eggcorn: "profound" (profane) words

[Scot LaFaive]

I've discussed this many times with various friends over the years and
nearly every woman has said that, of the usual offensive words, "cunt" is
the worst thing you can call a woman, especially from a man, I believe. If I
remember right, "bitch" sounds worse coming from another woman. Of course,
this is merely anecdotal.

Scot


>From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>Reply-To: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
>Subject: Re: eggcorn: "profound" (profane) words
>Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:15:00 -0400
>
>---------------------- Information from the mail header
>-----------------------
>Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>Poster:       Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
>Subject:      Re: eggcorn: "profound" (profane) words
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>At 4:03 PM -0400 7/31/07, Charles Doyle wrote:
> >My female students have informed me, with seeming unanimity, that
> >the the C word (as a synecdoche) is the MOST offensive epithet that
> >can be bestowed on a woman--the genderly counterpart of the N word
> >racially, several have insisted.
> >
> >In contrast, a casual "What a bitch!" is merely rude.
> >
> >--Charlie
>
>Hey, no skewing the data.  Rather than "What a ____", you'd need to
>control for the frame.  Something like "You goddam ____" would be a
>possible context for the comparison.  The thing about synecdoche is
>that coming from one's partner rather than a stranger it indicates
>general misogyny (just as the N word would display general racism),
>focusing on traits not under the insultee's control, while the B word
>might potentially be taken more personally as singling out the target
>for individualized opprobrium.  Reasonable insultees may differ, of
>course.
>
>LH
>
> >_____________________________________________________________
> >
> >---- Original message ----
> >>Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2007 15:31:46 -0400
> >>From: Laurence Horn <laurence.horn at YALE.EDU>
> >>
> >>
> >>>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
> >
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> >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>
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>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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