The science and linguistics of profanity

From the latest Slate Lexicon Valley. I especially liked the four division of four categories of profanity--blasphemy, sex, bodily excretions, and slurs (or, as the author calls it, "Holy shit! Fuck! N****r!"*)--and the way different linguistic cultures accept or reject any of them.

[*] Yes, I recognize the sad irony of not using the word in a post about words. I don't need the headache.