Just how far back in history does the F-word go?

Further than we thought. A historian has discovered evidence that pushes the term back by hundreds of years. Meanwhile, researchers are finding which swears are most popular where.

Linguist Daniel Midgley drops some bombs on this episode of Talk the Talk.


Listen to this episode

218: The F-Word

Download this episode

You can listen to all the episodes of Talk the Talk by pasting this URL into your podlistener.

http://danielmidgley.com/talkthetalk/talk_classic.xml

Promo

Promo with Kylie Sturgess, 2015-09-22: The F- Word

Show notes

Dubious Facebook graphic: “People who use a lot of swear words tend to be more honest and trustworthy, human behavioural studies suggest.”
https://www.facebook.com/wzpl995/photos/a.458588127782.245850.54234792782/10152326194707783/?type=1&theater

Are People who use a lot of Swear Words MORE Honest and Trust Worthy?
http://badpsychologyblog.org/post/55885010495/are-people-who-use-a-lot-of-swear-words-more

Ig Nobel prize for “Huh?”

Huh? An award for research into the word ‘huh’? http://sydney.edu.au/news-opinion/news/2015/09/18/ig-nobel-prize-for-professor-nick-enfield.html  

Saying ‘huh’ in 31 languages: huh? http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/saying-huh-in-31-languages-huh/story-e6frgcjx-1227532706665?sv=242b7dcf79f978e76f2905db17ab6d90

ogle, oogle, oggle

What word do you use for gawking at someone in a lustful way?
http://www4.uwm.edu/FLL/linguistics/dialect/staticmaps/q_121.html

ogle/oggle/oogle
http://telophase.livejournal.com/2666679.html

Urban Dictionary: oogling
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=oogling “Oogling”? https://t.co/fkrIWZ3GFj

— Nancy Friedman (@Fritinancy) July 10, 2015

Learn to speak Australian, mate.

Senator told to “speak Australian” during question time
http://www.news.com.au/national/politics/senator-told-to-speak-australian-during-question-time/story-fns0jze1-1227531655033

US Republican Carly Fiorina unaware that English is not the US official language
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/fact-check/2015/09/11/carly-fiorina-official-language-fact-check/72016642/

Note how many US politicians are happy to demand English-only laws
http://www.ontheissues.org/Immigration.htm

Fuck

HuffPo: A F*cking Short History of the F-Word by Melissa Mohr
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-mohr/a-fcking-short-history-of_b_3352948.html

Etymology of ‘fuck’
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=fuck&allowed_in_frame=0

1538: O d fuckin Abbott

Here’s the first recorded instance of the F-word in English
http://io9.com/heres-the-first-recorded-instance-of-the-f-word-in-eng-1519247071

1513: Be his feiris he wald haue fukkit.

William Dunbar: “Brash of Wowing”
Google Books link

1475: Flen, flyys and freris

“Non sunt in coeli, quia gxddbov xxkxzt pg ifmk.”

Language Hat: GXDDBOV XXKXZT PG IFMK.
http://languagehat.com/gxddbov-xxkxzt-pg-ifmk/

Fleas, Flies, Friars and the World’s First F***
http://innocentpleasures.blog.co.uk/2009/11/28/fleas-flies-friars-and-the-world-s-first-f-7475368/

1310: Roger Fuckebythenavele

We Interviewed the Historian Who Just Found the Oldest Use of the Word ‘Fuck’
http://www.vice.com/read/this-historian-just-found-the-oldest-use-of-fuck-920

Fuckebythenavele: Historians uncover oldest known use of the F-word in 1310 court records
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-history-archaeology/fuckebythenavele-historians-uncover-oldest-known-use-f-word-1310-court-020530

‘Fuckebythenavele’: Earliest use of famous Anglo-Saxon swearword unearthed by British historian
https://www.rt.com/uk/315279-oldest-use-swear-word/

1278: John le Fucker (etym. dub.)

Wikipedia: John le Fucker
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_le_Fucker

Jack Grieve’s swearing heatmaps

All the maps: Jack’s Twitter account
https://twitter.com/JWGrieve/media

Do You Live in a “Bitch” or a “Fuck” State? American Curses, Mapped
http://gawker.com/do-you-live-in-a-bitch-or-a-fuck-state-american-cu-1718259899

Bikelash

City Seeing Resistance To New Bike Lanes, Calling It “Bikelash”
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2015/06/25/city-seeing-resistance-to-new-bike-lanes-calling-it-bikelash/

Is Bikelash Spreading to Some of the More Progressive Neighborhood Councils?
http://la.streetsblog.org/2015/09/03/is-bikelash-spreading-to-some-of-the-more-progressive-neighborhood-councils/


Image credit: http://www.medievalists.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/earliest-f-word-medieval.png


Transcript

We’re working our way back through the archives. If you think we should prioritise a transcript of this episode, let us know!