[Ads-l] "uterus" an indecorous word? ("slut" in the news)

Thu Sep 27 01:43:41 UTC 2018

The "No means yes!" chant associated with Judge Kavanaugh's frat was
uttered today on MSNBC in full.

JL

On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 3:55 PM Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at gmail.com> wrote:

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> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Dan Goncharoff <thegonch at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: "uterus" an indecorous word? ("slut" in the news)
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> 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:
>
> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> > -----------------------
> > 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.
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>

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