Rooted: An Australian History of Bad Language by Amanda Laugesen

Book Description

Secondhand. Good condition. Wear to book corners and edges, particularly to front cover right corners, now protected with book tape.

Bugger, rooted, bloody oath... What is it about Australians and swearing? We've got an international reputation for using bad language and letting rip with a choice swear word or two.

From the defiant curses of the convicts to the humour of Kath & Kim, Amanda Laugesen, Chief Editor of the Australian National Dictionary, takes us on an engrossing journey through the tumultuous history of Australia's bad language.

Bad language has been used in many ways in our history: to defy authority, as a form of liberation and subversion, and as a source of humour and creativity. It has also been used to oppress and punish, notably Indigenous Australians and women.

Revealing the fundamental tensions, conflicts, preoccupations and anxieties that have shaped our past and continue to shape our present, the story of bad language is a story about what it means to be Australian. (back cover)