Taboo Revival: Talking Private Parts In Public Places

Geoff Nunberg is the linguist contributor on NPR’s Fresh Air. His new book, Ascent of the A-Word, will be appearing this summer.

It was one of those moments when anatomical correctness and cultural correctness come head-to-head. The Michigan Legislature was debating a bill that prescribes sweeping new restrictions on abortion, and Democratic state Rep. Lisa Brown was speaking in passionate opposition. In concluding, she said, “I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina, but ‘no’ means ‘no.’ ” In response, the leadership of the Republican majority banned her from speaking again on the floor of the House. They insisted that they weren’t silencing her because of her language, but only because she had thrown an unprofessional temper tantrum. But nobody really doubts that it was the word “vagina” that got to them. That’s what led Republican Rep. Mike Callton to say that what Brown said was so offensive that he wouldn’t say it in mixed company. I don’t think he would have found it so outrageous if instead of “vagina” Brown had said “down there.”

But then, “vagina” makes a lot of people uncomfortable. On the Web, you sometimes see it written with dashes or asterisks. Or sometimes it’s even followed with “pardon my French,” which is ordinarily an apology you tack onto an Anglo-Saxon word, not a Latin one.