Howard Brazee wrote: > > We have seen religious cursing in Dragaera. I'm told French cursing > is religious. U.S. tends to be sexual and scatological. I wonder how > this varies around our world - and around Vlad's world. > There is a very great deal of religious cursing in Italy, the locale of the Roman Catholic Church. For more information on cursing; indeed, as much information as you would ever want to know about cursing, go to http://www.sonic.net/maledicta/ , the Internet home of the Journal of Verbal Abuse. This is a legitimate scholarly site, in spite of the proprietor's 'tude and the subject matter. > A similar change in meaning is "bitch", which used to be used to > describe female dogs the way we use "cow" to describe female bulls. Interesting that in English the cattlebeast is the only one generically referred to in the feminine. Dog is masculine, Cat is neuter, but Cow is feminine. Mia