Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id h868I9705448; Sat, 6 Sep 2003 04:18:09 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 6 Sep 2003 04:18:09 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <20030906081323.6184.qmail@web40308.mail.yahoo.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Jillian <zazee27@yahoo.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:9440] Re: Accept English Only donation? X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Status: O Content-Length: 2033 Lines: 52 Oh, Karen, after all the serious posts and people calling each other Nazis, it was a relief to giggle at your "but-butt" questions! Here's the scoop: "Buttocks" is the medical or anatomical word. Until recently, the words used by Americans to refer to that part of the body were many and varied: bottom, backside, derriere (French, of course, therefore elegant!), rear, rear end, rump, keester (no idea where that came from!), tush, and many more. The words "ass" (a corruption of British "arse") and "butt" (short for "buttocks" but also a word on its own meaning the end of something, as in "cigarette butt") were considered vulgar when used to refer to a part of the body. You still will not normally see "ass" printed in a newspaper--unless it's refering to a donkey! However, things changed dramatically about 20 yrs ago. Why? Because of the exercise & aerobics craze. All those exercise insructors were telling people to "use your butt muscles" and eventually the word became acceptable. Now, I happen to know almost precisely when this occurred, because when I left the U.S. nobody said "butt" except very low-class people, but when I returned a few years later, everyone was saying it, even little kids (shocked me, it did!). However, it was still considered a bit daring even, say, fifteen years ago; if the character Sophia, a little old lady on the TV show "Golden Girls," said "butt," the audience laughed wildly. When you think about it, "butt" makes perfect sense. If a cigarette can have a butt, why can't a person? Yet the word still sounds vulgar to me, and I never say it. I'm so old-fashioned! I also regret that the widespread use of "butt" has practically eliminated the use of the myriad other terms mentioned above. Thus does vulgarity so often diminish variety and creativity in language. (Insert smiley-face and sad-smiley face here.) J. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com
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