Complete MSU list of 'beautiful,' 'ugly' words now available online

Contact: Maridith Geuder

Last week, Mississippi State classics professor Robert E. Wolverton shared with an audience on National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" his students' picks as the most beautiful and ugliest words in the English language.

The list of 900 entries was compiled from an ongoing class exercise designed to show his university students how language evolves.

Soon after his segment aired Thursday, Wolverton began receiving follow-up responses from listeners around the country.

"I've had calls from California, Texas, Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Arkansas requesting a list of the words," he said. At the time, however, a five-page handwritten list was the only thing he could fax to those making the requests.

No longer.

For the entire good, bad and ugly collection of the students' selections, visit the original MSU news release at http://www.msstate.edu/web/media/detail.php?id=1430.

For additional information about the class assignment, telephone Wolverton at (662) 325-2395.