I just finished Amanda Montell’s book Wordslut: A Feminist Guide to Taking Back the English Language. I listened to the audiobook since after having my son I have had a really difficult time concentrating on books. Is that weird? After marrying a man with an undergraduate degree in Linguistics I have become more interested in where words come from and why they are spelled the way they are or used the way they are.
Wordslut takes a look at the language we use for sex and gender and why we use these specific words. Why are some insults gendered? How do women talk? Do women ruin English with vocal fry? I don’t want to give anything away, but, women defiantly don’t ruin the English language.
This book is great at pointing out the inequality in language. How our slang for talking about sex is very “male-centered” to put it in a nice way. This book will make you think about your preconceived notions on language and is a great jumping-off point. This book may offend people who don’t like cursing. This book has a distinct audience of young people. If you are looking for a book that you could use as a reference material, this book isn’t for you. If you are looking for a book that will make you think about language differently and a fun read, or listen as I did this book is for you. Although I probably shouldn’t have been listening to this book around my two year old who repetes things.