"uterus" an indecorous word? ("slut" in the news)

[Dan Goncharoff]

Is what you're referring to found in the notes of p297 of this version?

https://mail.google.com/mail/?hl=en&shva=1#inbox/13107fcc3f22abd5

DanG


On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 11:52 AM, George Thompson <george.thompson at nyu.edu>wrote:

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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       George Thompson <george.thompson at NYU.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: "uterus" an indecorous word? ("slut" in the news)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> The manual I'm thinking of is A Treatise upon the law, Privileges,
> Proceedings and Usage of Parliament, by Thomas Erskine May, who flourished
> in the mid-19th C.  There is an edition digitized by Google Books, which
> seems not to contain the list of unparliamentary expressions I remember, as
> best I can tell from the Index, and searching the text doesn't show either
> "impudent" or "young pup".
> At one time I was the foremost expert at my library on using the records or
> Parliament, a talent little utilized by the patrons and still less
> appreciated by the administration.  I attained this status by looking at
> Erskine May's Treatise, and some other guides.  I'm a bit disturbed by the
> Google result, but such a list of expressions ruled out-or-order exists,
> and
> I still say that it was in the edition of Erskine May that was current in
> the late 1970s, and that one of the banned expressions was "impudent young
> pup"..
>
> There seem to be no Parliamentarians in the mid-Hudson River Valley; SUNY
> New Paltz doesn't have the book, and Vassar only has an edition from the
> mid
> 1920s.  This will have to wait until I get to my old library again, but
> since my recollection of this list is now floating about the internet, I
> need to verify it.  (Vassar thinks that ERskine May's last name is only
> May)
>
> Stay tuned.
>
> GAT
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 8, 2011 at 1:26 PM, George Thompson <george.thompson at nyu.edu
> >wrote:
>
> >
> > The manual of parliamentary procedure used by the English Parliament has
> or
> > had a half page of utterances that had been held to be undecorous,
> offensive
> > or just plain unparliamentary.  If any parliamentarians have said
> "uterus",
> > they got away with it.  The expressions I recall included "impudent young
> > pup" and "elected by the refuse of a large constituency".
> >
> > The compiler of this manual was Erskine May (double last name).  Last
> > looked at it no doubt 20 years ago, so maybe some choice things have been
> > added to recent editions.
> >
> > GAT
> >
> >
> > On Fri, Jul 8, 2011 at 12:19 AM, Geoffrey Nunberg <
> > nunberg at ischool.berkeley.edu> wrote:
> >
> >> File under "O Florida, Venereal Soil": The skittishness about saying
> >> "slut" put me in mind of a story out of Florida a couple of months ago:
> >>
> >> Democrat chastised for saying 'uterus' on House floor
> >>
> >> ...At one point Randolph suggested that his wife "incorporate her
> uterus"
> >> to stop Republicans from pushing measures that would restrict abortions.
> ...
> >>
> >> Apparently the GOP leadership of the House didn't like the one-liner.
> They
> >> told Democrats that Randolph is not to discuss body parts on the House
> >> floor...
> >>
> >> House GOP spokeswoman Katie Betta: "The Speaker has been clear about his
> >> expectations for conduct on the House for during debate. At one point
> during
> >> the debate, he mentioned to the entire House that members of both
> parties
> >> needed to be mindful of decorum during debate.
> >>
> >> "Additionally, the Speaker believes it is important for all Members to
> be
> >> mindful of and respectful to visitors and guests, particularly the young
> >> pages and messengers who are seated in the chamber during debates. In
> the
> >> past, if the debate is going to contain language that would be
> considered
> >> inappropriate for children and other guests, the Speaker will make an
> >> announcement in advance, asking children and others who may be
> uncomfortable
> >> with the subject matter to leave the floor and gallery."
> >>
> >>
> >>
> http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/content/democrat-chastised-saying-uterus-house-floor
> >>
> >> see also:
> >>
> >>
> http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/04/06/2154351/from-the-florida-house-to-national.html
> >> Geoff
> >>
> >> > July 3:
> >> >
> >> > Tot-mom attorney Jose Baez claimed in his closing argument that his
> >> client
> >> > was being defamed as a "lying, no-good slut."  Later, the Headline
> News
> >> team
> >> > expressed amazement that producers had not bleeped the word. Jane
> >> > Velez-Mitchell said she'd sought guidance about whether she could
> repeat
> >> it
> >> > on the air.
> >> >
> >> > In my day, though "slut" was obviously insulting (and thus
> "offensive"),
> >> it
> >> > was not usually thought to be indecent.
> >> >
> >> > JL
> >> > II
> >> > Today
> >> >
> >> > On CNN this morning Kirin Chetry quoted Jose Baez's use of the word
> >> "slut."
> >> > She felt, however, that she had to spell it out rather utter it. She
> >> > apologized for using the word, saying that she was only quoting
> someone
> >> > else, and that she took the precaution of spelling rather than saying
> >> "just
> >> > in case any children might be listening."
> >> >
> >> > JL
> >> >
> >>
> >> ------------------------------------------------------------
> >> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > George A. Thompson
> > Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
> > Univ. Pr., 1998, but nothing much since then.
> >
>
>
>
> --
> George A. Thompson
> Author of A Documentary History of "The African Theatre", Northwestern
> Univ.
> Pr., 1998, but nothing much since then.
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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