of that stone axe on a bare toe or foot. What Geoffrey Hughes has given us here is a history of this human activity in the English language, from its Anglo-Saxon roots to the mid to late 20th Century.
A professor of linguistics and a scholar of language, especially as people actually use it, Geoffrey Hughes presents a solid and readable survey history of the uses and preferences for oaths and swear words in the English language in some 250 pages divided into 11 chapters. The author introduces us to his topic with a discussion of curses, expletives, oaths, swearing, taboos, and how they overlap or differ from each other in our speech over time. He then proceeds in succeeding chapters to discuss the Germanic inheritance of English swearing and oath-ing, its evolution in Middle English, the later influence of French and other languages, and the impact of our changing attitudes about religion, the church and other authorities, how we talk about foreigners and the "other" in our lives, how swearing relates to sex, and how it reflects the changes in the world at large. At several points, Mr. Hughes embellishes his discussion with lists of different swear words and their often changing meanings or usage by historical period. This I found particularly useful as a living historian/reenactor as it provided some idea of the changing vocabulary over time and geography.
I like very much that there are endnotes at the end of each chapter rather than at the end of the book. Endnotes aren't quite footnotes but are much handier than having all of the notes buried at the end of several hundred pages. There is also a five and a half page bibliography that provides grist for the mill of anyone interested in further reading or research on a particular period. This is a good selection for either the interested general reader or the academic.
It would appear that swearing and/or the use of oaths is a universal human constant regardless of language, culture, social mores, etc. I really have to wonder if the first recognizable word to come out of the mouths of our most ancient ancestors wasn't an oath or a swear word prompted by the impact of that stone axe on a bare toe or foot. What Geoffrey Hughes has given us here is a history of this human activity in the English language, from its Anglo-Saxon roots to the mid to late 20th Century.
A professor of linguistics and a scholar of language, especially as people actually use it, Geoffrey Hughes presents a solid and readable survey history of the uses and preferences for oaths and swear words in the English language in some 250 pages divided into 11 chapters. The author introduces us to his topic with a discussion of curses, expletives, oaths, swearing, taboos, and how they overlap or differ from each other in our speech over time. He then proceeds in succeeding chapters to discuss the Germanic inheritance of English swearing and oath-ing, its evolution in Middle English, the later influence of French and other languages, and the impact of our changing attitudes about religion, the church and other authorities, how we talk about foreigners and the "other" in our lives, how swearing relates to sex, and how it reflects the changes in the world at large. At several points, Mr. Hughes embellishes his discussion with lists of different swear words and their often changing meanings or usage by historical period. This I found particularly useful as a living historian/reenactor as it provided some idea of the changing vocabulary over time and geography.
I like very much that there are endnotes at the end of each chapter rather than at the end of the book. Endnotes aren't quite footnotes but are much handier than having all of the notes buried at the end of several hundred pages. There is also a five and a half page bibliography that provides grist for the mill of anyone interested in further reading or research on a particular period. This is a good selection for either the interested general reader or the academic.
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Too Academic
21 Sep 2010
Format:Paperback
Not was I was looking for. The author seems to me to be in love with his own writing which is often arcane and old-fashioned. Very wordy, and not an easy read. I gave up after the first two chapters.
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