eggcorn: "profound" (profane) words

[Laurence Horn]

>Isn't the B word significantly less profound than the C word?

Well, mebbe so as profundity (profunation?) per se goes.  But as a
source of complaint, though, in this sort of context, I'd think the B
word is pretty much always grounds for complaint (barring reclaimed
uses by women or in literal reference among dog breeders, neither
which are at issue here), while the C word in literal uses can be
neutral, at least potentially.  A matter of personal taste, I presume.

LH

>But parallelism is a fast-fading skill in the culture at large.
>
>--Charlie
>_____________________________________________________________
>
>---- Original message ----
>>Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 13:21:58 -0500
>>From: "Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at UMR.EDU>
>>
>>
>>Yesterday a woman on the Judge Judy show complained (among other
>>things) that her ex-fiance used "profound words" against her.
>>These included, as she described them "the B word and the C word."
>>>From the context it was obvious that the woman intended to say
>>"profane words," and without dwelling on the matter the judge made
>>the correction.
>>
>>Gerald Cohen
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org