• A word's origin doesn't tell you what it means today
• There are languages that change when your mother-in-law is present
• The language you speak could make you more prone to accidents
• There's a special part of the brain that produces swear words

Taking us on a mind-boggling journey through the science of language, linguist David Shariatmadari uncovers the truth about what we do with words, exploding nine widely-held myths about language while introducing us to some of the fundamental insights of modern linguistics.