The oxford dictionary had much to say about the word “nigger.” The oxford dictionary said, slave masters got the name “nigger” from the Latin word “Niger” meaning black. They also got the word “Negro” from the meaning of the Spanish diction meaning “black” also. They used the word “black” to describe African American’s instead of letting them have their names or giving them an actual name. It wouldn’t be so bad but, they used the word in offensive ways that gave the word a bad meaning. The word wasn’t bad but the meaning behind it became bad which smeared onto the word which made it a horribly offensive
Is the n-word an acceptable word? Few might say yes, but the vast majority would say no. The origin and meaning of the n-word should be unacceptable to all African Americans. The word was meant to be used in a harmful way and will always be seen as offensive. No matter how the slang word is used as a term of endearment, the true meaning will be permanently there. The n-word should never be used in any manner towards anyone due to its origin of creation.
A path to embrace difficulties Even when we do not notice, words have a huge impact in the culture that’s speaks the language and the culture has an impact in the meaning of the language. Given this, there is certainly a relationship between a word’s intention and the reaction it gets, instead of the actual meaning, we create words and give them the meaning (Rahman ). The n word is one of the most controversial words nowadays, if not the most. These is because of the loaded historical background that it carries with it, this word is seen to be completely ligated to violence and intimidation that happened during the 19th century to the African-American race.
The word nigga comes from the word nigger that means black or ignorant person. This is a term originated in the old American south. It was most popularly said by white racism. Due to their southern accent negro came out sounding as “nigger”. The word nigga is mainly used among african american but other ethnicities use it as a friendly word in a way of addressing someone. For example “ wassup nigga” or “ my nigga”. It is also very popular in the rap industry. However it can be taken very offensive when used outside. By the early 1800s during the atlantic slave trade it was established as a derogatory term. A derogatory term is a term of abuse, the word nigga is used as a derogatory term because it usually wasn’t said unless intended to insult
Would slavery throw you back to the popular N-word? The word “ nigger” is one of the huge controversial factors in Blacks and White community. Nigger is an infamous term in American culture. Many people like to be polite, and they prefer to discuss call it as “the N- word” (Nigger, 2018). In entomologists, the dictionary shows the readers that “nigger” is originated from an English word “neger” later reform to “Negro,” the Spanish term for blacks (Kenny, 2004). In the early 1780’s, the phrase “nigger” has created criticism and disrespect which whites have an unwelcome rejection of blacks. The term has spread widely over many decades; the meaning of nigger is extended to “an ignorant person” (Nigger, 2018). In English-speaking land, this word in some cases can be misunderstood as an insult without people consent especially in today’s society. Nigger is commonly used in young generations because there are many jokes into the word. It depends on how people use the term in a positive or negative in black culture (Nigger, 2004). To further investigation, I will be focusing on a clear understanding of “nigger” is used, and people should not be using it as a stereotype toward other ethnic groups.
Throughout the history of the United States, many derogatory and hurtful terms have been created to refer to individuals or a collective group of minority people with the goal of undermining them. Some examples of these words are ‘Nigger’, ‘Faggot’, ‘Beaner’ among countless other harmful labels. These terms are problematic, as they dehumanize the race in which they target, as reminders of the oppression experienced by these groups, giving the terms power. Among these hateful words, ‘nigger’ remains the oldest term and is the most racially charged and hurtful to the minority group that it intends to harm which are blacks. Only blacks should be able to use the word ‘nigger’ in America, because it was created with the intentions to dehumanize blacks, carrying all of the racist and discriminatory history experienced by blacks in the
To discuss the N-word its needs to be said. The word nigger is a when word, not a who word. Meaning that anyone can say it, the most important thing about the n-word is the context it is used in. It can be used in an extremely positive context or a highly racist or oppressive context.
The words, “nigger” and “faggot,” I feel are being used more often as a counter to the malediction that was placed on this words; either it be during the civil war in the nineteenth century or the modern day. George Carlin said that there are only bad thoughts and intentions that turn the words that we use into ones that may inflict pain: Both nigger and faggot are degrading terms that by themselves have no power, but when there is a meaning behind them that is intended to inflict agony upon the receiver of the word, only then does the word take on its true form. Nigger, was used commonly in the South part of America during the Civil War, where black people were kept as slaves. The word derives from many languages spelling of the word black,
Alan Gribben, the editor of the new edition, asserts, “Seems to me I'm doing something constructive by simply eliminating a word that's a clear barrier for many people”. However, the word ‘nigger’ itself does not cause any problems; it’s the intolerance of people exposed to it that makes the word secluded from society. The setting where this issue is most prominent is in high school classrooms. While the use of ‘nigger’ may cause inappropriate behavior by mischievous students, the censorship does more harm than good. It would prevent readers from understanding the word’s prior applications.
Around the early 1900s, racism was prominent and wasn't sugarcoated either. African Americans had to deal with many obstacles around this period because of the discrimination involed in their lives. These actions effected many African Americans because it forced some of them to hate the world and limit many of their opportunities in life. Racism is sad reality in our nation that affects all types of people and it continues to shake and alter lives. People use racism as a sort of way to detect the differences with their peers and spike bias towards a group of people.
According to Matt Seitz, the word “Negro” started to fall out forty years ago. He mentions that “the word negro was easier for people
Mario Garza Mr. Izzy Nigger101 5 July 2015 Why Blacks Want to be Niggers For many years now, Africans have referred to themselves as Niggers, or as they pronounce it, ‘Niggas’. For many years it has been a derogatory term used to refer to the Africans, so why would you want to use this slur to refer to yourself and friends? The original definition for this word is a person who is ignorant, now it is used to describe an African American. While the original definition was in effect, many people still address each other as their ‘Nigga/Nigger’, but why?
The Disease of Being Colored Colored, nigger, African American, black, coon, and Negro are all the words that describe my race. These are the words that helped mold me into the woman that I am today. Not all of the words that I have listed are in a respectful manner, but they all mean one thing; A black person. Although all of those names can be thrown towards anyone of the African decedent, often times people do not care to see behind the skin of an individual. In hindsight everyone looks alike when the lights are off, and when we are even dead and buried in the ground.
For example, as a child, “[white kids] called [Malcom X] ‘nigger’ … so much that [he] thought [it was his] natural names” (12). There is a problem when a single word is used to describe someone’s race, which occurred in the north, where race relations were expected to be better. It’s even worse when it is used so often they believe it is their name, their identity. For another example, although Malcolm X was one of the top students in his class, and the class president, his teacher still told him “A lawyer – that’s no realistic goal for a nigger” (43). His teacher directly, without hesitation, told him he couldn’t become a lawyer.
America Does Not Need to Censor Her Past I thought racism was a long-dead school of thought when we first began learning about Martin Luther King Jr. in the first grade; I remembering sharing this with my parents, and the dumbfounded look they had in response to my naïveté—or perhaps my stupidity. It took me another year to come around to the idea that racism was still alive and well in this country (after all, no one that I knew was being lynched or denied the right to vote): when I first heard “nigger” used to refer to Barack Obama by my grandmother’s neighbor in South Carolina—a place where prejudice runs deep and some believe the Civil War is still being fought nearly one hundred and fifty-five years later. Since then I must have heard “nigger” used hundreds of times as a term of endearment or as a vile insult; by my black friends or by my white classmates; in song lyrics or in everyday conversation; however, each time one thing remains the same: the immense power and history behind the most loaded word in the English language. “Nigger” is not interchangeable with the word slave; slave is not the invention of American racism and it does not