The “N-Word”: Finding Clarity In A Redundant Debate

Galicia Studies in Linguistics, Literature and Culture: The Stuents' Voices 3, 2015

disparaging designation applied to a dark-skinned person of sub-Saharan African origin or descent or in a broader sense a dark-skinned person of any origin. The word, however, is not confined to the grammatical category of nouns, since as aptly noted by the OED the lexical unit nigger may also function as an adjective denoting typical attributes and qualities identified with the people of sub-Saharan African provenance or broadly speaking, the properties of black people descending from any possible geographical location. The pejorative development of the aforesaid adjective is glaringly apparent when one considers the subsequent dictionary entry, according to which the lexical item nigger is employed to label something as contemptible, disreputable, despicable, inferior, peculiar or bogus.

There are debates surrounding the N-word whether it is only a word like any other word in English, or is it a very derogating word towards the black community in general. The debate revolves around which groups can and cannot use the word, or just simply every single person of each group should not use the word at all regardless of the contextual usage. The present research will be done by literature or articles review regarding the two standpoints of the N-word and try to find some similarities between the two and try to make a new argument from the two standpoints. The research has concluded in the usage of the word that people should be responsible when it comes to the usage of this word, and both standpoints has prohibited the usage because of the historical background of the word. It is highly advised that people from outside the Black community not to use the word. Moreover, Black people have the right to reclaim the word that once used against them and use it within their community to show solidarity between them.

2016

2008

In sum, we argue that whereas the N-Word is used by Blacks in a more race neutral manner within popular culture, its usage among Whites immersed in Black culture is nil. Furthermore, we find that many Whites harbor implicit anti-Black biases, and such biases predict racial hostility and the use of racial epithets. Consequently, within the realm of hate crimes law, courts should presume racial animus where a White person uses the N-word while committing a crime against a Black person.

Journal of Praxis in Multicultural Education, 2009

Changing perceptions in the justification of the use of the "N" word through Changing perceptions in the justification of the use of the "N" word through community service work experiences: Offensive comments or terms of community service work experiences: Offensive comments or terms of endearment? endearment? Cover Page Footnote Cover Page Footnote The authors would like to thank the Center for Innovative and Engaged Learning Opportunities (CIELOS) of California State University Northridge for their generosity in providing grant money making this research possible.

Society, 2003

Language Sciences, 2015

Slurs are defined and shown to be determined by context of use and not lexical form. It has been proposed that words like nigger should be eradicated from the English language on the presupposition that the word itself is a slur and its eradication will eliminate the slur against African-Americans. This presumption is demonstrably false and in any case eradication of slurs is shown to be an unrealistic goal. In order to understand why nigger counts as a slur, the dysphemistic properties attributed to the word and its typical referents are described. Communities which are the target of a slurring term sometimes adopt that term as a mark of in-group solidarity and camaraderie; this has happened with nigger. It is against this background that I scrutinize the function of each occurrence of the word nigger within the film script of Quentin Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction'. I closely examine the style of language used within the film script, taking account of other potential slurs, obscenities, and instances of banter and repartee in order to judge if Tarantino uses nigger as a reasonable instrument within the development of a character and/or to make a dramatic point or, instead, whether the word occurs gratuitously in order to shock or cause offense. I conclude that in 'Pulp Fiction' most occurrences of nigger are uttered by one African-American to or about another in the spirit of camaraderie (what Australians would call 'mateship'). Where it is uttered by a white to a black friend it is also of this nature. The two instances where nigger is used by one white to another do show disrespect towards African-Americans but not malice, and they serve to make a dramatic point.

"The purpose of this paper is to present a critical analysis of my autobiographical narrative using a postcolonial lens for interpretation. I use analysis of one racially charged word – nigger, the “N-word” – to highlight the inescapable influence and still almost larger-than-life impact of America’s colonial heritage 200 years after independence. My narrative begins with my elementary education in a rural, de facto segregated school six miles outside of town. It then moves to my in-town, integrated junior high school experience for grades 7-9. Interspersed with my narrative are narratives from other family members, key sources of indirect knowledge (Jansen, 2009) that shaped my perceptions of life in the post-colonial South. Analysis of my narrative is from my perspective as a “colonial descendent” – a person with direct descent from European colonizers of the United States. I explore four postcolonial themes: race, identification, difference, language, and the sacred. These themes are discussed from my learning experiences as a child in the American South during the 1960s and 1970s. My paper concludes with the identification and clarification of strategies and pathways that helped me successfully navigate postcolonial issues and conflicts. This includes ways I feel I have been able to move through and beyond the world created by the “N-word,” as well as ways I have not yet been able to emancipate myself from my racialized roots. "

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You ever worked with a bunch of niggers? They're just like you two, always fightin', always sayin' they're gonna kill one another'.