Melissa Mohr’s Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing delves into the evolution and cultural significance of swearing in the English language. By examining how social attitudes toward profanity have changed over time, Mohr provides a comprehensive overview of why certain words have become taboo and how they function within diverse cultural contexts. The book is organized into six chapters, each of them focusing on different historical periods and themes (Roman Era, Medieval times, Renaissance and Recent times). Thanks to the timeline organization of contents, Mohr is capable to illustrate the progression and shifts in the use and perception of swear words. Mohr adapts her stylistic choices to keep reader engagement and effectively convey complex
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52), transformed (p.91), condemned (p.135), and embraced (p.196) to describe historical shifts and societies reactions. The author predominantly uses the past tense to recount historical events and shift in societal attitudes towards swearing, such as in the sentence, “The Romans viewed certain words as powerful and dangerous”. The indicative mood is prevalent, as it states facts and provides information, like “Swearing has always existed.” Occasionally, the imperative mood appears in suggestions or recommendations for understanding swearing’s role, but these instances are less frequent. Mohr employs both active and passive voice, with a preference for the active voice to maintain clarity and engagement. Her sentences range from simple declarative forms, such as “Swearing has always existed”, to more intricate compound-complex structures that provide nuances explanations, as seen in sentences like, “This is not so much because the words involved are themselves foul— greed, for instance, is not a bad word—but because saying the word leads to thinking about what the word represents, which can all too easily lead to action. (pg. 86. Mohr’s lexical choices are precise and contextually …show more content…
24) and piss (p. 82) reflecting the taboo nature of these topics in various historical contexts. Moreover, Mohr’s use of collocations, such as obscene words (p.176), oath swearing (p.182), and verbal abuse, underlines the intensity and societal impact of swearing. Her lexical choices are further enriched by the connotations they carry, reflecting the emotional and cultural weight of profanity. She explains that the phrase strong language often implies a sense of power and intensity, while verbal abuse, such as whore and false (p. 100) carries negative connotations of harm, aggression and accusations of any kind. According to David Crystal’s categorizations, Holy Sh*t fits within the genre of popular linguistic non-fiction, aiming to educate a general audience about linguistic phenomena in an engaging manner. The text employs diverse types, including expository passages that provide explanations and historical context, narrative sections that recount the story of swearing through different periods, analytical segments that break down the components and societal impacts of swear words, and descriptive parts that vividly depict historical attitudes towards
52), transformed (p.91), condemned (p.135), and embraced (p.196) to describe historical shifts and societies reactions. The author predominantly uses the past tense to recount historical events and shift in societal attitudes towards swearing, such as in the sentence, “The Romans viewed certain words as powerful and dangerous”. The indicative mood is prevalent, as it states facts and provides information, like “Swearing has always existed.” Occasionally, the imperative mood appears in suggestions or recommendations for understanding swearing’s role, but these instances are less frequent. Mohr employs both active and passive voice, with a preference for the active voice to maintain clarity and engagement. Her sentences range from simple declarative forms, such as “Swearing has always existed”, to more intricate compound-complex structures that provide nuances explanations, as seen in sentences like, “This is not so much because the words involved are themselves foul— greed, for instance, is not a bad word—but because saying the word leads to thinking about what the word represents, which can all too easily lead to action. (pg. 86. Mohr’s lexical choices are precise and contextually …show more content…
24) and piss (p. 82) reflecting the taboo nature of these topics in various historical contexts. Moreover, Mohr’s use of collocations, such as obscene words (p.176), oath swearing (p.182), and verbal abuse, underlines the intensity and societal impact of swearing. Her lexical choices are further enriched by the connotations they carry, reflecting the emotional and cultural weight of profanity. She explains that the phrase strong language often implies a sense of power and intensity, while verbal abuse, such as whore and false (p. 100) carries negative connotations of harm, aggression and accusations of any kind. According to David Crystal’s categorizations, Holy Sh*t fits within the genre of popular linguistic non-fiction, aiming to educate a general audience about linguistic phenomena in an engaging manner. The text employs diverse types, including expository passages that provide explanations and historical context, narrative sections that recount the story of swearing through different periods, analytical segments that break down the components and societal impacts of swear words, and descriptive parts that vividly depict historical attitudes towards