swearing

When she spills her milk, Sister Bear uses a new word she heard on a video, and a surprised Mama Bear explains to her that some words are not polite to use.

Explores the cultures and conflicts around swear words and vulgar language. Discusses the evolution of offensive language, labels and censorship, and how brains process different types of language.

Holy Sh*t tells the story of two kinds of swearing--obscenities and oaths--from ancient Rome and the Bible to today. With humor and insight, Melissa Mohr takes readers on a journey to discover how "swearing" has come to include both testifying with your hand on the Bible and calling someone a *#$&!* when they cut you off on the highway. She explores obscenities in ancient Rome--which were remarkably similar to our own--and unearths the history of religious oaths in the Middle Ages, when swearing (or not swearing) an oath was often a matter of life and death. Holy Sh*t also explains the advancement of civility and corresponding censorship of language in the 18th century, considers the rise of racial slurs after World War II, examines the physiological effects of swearing (increased heart rate and greater pain tolerance), and answers a question that preoccupies the FCC, the US Senate, and anyone who has recently overheard little kids at a playground: are we swearing more now than people did in the past?.

Little Bird loves learning new words and sharing them with his friends, so when he realizes that his latest one is a bad word, he knows just what to say to set things right.

Traces the dramatic rise in the use and acceptance of offensive language in the English language over the past century, and examines what the rise in cursing reveals about language and human nature.

After shocking the elegant garden party guests by using a bad word, Elbert learns some acceptable substitutes from a helpful wizard.

Michael loves collecting words, especially those that are unusual, and knowing that one of his new words is naughty does not stop him from sharing it with his friends at school.

When she spills her milk, Sister Bear uses a new word she heard on a video, and a surprised Mama Bear explains to her that some words are not polite to use.

After shocking the elegant garden party by using a bad word, Elbert learns some acceptable substitutes from a helpful wizard.