Cunt!

[Selena_Kitt]

Hey, look at this... from elfin_odalisque in an essay titled: My Cute Stumpy Thick End

"For hundreds of years cunt, or cunte, was a perfectly acceptable, if anatomical, description of the female genitalia. For centuries, the word wasn't vulgar. In fact, in the 13th century there was a street in London picturesquely called Gropecuntlane; suitably, a haunt for prostitutes. In a funny parallel, medieval Paris sported a 'rue Grattecon' (Scratchcunt Street).

From its ancient roots, the word has ended up in some form in most European languages; originally acceptable but now rude. The Dutch got a bit confused because a 'kont' means ass and a 'kut' is a cunt. You can forgive the Dutch, though, because they have invented two lovely nouns, 'liefdesgrot' (cave of love) and 'vleesroos' (rose of flesh).

We all know what we're getting with a bit of cunnilingus, but strictly the word means the person not the act; a licker of cunts; note the plural, SO reminds me. Those of us researching a bit of historical erotica keep coming across a cunny or cunney. This is just an Anglicisation of the plural of cunnus, cunni. It was a way of being vulgar without resorting to the shameful word 'cunt'.

In fact, but for the descent into obscenity of a cunny, Coney Island would probably be pronounced 'Cunny' Island. Coney, meaning a rabbit, used. to rhyme with cunny but had to change it's pronunciation in the 18th century. There was a bawdy wordplay that butchers' wives were supposed to say to their poor husbands at the end of the week, "No money, no coney!" Think about it.

If you are writing a historical story dated later than 1600, it's quite OK to use quim if you don't like cunny. The only problem is, no-one seems to have any idea where it came from. The trail is not just hazy; it simply doesn't seem to exist. I would love to find some clue or suggestion to the orphan birth of this strange word."

 

[Sex and Death]

Googling the seacrh phrase, etymology cunt, exposes a wondrous mound of information.

~S&D

 

[Equinoxe]

We all know what we're getting with a bit of cunnilingus, but strictly the word means the person not the act; a licker of cunts; note the plural, SO reminds me.

My only problem with that which you quote: I don't believe that it is plural, the cunni ("of cunt") part would fit the genitive singular case of cunnus, the proper genitive plural should be cunnorum ("of cunts").

As an interesting side note, cunnus is, somewhat strangely, a 2nd declension masculine noun.

Googling the seacrh phrase, etymology cunt, exposes a wondrous mound of information.

~S&D

I think somebody called me that once.

And now I have apparently posted the most in this thread.

 

[Munachi]

That is certainly true and many sounds or combinations of sounds may seem strange or ugly to an individual based upon their language. For example, combinations of nk (like in many Bantu languages) or ng (like in Vietnamese) at the beginning of a word would seem exotic, at the very least, to an English speaker, because English words do not generally begin with those sounds. It is true that German is not considered an attractive language to most (at least English speakers), although one of my favourite sounds, as far as language goes, is actually the ich-Laut. I like those "hissing" sounds.

Not knowing the meaning of schmettern, I really can't speak to that, though of those three, I would prefer mariposa: but perhaps that's the Anglophone fondness for Latinate sounds speaking.

I do not care for the combination of the letters b and l myself. Which I had not realised the other day until I was trying to write something and I ended up just staring at the screen at the word "black" and it didn't look "right" (which is, of course, nonsense since it is right).

I would be inclined to agree that there is nothing inherently ugly about the word, phonologically speaking, but merely that to some (myself included) it is an unpleasant sound. I would find any idea of inherently ugly sounds to be suspect: though there is probably a scientist somewhere who has done a study which found that some percentage of a sampled population population, likely no more than 60, prefers certain sounds, which will be claimed as an inherent natural human preference for those sounds (conveniently ignoring the sizeable minority who don't fit).

It's a bit a of tangent, though it's actually relevant in many respects. Firstly, the example of the words "cellar door" as a euphonic sound combination, removed from the meaning and spelling of it. Secondly, an example of a term--meaning, without the connotations, the title of this thread--coined by him in a language he invented which was designed to be "beautiful" from his perspective (which, incidentally, does make use of a sound approximating the ich-Laut). Of course, he didn't especially care for French, which many English speakers find to be a "beautiful" language. Again, the personal preference, as well as familiarity, history, and politics coming into play.

The meaning hadn't even occurred to me prior to your mentioning it, but that does make some sense.

You're very welcome. I am fascinated by languages myself, but I have not managed to learn many, merely parts of a few. Though the absence of quality learning materials is largely the cause of that. (And this post has become quite long)

it is late, so just a short answer... gotta go sleep... but interesting you like the german hissing sound...

 

[Equinoxe]

it is late, so just a short answer... gotta go sleep... but interesting you like the german hissing sound...

I understand. I do, it's a lovely sound to me: but I am fond, in general, of fricative sounds, like the English sh, the French j, or the ð or þ in Icelandic.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

I wouldn't call anyone a cunt and I wouldn't want to be called one.

But as far as writing goes, it has its place, and I do use it when appropriate.

 

[Guest]

 

[Munachi]

I understand. I do, it's a lovely sound to me: but I am fond, in general, of fricative sounds, like the English sh, the French j, or the ð or þ in Icelandic.

hm... weird, they never did strike me as particularly nice... though i do like the czech r with a little hook above (sorry too lazy too look out for how to make that sign on this keyboard), pronounced like a mixture of rolled r and sh, and there is a voiced and an unvoiced version of it... that's a cool sound. else, currently i am a big fan of the spanish ll - but in the andean pronounciation, where they still really pronounce it like lj...

 

[Aurora Black]

I must confess, I'm starting to warm up to this word. I still won't say it or use it in a story, though. Unless it's stroke, but even then I'll have to think about it.

 

[Equinoxe]

hm... weird, they never did strike me as particularly nice... though i do like the czech r with a little hook above (sorry too lazy too look out for how to make that sign on this keyboard), pronounced like a mixture of rolled r and sh, and there is a voiced and an unvoiced version of it... that's a cool sound. else, currently i am a big fan of the spanish ll - but in the andean pronounciation, where they still really pronounce it like lj...

And we are back to personal preference, are we not?

I know the sound you're referring to (and don't worry about being too lazy) -- I am fond of it as well. Likewise, I know what you mean about the traditional pronunciation of ll, without yeismo. Though the pronunciation in some parts of South America where it becomes like the French j is also interesting.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

just cuz I like seeing it on the front page.... <grin>

 

[Luna_Wolf72]

Personally I prefer the word *cunt* over any other term to describe a woman's vagina...it just seems earthy. I don't find the word particularly offensive and I use some rather strange made up words with that as the base all the time ie cuntastic, cunterrific....

I don't know, mayhap I am just strange...

 

[soakersue]

Personally I prefer the word *cunt* over any other term to describe a woman's vagina...it just seems earthy. I don't find the word particularly offensive and I use some rather strange made up words with that as the base all the time ie cuntastic, cunterrific....

I don't know, mayhap I am just strange...

That is a good made up word, and I think a case could be made for " cunterrific" seems to change the whole derogatory meaning around.

 

[Goldie Munro]

According to 'wikipedia' the earliest citation of the word comes from a London street name 'Gropecunt Lane' Well whatever went on there then?

I know that the word has strong connotations but it is a word - words mean everything or nothing - its an individual thing. The word cunt does not offend me, I know I have one but if someone calls me a cunt if they are a friend I laugh - if they aren't I would bash them one!!

 

[Luna_Wolf72]

That is a good made up word, and I think a case could be made for " cunterrific" seems to change the whole derogatory meaning around.

*grins*...

 

[Munachi]

And we are back to personal preference, are we not?

I know the sound you're referring to (and don't worry about being too lazy) -- I am fond of it as well. Likewise, I know what you mean about the traditional pronunciation of ll, without yeismo. Though the pronunciation in some parts of South America where it becomes like the French j is also interesting.

yes... though these tastes are at least for me connected to associations in some cases. like, i used to like the yeismo, and especially pronouncing the ll and y like they do in northern chile - which is often close to the j in journalist... that was after i lived in chile for some months... now that i have stayed for quite a while in the andes, and really loved it there, i very much like the spanish influenced by quechua, aymara, etc. that is spoken there - and one of its features is the strong distinction of y and ll...

 

[Otto26]

I prefer not to use derogatory language in my sex scenes. Given that Western (and particularly English and American) society has done its utmost to make just about every language related to sex 'dirty' this can sometimes be a challenge. In some of my stories I cheat and use Esperanto. In addition to freeing me from the negative connotations that are built up around words I feel that it draws the reader in and adds flavor to the story. Malcxastulino (a woman who has the quality of being the opposite of chaste) doesn't role off the tongue as readily as slut, but it's also not automatically considered an insult by a large segment of the population.

In other stories I make use of words like cunt because I simply run out of metaphors and synonyms. You can only say vagina, pussy, flower, rose, etc... so many times. However, I don't use the word in an insulting fashion unless I am trying to make a character seem particularly vile, such as a character that referred to women as 'cunts' and 'fuck-bitches' among other terms.

In some stories I use the term (and others) as a way to attempt to show that the characters are slipping the bonds of society's expectations. They are now free to be who the wish to be and, as part of this new identity, they are also free to use terms that society considers taboo.

 

[Boxlicker101]

I prefer not to use derogatory language in my sex scenes. Given that Western (and particularly English and American) society has done its utmost to make just about every language related to sex 'dirty' this can sometimes be a challenge. In some of my stories I cheat and use Esperanto. In addition to freeing me from the negative connotations that are built up around words I feel that it draws the reader in and adds flavor to the story. Malcxastulino (a woman who has the quality of being the opposite of chaste) doesn't role off the tongue as readily as slut, but it's also not automatically considered an insult by a large segment of the population.

In other stories I make use of words like cunt because I simply run out of metaphors and synonyms. You can only say vagina, pussy, flower, rose, etc... so many times. However, I don't use the word in an insulting fashion unless I am trying to make a character seem particularly vile, such as a character that referred to women as 'cunts' and 'fuck-bitches' among other terms.

In some stories I use the term (and others) as a way to attempt to show that the characters are slipping the bonds of society's expectations. They are now free to be who the wish to be and, as part of this new identity, they are also free to use terms that society considers taboo.

I'm not sure what you mean by "derogatory languague" but, when writing smut, I have to use smutty words. A man has a cock and he fucks with it, in somebody's ass or pussy. Sometimes dialogue will include other words, because some people like to talk dirty during sex, or be talked to dirty. I also have bad people who call women sluts or bitches or cunts, but that would be unusual.

Some words sound unpleasnt so I omit them from my narrative.

 

[oggbashan]

Bingo.

In the right context, I find it ("cunt" AND "bingo") incredibly sexy.

W S Gilbert, in the libretto for Ruddigore (originally Ruddy Gore but he had to change the title because US producers couldn't face plastering 'Ruddy Gore' on the exterior of their theaters) uses 'Basingstoke' as the key word to remind one of the characters to maintain a proper sense of Victorian decorum.

Perhaps 'cunt' in an intimate relationship is intended to do the opposite.

'Cunt' as an epithet, applied impartially to male, female or object, is the use of the most forbidden word and therefore the strongest swearword in general use. In that sense it has no meaning beyond an expression of disgust or contempt.

Basingstoke!

Og reverts to normal mode.

 

[Aurora Black]

Actually saying it is the hardest thing for me now. I won't force it, but in general I'm a lot more comfortable with "cunt" than I was at the time of the thread's start.

 

[Antfarmer77]

Like I said before, I only use this when I'm driving and no one can hear me. The other day Wifey and I were at the store and as we pull out of the parking lot, some gal in an SUV, talking on a cell phone, cuts me off, and I mutter "Way to go you dumb...." and I catch myself and stop there, because Wifey hates that word, but Wifey pipes up "C-word!!" LOL...that's my baby!

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Like I said before, I only use this when I'm driving and no one can hear me. The other day Wifey and I were at the store and as we pull out of the parking lot, some gal in an SUV, talking on a cell phone, cuts me off, and I mutter "Way to go you dumb...." and I catch myself and stop there, because Wifey hates that word, but Wifey pipes up "C-word!!" LOL...that's my baby!

*snort*


can you say it out loud, yet, Aurora... ?

(I missed having this on the front page!)

 

[Aurora Black]

*snort*


can you say it out loud, yet, Aurora... ?

(I missed having this on the front page!)

I don't even want to try saying it, really. It's not a matter of being afraid of the word, I just have no use for saying it. I won't shy away from writing it if it's needed, which is a vast improvement from my stance a couple of weeks ago.

Let's give a round of applause for the word cunt, everybody!

 

[mismused]

delete

 

[Aurora Black]

===================================================

Go to Spain, as I understand it, and you'll warm up to quite nicely as it is said to be used in ways that are very flattering and warm. It is all just culture (which is like parents whispering in your ear even after you've turned 50).

Is it true that Spanish men like to pinch women's asses if they're walking down the street?