Nine Nasty Words

English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever

By: John McWhorter

Narrated by: John McWhorter

Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the preeminent linguists of our time examines the realms of language that are considered shocking and taboo in order to understand what imbues curse words with such power - and why we love them so much.

Profanity has always been a deliciously vibrant part of our lexicon, an integral part of being human. In fact, our ability to curse comes from a different part of the brain than other parts of speech - the urgency with which we say "f--k!" is instead related to the instinct that tells us to flee from danger.

Language evolves with time, and so does what we consider profane or unspeakable. Nine Nasty Words is a rollicking examination of profanity, explored from every angle: historical, sociological, political, linguistic. In a particularly coarse moment, when the public discourse is shaped in part by once-shocking words, nothing could be timelier.

©2020 John McWhorter (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Rollicking, salty, learned, and intensely informative, John McWhorter's Nine Nasty Words is a grand tour through the history of the profanities we (sometimes) abhor and (sometimes) revel in (and sometimes both), peppered with cameos by everyone from Geoffrey Chaucer and Cole Porter to Tallulah Bankhead and the too-little-known singer-songwriter Lucille Bogan, still making people blush 70-odd years after her death, God bless her. I laughed frequently and learned plenty." (Benjamin Dreyer, New York Times best-selling author of Dreyer's English)

"Nine Nasty Words is a deeply intelligent celebration of language that teaches us how to see English in high definition and love it as it really is, right now and in its myriad incarnations to come." (The New York Times)

"Shakespeare’s Caliban spoke for the human race when he said 'You taught me language, and my profit on’t is, I know how to curse.' Taboo language combines our touchiest social emotions with the poetic and metaphorical powers of language, and no one can explain these more clearly and compellingly than John McWhorter." (Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University; author of The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window Into Human Nature)

how do Grammy nominations work?

john mcwhorter disarms the negativity of choice words by explaining the meaning (or interpretation?) out of them. you'll also learn that john 'gets you' as he reads his written word in a manner that exceeds the price of admission.

Entertaining and Educational

Definitely worth the time to listen. I love learning the origins of words and how the words changed over time and why. This book makes this very entertaining you will certainly enjoy.

"all bad b....... go to heaven"

This is Mcwhorter's whittiest book to date, and he is usually very witty. he makes studying linguistics so fun that I've started to fantasize about a second, more useless Masters in linguistics. He's also a great performer and has the best book to have in my pocket when I'm cleaning house or on a long commute. the title of this review is also the name of the very good rap song by a female artist who is appropriating the term. it's hard to listen to the chapter on the b word for me because I was called that very often in my childhood a. I am ambivalent about rap for that reason but have appropriated the term on many occasions to empower myself and make bad jokes

great

his narration is great couldn't be done by anyone else and mean the same thing

Even the cuss words are constantly changing

(as posted in Goodreads)
Those who know me well know that I am in love with language. I am the one who sat down and read a grammar book during high holiday services one year, only to receive puzzled looks at my apparent enjoyment and love of the activity. Coming from that vein, I also truly enjoyed this book. Of course, I'm also the one whose family spent one evening dinner (a long, long time ago) looking up swear words in the dictionary, so it isn't surprising that I really enjoyed _Nine Nasty Words_?
The book itself: it went over WHY nasty words are called "swearwords", and it went over some of what WAS and what IS CURRENTLY considered taboo, along with some of the history and a bit about language in general. It did not cover the current (in my mind stupid) religious implications, other than to say that a lot of the hype is self-contradictory…
The book is definitely a good addition to understanding the use of various unsavory language and what parts of speech we use it to enhance and how we actually use said words.

4 Stars

In a brilliant move, customers are now forced to write reviews if they want to rate books. This is a waste of time both for me and for whoever reads this

So f+@king good!

First of all, belated grats to the author/narrator for keeping your bike from being stolen! And thank you for narrating your own book. Besides a great tone and a clear speaking voice, the voices you do are such a treat! The Mr. Burns is spot on.

For the reader/listener, this is possibly a biased review as I am a fan of Dr. McWhorter's body-of-work. (Books, blog, and The Great Courses' The Story of Human Language, Language A to Z, Myths of Language Usage, Language Families of the World, and Human Language).

This audiobook was a pure treat both in content and listening pleasure. His intonations, emphasis, enunciation and speaking speed are the ideal for any narrator's aspiration. It's rare that I have a book in which I don't have to adjust the speed.

I have a huge issue with censorship so a book like this from and delivered by an intellectual standard-bearer in the field is right on point. I enjoyed learning so much about the words I most often use. This book is packed with gem after gem.

I can't help but wonder how many people I have offended, confused or bewildered with various phrases and word use. Plus with other new info from this book, I can better understand others' intent!

Everything I've come to expect from McWhorter

After loving 2 of his Great Courses, I was thrilled to see this book. It did not disappoint. Everything you love about McWhorter is here. Part linguistic, part culture and history, this is the best book that you almost can't discuss.

Fresh and Entertaining

I've listened to or read most of John McWhorter's books. I've always been educated and entertained along the way. Here he does it again. There have been plenty of books, articles, and even TV shows on the history of one or more of these "nasty" words. But I was confident that Professor McWhorter wouldn't simply repackage content that we've already seen. And he didn't. Without going into the content, expect to learn something you've probably heard before on some level (albeit with the authority the author brings to the subject, which, if nothing else, will give you the comfort that you will no longer repeat tired old fairy tales about some of these words). But also expect to learn much that you haven't heard before, all the while being entertained by McWhorter's signature humor and delivery, which I frankly never tire of.

Must read (listen)

Hearing McWhorter read the book is a treat. don't deprive yourself. This beek is meant to be heard.