"language" = "bad language", "L" = "(bad) language", and the OED
Arnold Zwicky
zwicky at STANFORD.EDU
Sun Mar 18 04:05:04 UTC 2012
On Mar 17, 2012, at 11:13 AM, Joel S. Berson wrote:
> Yes, I missed that "mild language" would therefore mean "mild
> offensive language".
>
> Do we find this sense of "language" as "offensive lang." in the OED?
> ... Yes, as I see Arnold has written -- 2.e. "= bad language at sense
> 2a. ..."
>
> (I think this also answers Amy West's question.)
>
> All the OED needs here is a mention of movie ratings and a couple of
> quotations for "pervasive language" and "mild language".
MPAA ratings descriptors
http://mstmhsla.pbworks.com/f/MPAA+Rating+Descriptors.pptx
Profanity: abusive, vulgar, or irreverent language
Language
Some language
Brief language
Mild language
Some brief language
Some mild language
Strong language
Brief strong language
Some strong language
Pervasive language
Pervasive strong language (The Big Lebowski)
A substantial amount of strong language (The Usual Suspects)
“Salty language” (My Fellow Americans)
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
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