User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Gendered language has bothered me since I was a child; maybe because I was a voracious reader and noticed it in some books and not in others, or maybe I was sensitive to it because I have four brothers. I still bristle at the use of certain words, such as “mistress” to mean a female partner of an illicit love affair: Don’t get me started.
I’m interested in how word-usages evolve, such as with “stupid.” When the characters of Austen (and other 18th- and 19th- century writers) use it, they mean “dull” and not the (U.S. American) connotation “stupid” has today. And by “dull,” I don’t mean the usual way we think of that word, as in “boring.” The same kind of evolution (and worse) happened to words like “slut.”
Before reading the book, I listened to an interview with Montell. She’s personable and engaging, and the book is written in much the same way as she talks. It was fun to hear that her mom is from New Orleans, so she uses and loves the word “y’all,” as opposed to a word like “guys,” for a mixed-gender group. “Folks” also works for her.
In her book Montell doesn’t employ the adage “Knowledge is power,” but that’s what she gives the reader in case you want to counteract and/or combat any gendered language/usage you hear in the wild. There’s also some interesting stuff about who is at the forefront of new language usage, as well as why there’s always initial pushback at these changes and by whom. The book makes for an irreverent, informative, and entertaining read.
Rating: really liked it
disclaimer: I am an anthropology major who did a focus in linguistics. This book is so up my alley that it isn't really an alley anymore, it's a highway. Or a field? I don't know, you get my metaphor.
OKAY FRIENDS everyone needs to pick this up an give it a whirl. Here are my top reasons why:
1. This book clearly and definitively supports an academic reason for the existence of my "suck my clit" cross stitch. Is it lewd? Yes. It is also a totally legit form of descriptive sociolinguistic shift? Hell yeah.
2. I earned 100 points for identifying a singular "they" which I would now like to redeem for a cookie or, like, a hug or something. I've defended singular they for years and boy am I validated.
3. If you read it, you too can feel empowered to use language to fight your battles. I learned small corrections that I can use ("hey folks" instead of "hey guys", etc) and feel more comfortable with how I already speak. Which is, like, totally girly ok?
Rating: really liked it
Linguist Amanda Montell grabs the reader by the shirtfront with this book, slapping them with a title that opens the eyes before inundating the mind with so much on the topic of the way English is used and the divide it creates amongst its users. Montell opens her narrative by exploring the role that certain words have had over time in the English language, particularly those of an offensive nature. She points out that many either depict women in the negative or weaker role, thereby turning them into the group at the core of debased or lesser sentiment. How ‘bitch’, ‘whore’, and even that lovely ‘c-you-next-Tuesday’ are meant to depict women in such a negative light, while the worst that many men will receive is ‘dick’ or ‘sissy’. From there, Montell takes the reader through some of the history of words and their connotation have sought to turn women into the fairer and weaker sex by subjugating them to the power of men in the English language. Take, for example, the attempts to offer a degree of formality between the sexes. While men are given ‘sir’, a term that has remained relatively strong and the same for the centuries, women are given ‘Miss’ (sounds too young and flighty), ma’am (sounds too old and crotchety), or ‘madam’ (which has become a sexualized term). There is no inherent explanation, but Montell makes it clear that women are getting the short end of the stick on this one.
Montell shows the real struggle of gender identity, where the traditional masculine role is dominant and everything else seems hard to accept or grasp. She gives the reader some real examples of how to tackle these 21st century gender depictions in language and pulls in some wonderful ways in which other languages and dialects have handled things. Sandwiched into the narrative was a discussion of grammar and how it is used to highlight intelligence or standing in society. While Montell explores hypercorrection of some sentiments, things that people use when they want to correct what appears to be bad grammar but is actually just as incorrect on the other side, she shows how certain groups (namely middle- to lower-class women) find themselves scorned and ridiculed. Language and grammar is a means of trying to classify people, though it is society’s way of classing people in a world where the rules are always changing. What is not ‘right’ now will one day be the norm that all will follow, though no one seems to accept that. Of particular interest to me was a chapter on trying to comprehend gendered nouns in languages other than English and how that works to assign some role to a ‘table’ or ‘eye’ in order to make it correlate to any adjective (French and Italian come to mind), while English has none of this, save inherent words of implied gender (king, queen) or those things by which men may feel threatened (countries, storms, large vehicles) that automatically receive a ‘she’ pronoun. As Montell furthers her argument, there is a push to understand the role of catcalling and debasing women through objectified speech, as though men need to do so in order to hold onto their sexuality, by puffing out there proverbial feathers and beat their chests. Montell pulls on both academic studies and personal insights into how women have handled this over the years.
Montell is prepared to shock some readers as she explores the societal roles women have taken in English, particularly when it comes to the seedy underbelly of curse words. She makes some wonderful points about how ‘unladylike’ it seems to be for some reason, then debunks it all with some great studies, sure to open the eyes of many. There needs to be an end to promoting this view of women as the gentler and more delicate sex, where ‘gosh darn’ would be the strongest word to cross their lips. I thoroughly enjoyed this analysis, as I could hear the society and linguistic walls falling faster than a ‘sky is falling’ Trump edict on immigration barriers. The latter few chapters pull the reader in for some wholehearted discussions on, of all things, the linguistic depiction of genitalia and how this varies across both the sexes but also by the various genders. This is an interesting look into how one self-defines and the clash with societal norms. Montell does not shy away and has left the reader with a plethora of terms to use, perhaps also seeking to buck the trend of how to communicate about themselves and others, especially in moments of intimacy. While the entire book pushes the limits of what might be known or accepted by many readers, Montell does so with ease and as much class as possible. Recommended to those who enjoy academically-inclined tomes, as well as the reader who wants to spark a conversation at the next dinner party or family gathering.
In a book that pushes the social norms and seeks to educate as much as it will shock, Amanda Montell makes some powerful points from the perspective of language as an oppressive tool. Her explorations are well suited to the discussions and offer full-circle analysis, keeping the reader on their toes from the outset. Not a tome to inculcate as much as educate, Montell holds nothing back and helps to show things that may be so ingrained and inherent that many had no idea they were taking place, or at least took them for granted. I, for one, took so much from this book and will seek to better understand and use words of a more appropriate type moving forward. Montell’s extensive reference to studies and the work of others on the subject lends it to being a somewhat academic work, though the dedicated reader can push their way through and learn a great deal, as it is penned in a layperson’s terms to ensure the point is made. With paced chapters, full of poignant arguments and humorous asides, Montell makes her point and keeps the momentum going. Nowhere in this book did I get a sense of a gender or language revolution, but it is better to know what literary weapons are out there, to arm one’s self, if not to blunt them and level the playing field. That being said, my head hurts from all the computing I have done and will be doing to be better aware, particularly since my buddy reader will hold me accountable every single day!
Kudos, Amanda Montell (for I learned not to call you, Madam), for this insightful book that forced me to open my eyes and brain to new ways of comprehending language.
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Rating: really liked it
In Wordslut, Amanda Montell takes you on a journey through the English language and the many ways it upholds and reinforces the patriarchy. As our May Book Club pick for my Patreon Book Club, I read it closely with a fine-toothed comb. I found myself highlighting passages on almost every page and felt Montell's writing was both humorous and informative.
While this book sparked a lengthy and fascinating discussion, I found myself frustrated by the lack of citations or sources for the information being shared. I have been unable to find even a list for further reading, which is quite disappointing for a book built upon the work of many sociolinguists who preceded it.
Wordslut also lacked in diversity of representation for both BIPOC and the LGBTQIA+ community. While there was an attempt to include some diverse perspectives, Montell didn't go nearly deep enough and missed the mark in several areas.
Finally, as with all "pop science" literature in my experience, there were a plethora of conclusions drawn and generalizations made without evidence or cause.
Ultimately, I believe Wordslut to be a thought-provoking introductory jumping-off point for those interested in feminist sociolinguistics, but it is certainly not comprehensive, intersectional, or conclusive.
VIDEO REVIEW: https://youtu.be/y5sRzlqgopM
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Rating: really liked it
Extremely thought provoking, I'd like to read a few more reviews on this one.
A sampling of the chapter titles so you know what you're getting into:
•
Slutty Skanks and Nasty Dykes: A Comprehensive List of Gendered Insults
•
Piss Off Bro: Linguists Explain What Locker Room Banter Really Is
•
How to Embarrass the Shit Out of People Who Try to Correct Your Grammar•
Fuck It: An Ode to Cursing While Female
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Cyclops, Panty Puppet, Bald Headed Bastard and 100+ Other Things to Call Your Genitalia
Rating: really liked it
this book was educational AND entertaining, which i always love in a non-fiction. i was a bit apprehensive to read this at first as my knowledge of linguistics is v limited, but montell explains everything in such a clear, concise, and witty way, which makes it so accessible and actually fun to read. i learned so much about how language has been/still is used to marginalise women and other minority groups - from the history of insults aimed at women and LGBTQ+ people, fighting back against the criticisms of women’s speech patterns (such as vocal fry, saying ‘like’ and ‘you know’ a lot), and the type of language we use when discussing women in the public sphere (as well as much more). definitely required reading!
Rating: really liked it
I am going to buy so many people this book for Christmas!This should be required reading for absolutely everyone. I learnt so much and changed my mindset about things that I'd never even thought of before. Amanda Montell is smart, funny, and a talented writer. I am already looking at ordering her other book.
Rating: really liked it
Great audiobook. Probably better than Cultish. It’s incredible interesting and the author is a great explainer and such a talented narrator. Definitely worth picking up (especially the audiobook which you can find on Scribd)
Rating: really liked it
This is a book I’d definitely gift to everyone if given the chance.
Rating: really liked it
Etmology and sociology of language bias, and thought provoking discussion points on changing it.
It's hot and my brain's not. 'Let me explain, no let me sum up.'
<<>> "After scanning the database (British National Corpus), Cameron found that when people use female as a noun, as opposed to woman, it's often in explicitly negative contexts."
Re: vocal fry
<<>> "To sum things up, over the first two decades of the twenty-first century, women began speaking with increasingly lower-pitched voices, attempting to convey more dominance and expressing more boredom--all things that middle-aged men have historically not been in favor of women doing."
<<>> "It's generally pretty well known that if you identify a sound change in progress, then young people will be leading old people, and women tend to be maybe half a generation ahead of males," Liberman says.
Discusses historical factors like exclusion, which I've always been interested in when I started noticing that women led language in writing because they were not allowed to formally study. See Tales of Genji and western vulgate writings where they were not taught Latin.
How do gendered languages affect personal identification growing up? This is fascinating to read and think about. Some words literally do not exist in some languages and can't be made up using the existing language.
1920s "upgrading", giving a human pronoun to an object. When female pronouns are used for nature, technology and territories it categorizes them as "other" and equally states them as toys and/or property.
<<>>"In grammar as in allegory as in life, women are considered reckless places outside the civilized male world--wild things meant to be tamed into the weak, delicate flowers we've traditionally wanted women to be."
<<>>"Linguists who specialize in the English vocabulary of "dirty talk: have determined that if you want to know something about our culture's mainstream attitudes toward sex--that it is penetrative by definition, that it's over as soon as the guy ejaculates, that men are horny pursuers while women are docile, undesiring objects--just look at the words we've come up with to describe it.
What I found most amusing is that the terms I use are generally games, toys, or playful. Jumping on his pogo stick is my favorite euphemism for male genitalia, Slip n' Slide for sex itself, because if we're not getting sweaty and slippery then why are we even bothering? Conversely if I'm being critical then I describe the male as having all the finesse of a jackhammer. *yawn* He's a total tool.
That's all I got. Recommended for interested readers.
Rating: really liked it
PLEASE EVERYONE READ.
signed, a wordslut
Rating: really liked it
some fascinating nuggets of information to be found in this book, though a lot of it felt like Neoliberal White Feminism 101. beginner-level linguistics, made palatable for the average pink pussy feminism connoisseur.
Rating: really liked it
I stress to even write a review for fear of disappointing the recommender (a word??) of this book— one of my most beloved friends and esteemed colleagues, Sydney Arvanitas. However, I must be true to myself!!!
In terms of interest level, this book is an absolute 10 out of five. Fascinating!
My two complaints are these:
1) holy cow she couldn’t write a single paragraph without inserting a ton of her own political views. I can handle and even enjoy a decent amount but this got annoying. Like she’s talking about George W. Bush‘s vernacular and she has to add sentences about how he has a bunch of other problems he should be worried about as well. Huh? Then sometimes I felt like she was trying to suck up to the queer community in the weirdest ways. She said her adolescent years were depressingly heterosexual simply because they are heterosexual. But she is still straight? I didn’t understand.
2) to me it felt like her premise of the book acknowledged that using words such as like, you know, just, being overly apologetic— a lot of these things that we perceive as generally female-centric, poor communication (especially in the workplace) are actually strengths for a wide variety of reasons that I did agree with and enjoyed learning more about. However there was no real solution other than hopefully eventually everyone else will get on board? To me that’s not really feminism. Why does speaking in a terse or direct manner have to be male? Frankly I care more about gaining the respect of (both female and) male executives that I work with by communicating in their language (and I don’t mean refusing to use preferred pronouns or other PC linguistics) than in 50 years them realizing oh she knew what she was doing and talking about all along with her hemming and hawing and billion exclamation points. Save them for the group chat with your girls!
Wow lol didn’t realize I felt so passionately about this book. I learned a lot and greatly appreciated the research she put into it and I’m glad to have read! Wouldn’t necessarily recommend broadly.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 🌟
I enjoyed every second of this book and had a problem putting down the audiobook. It was both thought-provoking and entertaining. I love that the author included a lot of historical contexts to words and their meanings.
The writing was light, relatable, and very engaging. Now, I am looking forward to reading Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by the author.
Rating: really liked it
After adoring this author other non-fiction title, Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, I was eager to begin this book, which explored how gendered language has become and the ways in which wording associated with females often becomes slurs were as those associated with males often denotes power, instead. For example, swear words seem harsher when they refer to female, as opposed to male, genitalia. Why is this??
I appreciated the broad topics discussed, as well as how the roots for many of the included words were also provided. It instructed the reader on how to do better, regarding their own speech, and how to reclaim language for their own purposes and not to degrade others.
