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By James A. Glynn

I suppose that I'm a cultural conservative in certain areas. Although I lecture about and attempt to help people understand social change, I'm personally disinclined to accept some of the alterations to our society.

This is especially true concerning changes that affect our language.

Lest there be any misunderstanding, let me hasten to point out that I'm not a prude. I casually use certain taboo words - you know, the ones that you can't say on TV - but I try to restrict myself to conversations with my computer when it's not doing what I want it to do. I also have some friends who are not offended by my jarring vocabulary.

These words have been part of the English language for centuries, literally. However, for the past 150 years or so, they've been considered profane or vulgar. But, they were once common words, used by commoners.

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James A. Glynn Jim Glynn is a professor emeritus of sociology and can be contacted at j_glynn (at) sbcglobal.net. The Madera Tribune online subscription To subscribe or log on, CLICK HERE. For more information first, CLICK HERE.