Words you can say on TV: Is WTF the newest cable channel?

[Dennis Baron]

There's a new post on the Web of Language

Words you can say on TV: Is WTF the newest cable channel?

Whether you're a dedicated couch potato or only an occasional channel
surfer, I'm sure you've noticed that swearing on prime-time television
is on the rise. According to the New York Times, between the hours of
8 and 10 p.m., Eastern, 7 Central, you're more than twice as likely to
hear someone called a "douche" this year than in 2007, and the
incidence of "bitch" in that time slot has tripled in the past decade.
The way things are trending, it won't be long before you'll be as
likely to encounter profanity on the air as commercials. But wait,
there's more . . . .

and you can read it on the Web of Language:  http://bit.ly/weblan
____________________
Dennis Baron
Professor of English and Linguistics
Department of English
University of Illinois
608 S. Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801

office: 217-244-0568
fax: 217-333-4321

http://www.illinois.edu/goto/debaron

read the Web of Language:
http://www.illinois.edu/goto/weboflanguage

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