"A brash, enlightening, and wildly entertaining feminist look at gendered language and the way it shapes us..."--From dust jacket, front flap. "The word bitch conjures many images for many people, but it is most often meant to describe an unpleasant woman. Even before its usage to mean a female canine, bitch didnt refer to gender at allit originated as a gender-neutral word meaning genitalia. A perfectly innocuous word devolving into a female insult is the case for tons more terms, including hussywhich simply meant housewifeor slut, which meant an untidy person and was also used to describe men. These words are just a few among historys many English slurs hurled at women. Amanda Montell, reporter and feminist linguist, deconstructs languagefrom insults and cursing, gossip, and catcalling to grammar and pronunciation patternsto reveal the ways it has been used for centuries to keep women and other marginalized genders from power. Ever wonder why so many people are annoyed when women talk with vocal fry or use the word like as a filler? Or why certain gender-neutral terms stick and others dont? Or where stereotypes of how women and men speak come from in the first place? Montell effortlessly moves between history, science, and popular culture to explore these questions and moreand how we can use the answers to effect real social change. Montell's irresistable humor shines through, making linguistics not only approachable, but downright hilarious and profound. WORDSLUT gets to the heart of our language, marvels at its elasticity, and sheds much needed light on the biases that shadow women in our culture and out consciousness." -- dust jacket flap.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.