STI

[Laurence Horn]

At 7:00 AM -0400 5/14/11, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>My understanding was that "VD" had to go because it sounded like something
>bad. I mean morally bad. If you had "VD" you were loathsome. (And remember,
>God knows what "venereal" means, unless you're a radical Whorfian and deduce
>the whole phrase is a slur on  sex, love, and Venus.)
>
>But with an "STD" you're not loathsome. You're just unlucky, and you
>maintain that great self-esteem!  People respect you.
>
>And with an "STI," you're already almost well!
>

Speaking of which, can anyone confirm that it was Steven Pinker (in
his 1994 book _The Language Instinct_ and other publications tracing
back to that year) who coined the useful "euphemism treadmill"?  The
concept has been around much longer, as he (and various web sites)
confirm, but in general he's credited for the actual term.

Before Doug Wilson's post I'd forgotten "social disease", which I
associate with "Dear Officer Krupke" from WSS (Sondheim/Bernstein).

LH

>
>
>On Sat, May 14, 2011 at 12:57 AM, Douglas G. Wilson <douglas at nb.net> wrote:
>
>>  ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>>  -----------------------
>>  Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>>  Poster:       "Douglas G. Wilson" <douglas at NB.NET>
>>  Subject:      Re: STI
>>
>>
>>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>  Kids these days!
>>
>>  The appropriate term is "social disease", isn't it?
>>
>>  -- Doug Wilson
>>
>>  ------------------------------------------------------------
>>  The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>
>
>--
>"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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