References on the History and Origin of Profanity

[Laurence Horn]

You could start with Jesse Sheidlower's _The F Word_, which concentrates on the history and use of one of those words.  Jon Lighter's _Historical Dictionary of American Slang_ will be very useful for all of the words in question but (for reasons that will become obvious) the last two.  Both of these are published by Random House, the latter in two (and only two) volumes.

LH

On Apr 23, 2012, at 2:10 PM, Dorita Barr wrote:

> Hello all.
>
> I am currently doing a research project on the use of profane words such as ass, bitch, damn, fuck, hell, shit, and piss in Prime-Time television programs. I would like to include information on the history of profane words and their origins, but I am having a difficult time finding articles/works that address where profane words originated from. If you all know of any scholars or references who address the history and origin of profanity, would you please let me know? I'd really appreciate it.
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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