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When adverbs aren't adverbs, and swearing isn't language

WHY do we say "fuck you", and not "fuck
yourself"? What exactly makes certain excretions more linguistically
taboo (shit) than others (snot)? Is "fucking" really an adverb
in the phrase "fucking brilliant"? Steven Pinker, a linguist
and cognitive scientist and one of the most masterful popularisers of science
writing today, answers all in a long article
on profanity in the New Republic. read more »

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Comment of the moment

quote As a resident of Bolivia, I totally agree that travelling by road in Bolivia is terrifying, especially to rural areas in ancient rickety buses which are held together by elastic bands...

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