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Ten years ago, on the fourth ever episode of the show, I investigated why the C-word is considered a worse swear than the others. Since then - well really just in the last three years or so - there has been a huge development: the word has hit the mainstream as a compliment, in the forms of serving it and -y. Linguists Nicole Holliday and Kelly Elizabeth Wright discuss these uses of the word originating in the ballroom culture of New York City in the 1990s, and what it means to turn such a strong swear into praise.
Related to this: the Allusionist live show Souvenirs! Which is about, among other things, some of the tech problems today's word causes, and how being one can wreck a friendship and a printing press. See Souvenirs in Toronto 1 June and Montréal 9 June; find ticket links and venue info at theallusionist.org/events.
Four Letter Word season began with an episode about the word ‘fuck’. Next time: something a little less strong, to give your strand of clutching-pearls a break.
EXTRA MATERIALS:
“It is worth remembering that at the heart of reclamation projects is hope — hope for a better world where people are respected, dignified, and equal. When people try to reclaim words, they are not at a distance; they are living right in it, under hope’s roof, trying to reflect the beauty and strength of a group with language.” Dominique Godinez, thank you for your thesis!
“Taboo language is meant to be transgressive, and one way it can compound that is by breaking the usual laws and expectations of morphosyntax.”
Tee Corinne’s Cunt Coloring Book, 1975: “On the choice of the name for the book, Corinne described her simultaneous discomfort with and appreciation of the use of the word ‘cunt’... in 1981, Naiad Press, a lesbian feminist publishing house based in Florida, suggested that the book would sell even better were its name changed to Labiaflowers. Corinne agreed, but the name change hurt sales rather than boosting them. ‘It bombed.’”
“A specialized meaning was ‘a central channel for urine in a cow-shed’”: Old and Middle English cunte in place-names - most examples are not actually cunty, alas.
MARINA’s new song ‘Cuntissimo’.
RuPaul’s 2017 song ‘Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve & Talent’.
RIP Colin Hanks’s handkerchief company (I’m not linking to his brother Chet Hanks’s output).
Is there any cooler business card than this ‘Lexicunt’ one?
Reductress: “I took it in my own hands to reclaim the word cunt by being the cuntiest cunt there ever was, and I’m proud to say it worked.”
Otherlusionists: well, of course, the first C-Bomb episode, I was so green ten years ago! Also on the topic of reclaiming previously harmful words: Queer. And Polari discusses gay subculture vocabulary reaching the out-group, who might not even know where it came from.
Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses about every episode, fortnightly livestreams with me and my dictionaries, merch perks at the live shows, and the Allusioverse Discord community.
YOUR RANDOMLY SELECTED WORD FROM THE DICTIONARY:
coulisse, noun: a flat piece of scenery at the side of the stage in a theatre.
(the coulisses) the wings.
Origin 19th century, French, feminine of coulis 'sliding'
CREDITS:
Nicole Holliday is acting associate professor of Linguistics at University of California Berkeley. Find her work at nicolerholliday.wordpress.com and she is @MixedLinguist on TikTok.
Kelly Elizabeth Wright is assistant professor of language sciences at the University of Wisconsin Madison, an experimental sociolinguist and lexicographer, and lead editor of the quarterly dictionary Among The New Words - the latest edition is here. Find her work at kellywright5.wixsite.com/raciolinguistics and YouTube.
This episode was produced by me, Helen Zaltzman, on the unceded ancestral and traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
The music is by Martin Austwick. Download his songs at palebirdmusic.com and listen to his podcasts Song By Song and Neutrino Watch.
Find the Allusionist at youtube.com/allusionistshow, instagram.com/allusionistshow, facebook.com/allusionistshow, @allusionistshow.bsky.social… If I’m there, I’m there as @allusionistshow.
Back in two weeks with more four letter words - HZ.
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