What’s behind swearing?

If you’re looking at the brain, an awful lot. But how do we use swearing to navigate social relationships? And do all language have swears?

We’re talking to cognitive scientist Benjamin Bergen on this episode of Talk the Talk.

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Promo

Promo with Maggie Bochat, 2018-11-09: What the F

Full interview

Interview with Benjamin Bergen (complete)

Daniel had a chat with cognitive scientist Benjamin Bergen about his book What the F: What Swearing Reveals About Our Language, Our Brains, and Ourselves. How do we use swearing to show aspects of our identity? What does this do to our brains? 

Thanks to Dr Bergen for this interview.

Also at https://www.patreon.com/posts/21902763

Cutting Room Floor

Cutting Room Floor 341: Swearing

NSFW language

We’ve got some swearing to do! Hedvig has investigated Swedish intensifiers, and her D&D character is adept at inflicting damage by Vicious Mockery.

How reliable are our memories? Not very — even ‘flashbulb memories’ are subject to creative revision, and we’re capable of conflating memories with stories.

We hear a poppy love song about a good bot named Anna, and discuss the HR Giger museum in Gruyères, Switzerland.

Also at https://www.patreon.com/posts/22047768

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Show notes

California bans automated bots that pretend to be human – SlashGear
https://www.slashgear.com/california-bans-automated-bots-that-pretend-to-be-human-02548522/

Can’t spot the bot? In California, automated accounts have to reveal themselves
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/can-t-spot-bot-california-automated-accounts-have-reveal-themselves-n915556

California bans ‘secret’ election bots – BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-45720030

Raging British Drivers Swear 41 Times Every 100 Miles, New Study Reveals
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/british-drivers-road-rage-foul-mouthed-motorists-swearing-behaviour-a8563861.html

I Dream in Another Language (2017) – IMDb
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3278224/

Indigenous language created for film
http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/english/indigenous-language-created-film

Zoque, Tabasco | Ethnologue
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/zoq

Last Two Speakers of Dying Language Refuse to Talk to Each Other | TIME.com
http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/04/18/last-two-speakers-of-dying-language-refuse-to-talk-to-each-other/

Language at risk of dying out – the last two speakers aren’t talking | Science | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/apr/13/mexico-language-ayapaneco-dying-out

The Marketing Campaign That Endangered A Language
https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/endangered-language-ayapaneco/

Sans Forgetica – RMIT
http://sansforgetica.rmit/

Researchers create “memory-boosting” font
https://www.cnn.com/style/article/memory-boosting-font-intl/

Font of all knowledge? Researchers develop typeface they say can boost memory | Art and design | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/oct/04/font-of-all-knowledge-researchers-develop-typeface-they-say-can-boost-memory

What The F? What swearing reveals about language and ourselves | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/09/what-the-f-what-swearing-reveals-about-language-and-ourselves/

The Science of Swear Words (Warning: NSFW AF)
https://www.wired.com/2016/09/science-swear-words-warning-nsfw-af/

A linguist’s love letter to profanity explains why it’s fine to curse around kids
https://qz.com/791736/a-linguists-love-letter-to-profanity-explains-why-its-fine-to-curse-around-kids/

Benjamin K. Bergen’s home page
http://www.cogsci.ucsd.edu/~bkbergen/

‘What the F’: Prof explores science behind swearing – The San Diego Union-Tribune
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/sdut-benjamin-bergen-profanity-book-interview-2016sep03-story.html

The science of the F-bomb: “Swearing actually allows people to endure pain more successfully” | Salon.com
https://www.salon.com/2016/09/15/the-science-of-the-f-bomb-swearing-actually-allows-people-to-endure-pain-more-successfully/

The Science Of How And Why We Swear [NSFW] | Gizmodo Australia
https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/08/the-science-of-how-and-why-we-swear-nsfw/

Press release: The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics – NobelPrize.org
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2018/press-release/

Knytblus, Sweden’s Take on the Pussy-Bow Blouse, Rallies a Nation
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/13/style/knytblus-bow-blouses-sweden.html

The Fiji Times — Fijian Government to legally contest “Bula”; trademark move
https://www.fijitimes.com/fijian-government-to-legally-contest-bula-trademark-move/

Transcript

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