Your Mother's Tongue: Book of European Invective - Tapa blanda

After centuries of war we Europeans are trying to get along together, but we keep treading on each other's toes. Tread on an English toe and you might get a 'Bloody hell!', or on an Italian's and you'll hear 'Cazzo!' (Prick!), a Spaniard's and you'll get 'Hostia!' (Sacred host!). And while a German will bluntly shout 'Scheisse!' (Shit!), a startled Portuguese might say 'Puta que pariu!' (The whore that bore you!). In this tour of anger, exasperation, prejudice, irony and loathing as expressed in some twenty European tongues, we learn that what is invective in one country is sweet talk in another. A single currency? Maybe. A common language? Not on your life.

Stephen Burgen was the founding editor of the newspaper CATALONIA TODAY. He regularly contributes to the GUARDIAN and the SCOTSMAN.