How happy became homosexual : and other mysterious semantic shifts

An old joke goes like this: What's the difference between a good girl and a nice girl? Answer: The good girl goes to a party, goes home then goes to bed, whereas the nice girl goes to the party, goes to bed, then goes home. The distinction made between the two types of young ladies would probably have been appreciated by Shakespeare. While we think of "nice" nowadays as being a synonym for pleasant it wasn't always so; originally the word's meaning conveyed the naughtiness implied in the joke. It wasn't until the middle of the 18th century that this word conveyed the sense of pleasantness that we now associate with the word. In his book How Happy Became Homosexual, and Other Mysterious Semantic Shifts, Richler educates and entertains us while explaining how words such as "nice" and "gay" have changed meanings. Surprisingly, we discover that even many of our nouns and verbs have been in a constant state of flux. For example, originally "jeopardy" was a term used in chess and "to fizzle" meant "to break wind silently." This morphing of meanings is ever-present, and Richler explains how, even in the last twenty years or so, words such as "fulsome" are in the midst of a reversal of meaning. So whether you are gay (happy), gay (homosexual) or a melancholy heterosexual, Richler will lead you into a word-world of entertaining change. Literary Nonfiction. LGBT Studies. An old joke goes like What's the difference between a good girl and a nice girl? The good girl goes to a party, goes home then goes to bed, whereas the nice girl goes to the party, goes to bed, then goes home. The distinction made between the two types of young ladies would probably have been appreciated by Shakespeare. While we think of "nice" nowadays as being a synonym for pleasant it wasn't always so; originally the word's meaning conveyed the naughtiness implied in the joke. It wasn't until the middle of the 18th century that this word conveyed the sense of pleasantness that we now associate with the word. In his book HOW HAPPY BECAME HOMOSEXUAL AND OTHER MYSTERIOUS SEMANTIC SHIFTS, Richler educates and entertains us while explaining how words such as "nice" and "gay" have changed meanings. Surprisingly, we discover that even many of our nouns and verbs have been in a constant state of flux. For example, originally "jeopardy" was a term used in chess and "to fizzle" meant "to break wind silently." This morphing of meanings is ever-present, and Richler explains how, even in the last twenty years or so, words such as "fulsome" are in the midst of a reversal of meaning. So whether you are gay (happy), gay (homosexual) or a melancholy heterosexual, Richler will lead you into a word-world of entertaining change. "Whats the difference between a good girl and a nice girl? Answer: The good girl goes to a party, goes home, then goes to bed, whereas the nice girl goes to the party, goes to bed, then goes home. While we think of nice nowadays as being a synonym for pleasant it was not always so; originally the words meaning conveyed the naughtiness implied in the joke. It was not until the middle of the 18th century that nice conveyed the sense of pleasantness that we now associate with the word. In this book Richler educates and entertains us while explaining how words such as nice and gay have changed meanings. Surprisingly, we discover that even many of our nouns and verbs have been in a constant state of flux. This morphing of meanings is ever-present, and Richler explains how, even in the last few years, words have been quietly reversing their meanings. So whether you are gay (happy), gay homosexual) or a melancholy heterosexual, Richler will lead you into a word world of entertaining change"--Provided by publisher. Cover -- Copyright -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- INTRODUCTION The Times (and Meanings of Words)They Are a-Changin' -- Chapter 1 Pejoration: When Bad ThingsHappen to Good Words -- Chapter 2 Amelioration:Things Can Only Get Better -- Chapter 3 Adjectives:La Vie en Couleur -- Chapter 4 Nouns:The Stuff of Life -- Chapter 5 Verbs:The Attraction of Action -- Chapter 6 Religion:Oh My God! -- Chapter 7 Animals and Agriculture:Down on the Farm -- Chapter 8 People and Groups of People:What's in a Name? -- Chapter 9 History and the Military:Days of Yore and Gore -- Chapter 10 Discarded Beliefs: The WorldAccording to Our Forefathers -- Chapter 11 Law:Rules of the Game -- CONCLUSION Change in Motion -- SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY -- About the Author -- Word index