Photo: Sam Lion

Who said the first curse word?

Roger F-word-bythenavele might have been hung by the neck. The year 1310 would be a couple of centuries before a monk reportedly scrawled the word on a manuscript by Cicero, which has commonly been considered the first appearance of the F-word in English writings.

npr.org - What's In A Name? Maybe, The First Recorded Use Of A Swear Word

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What's In A Name? Maybe, The First Recorded Use Of A Swear Word

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One man's obscenity is another man's name.

This week a scholar of medieval history announced he might have found the earliest recorded evidence of what we must call here "the F-word" being used in English to describe intimate relations. Dr. Paul Booth of Keele University says he was examining court papers from 1310 when he noticed the name of a man going before the court was Roger — let me be careful here — F-word-bythenavele. Dr. Booth told the Daily Mail he thought the name might be some kind of medieval joke. In the 1300s, people often went by names that signified something about them: Baker, Clark, Farmer, Mason. So how does a man become known as Roger F-word-bythenavele? Sounds like a character in a Mel Brooks comedy. "Either it refers to an inexperienced copulator," said Dr. Booth — British academics can make any word sound classy — "or it's a rather extravagant explanation for a dimwit." By the way, you can find a link here to an article that spells out the name. You'll see our problem. Court records disclose that Roger F-word-bythenavel was called to court three times in 1310 and 1311 before he was "outlawed." In the 1300s, outlawed could be a euphemism for being executed. Roger F-word-bythenavele might have been hung by the neck. The year 1310 would be a couple of centuries before a monk reportedly scrawled the word on a manuscript by Cicero, which has commonly been considered the first appearance of the F-word in English writings. Paul Booth says he has alerted the Oxford English Dictionary. You don't find many F-word-bythenavele descendants these days. After Roger was "outlawed," it might have been smarter to become Smiths.

All of which might make you wonder: what makes a word vulgar, or turns a word into an obscenity?

Our research department — who may have welcomed the chance to dig into a question that wasn't about the Fed's interest rate — says it took a couple of centuries for this one syllable to become a hand grenade of a word that inflames baseball umpires, teachers, and the FCC, but is beloved by Marines and stand-up comics. People create obscenities by giving special power to words to hurt, offend, dazzle, outrage, or defame. "People say, 'How dare he use that kind of language!'" David Mamet, who has so often made the F-word eloquent, once said. "Of course I'm alienating the public! That's what they pay me for!"

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What IQ is gifted?

Although there are no standard IQ levels of intellectual giftedness, some experts suggest the following IQ ranges: Mildly gifted: 115 to 129. Moderately gifted: 130 to 144. ighly gifted: 145 to 159.

scholastic.com - How Can I Tell If My Child Is Gifted? - Scholastic

That’s not an easy question to answer — even the experts in the field of gifted and talented education disagree on exactly what giftedness is. Some believe that giftedness is the development of any talent. Others believe it should be restricted to the academic realm. Still others feel that giftedness is development in children that is not typical for their chronological age. To make things even more difficult, there exists a range of giftedness. Mildly gifted children learn faster than most of their same-age peers, know numbers and letters early, and are good talkers by age 3. Moderately gifted children love being read to at a very early age and know when to turn the page. By age 2, they know many letters and colors. They ask questions until they drive you crazy. Children who are highly or exceptionally gifted do things even earlier and faster. Although there are no standard IQ levels of intellectual giftedness, some experts suggest the following IQ ranges:

Mildly gifted: 115 to 129

Moderately gifted: 130 to 144

ighly gifted: 145 to 159

Exceptionally gifted: 160 +

But it’s important to note that success in life comes from perseverance and resilience and from having support and love for who you are, not a high IQ. In addition, all children have gifts, and they tend to unwrap those gifts at different times, so love and enjoy your child as she is, and prize each new accomplishment.

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