the new taboo

[Imran Ghory]

On Fri, 23 May 2003, Sam Clements wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Sam Clements <sclements at NEO.RR.COM>
> Subject:      Re: the new taboo
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I think the word "cunt," used to describe a woman, is still pretty taboo in
> the US.  Evidently, from a discussion over at the StraightDope
> http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=185861&highli
> ght=cunt, the word has started to be used in England in reference to a male.
> The UK posters suggest that it is no worse than calling a guy a wanker, at
> least in some circles.

According to BBC research in the UK the words that the majority of people
believed should not be used in broadcasts were cunt, motherfucker, nigger,
paki and spastic. When young women were surveyed this list was extended to
include whore, slag and twat.

Imran
--
http://bits.bris.ac.uk/imran