In Review

09 January 2009 11:53 BST

The Seven Words You Can't Say on Television by Steven Pinker

Published by Penguin, paperback, 96pp, £3.99.

In a nutshell...

F*ck, c*nt, sh*t and all the other things you shouldn't say but do.

What's it all about?

Swearing is something we all do. Some of us do it much more than others, and some of us do it much more effectively than others. Swearing is something that seems to fascinate Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker, who goes to great lengths to unravel the theories behind one of societies most prevalent taboos.

From swearing as catharsis (such as stubbing a toe or spilling coffee on your laptop) to swearing as part of an intimate act, Professor Pinker leaves no stone unturned in his quest for an answer to the age-old question: why do we swear?

The book – which is an excerpt from a larger publication, The Stuff of Thought – starts by discussing the very nature of free speech, before forwarding the argument that cursing is an integral facet of this concept. From this launch pad, Professor Pinker then looks at how the discourses have swear words have evolved over time. For example, while uttering a word such as 'hell' or 'damn' would have once upon a time caused all in proximity to feint with horror, it would now hardly raise an eyebrow in a sleepy Sunday morning congregation.

Who's it by?

Professor Steven Pinker is one of the US' leading psychologists, heading the department at the country's esteemed Ivy League Institution, Harvard University. His previous works include The Language Instinct (1994), How the Mind Works (1997) and The Blank Slate (2002). His most visited subject matter is linguistics and its relation to psychological development. Professor Pinker has flaunted controversy in the past for suggesting that language is an instinct passed on through natural selection.

As an example...

"Expletives like bloody and f*cking are probably the most commonly used taboo words in casual speech, despite their nonsensical semantics and syntax. A century –old British slang dictionary includes the following in its entry for bloody: 'Most frequently… as it falls with wearisome reiteration every two or three syllables from the mouths of London roughs of the lowest type; no special meaning, much less a sanguinary one; can be attached to its use.'

Similar observations have been made about the dialect called F*ck Patois, like the story about the solider who said: 'I come home to my f*****g house after three f*****g years in the f*****g war, and what do I f*****g well find? My wife in bed, engaging in illicit sexual relations with a male!'" - On the use of expletives as adverbs

Likelihood of becoming a Hollywood blockbuster?

There's more chance of the Pope sh*tting in the woods, to be frank. An informed documentary on BBC4 sometime in the future would be more permissible. It could also feature Shaun Ryder and Danny Dyer discussing the merits of the word p***.

For unadulterated swearing thrills, the closest you're likely to get is South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.

What the others say...

"Curious, inventive, fearless, naughty." – New York Times

"A display of fiercely intricate intelligence and nobody with the least interest in language should miss reading it." – Times

So is it any good?

Considering the book can be read cover to cover in little over an hour, Professor Pinker manages to make every page count. From the core psychological impulses which prompt us to curse, to how modern comedians use expletives to add impact to their humour, The Seven Words You Can't Say on Television, provides about as much information as you could ever need on the subject. The author also explores beyond the boundaries of actual words themselves, looking at how the arrangement of object and subject can make the expressions we choose to use funny, nasty or politically incorrect.

Like many publications by academics of this stature, The Seven Words You Can't Say on Television may not suit those without previous knowledge of linguistics. The source material relied on by Professor Pinker also sometimes borders on the obscure, with work by the ridiculously-titled linguist Yuk Foo providing a base for much of the book's ideas.

So, worth the admission price? F**k, yeah.

8/10

Daniel Shane