Talk:Nigger

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[edit] Archive

[edit] All in the Family

The article states, "The comedy series All in the Family is rarely censored even though the "N-word" is used frequently".

Is that really true, or just common conception? I've seen loads of episodes of that shows and heard lots of insulting words used, but I can't recall that word ever being spoken on the show. It might be like Star Trek, where everyone quotes McCoy as saying "damnit Jim, I'm a doctor not a...", but the word 'Damnit' was never spoken on that series by any character.

Sys Hax 05:41, 12 October 2006 (UTC) :
Uhhh... actually, he said it about being a bricklayer in "The Devil in the Dark". See [RevolutionSF magazine, among many other sources]]

Could someone provide an episode and quote where the N-word is used on All in the Family?--Daniel 03:42, 9 August 2006 (UTC)

I don't think it was. If it was on All in the Family, I will have completely lost my respect for that show. coloreds was pushing it enough and Archie could have cooled down on the constant whininess Tonetare 23:11, 14 August 2006 (UTC)

It was used, very infrequently. One instance I can think of specifically is the late series episode in which Meathead and Archie get locked in the basement of Archie's newly accquired bar. Archie gets really drunk while the two wait for resuce, and starts reminiscing about his past. He mentions getting into a fight during his school days with a black kid. When Meathead asks what starts it, Archie replies "because I called him a nigger". He then points out that it was common back then (the 1930's) and he learned it from his father, not understanding that it was considered offensive.

All In The Family is so ridiculous TareTone 05:13, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

Sammy Davis Jr. also said "nigger" when he was on All in the Family. Mike H. I did "That's hot" first! 05:51, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

The word "nigger" was initially used to define not the physical characteristics of a person as mentioned in many readings today, but the social ideology that people whose lineage could be traced back to the continent of Africa, were unintelligent, lazy, and deemed inferior by those of Anglo-Saxon descent. Older issues of the Websters dictionary will support this claim.

[edit] Removal of Unnecessary Paragraph (Combinations with other words)

The entire Paragraph below should be removed, as it serves no informative purpose, and is needlessly offensive:
Other creative uses of the word nigger are widely considered highly offensive. For example, a hungry person looking to be obscene might express a craving for a "nigger butter and jelly sandwich", with nigger butter being a word play on peanut butter. Nigger butter in this case is superlatively obscene as it is understood to be made from ground up niggers. More ambitious uses of the word nigger are often virulent exercises in profanity; one could offer the threat, "I'll grind his nigger bones to make my nigger bread", on which one might spread nigger butter. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Fruitbatnt (talk • contribs) 7 July 2006 (UTC)

I agree completely. HumbleGod 20:00, 7 July 2006 (UTC)
Nigger butter? Removed. NorrYtt 23:51, 7 July 2006 (UTC)

Forming other portmanteaus with nigger can target other groups, including: combining nigger with Chinese to produce chigger (not to be confused with the parasitic arthropod) with Korean, kigger with Japanese, jigger with Taiwanese, tigger with spic (a slur for a Hispanic), to produce spigger combining nigger with Puerto Rican to produce Niggerican Other word compositions with nigger that are defaming to persons geographically: taco nigger, of Mexican descent timber nigger or prairie nigger or swamp nigger, of Native Americans sand nigger, of Arab or East Indian descent snow nigger, of Inuit descent rice nigger or slant-eyed nigger, of Asian descent potato nigger or "niggers of Europe", of Irish descent nigmeisters, of German descent pineapple niggers, of Polynesian descent

THIS SHOULD BE REMOVED...THESE ARE NOT REAL TERMS!

"Niggers of Europe" is a real term used to refer to Irish people in the 1700 and 1800s. There are historical documents with its usage, including a political cartoon which I have seen. I will be researching the source shortly --Farbotron 21:34, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

*Completely agree, Removed. Graham Laycock 23:22, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

There is a portmanteau that is real (real enough to warrant its own page, anyway), "wigger". Interestingly, though, the prejudice is reversed, being a derogatory term for Whites who try to appropriate Black culture. Delius1967 05:37, 8 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Inclusion of Independent of race segment

As a black man, I think that this needs to stay in the article. Although it is humorous in nature, comedians have often used the stage as their forum for commentary. These are things that are talked about in the black community amongst ourselves. It also shows the discontent we have for "our own" who makes us look bad and keep the stereotype alive. There is a distiction that "we" know of. It should remain here so "y'all" can see another point of view that had to be re-inserted by someone who didn't want it there.

This is a neutrality issue, because without this angle, it keep the work solely on race, as opposed to a wider, unmentioned context.--Ben414 02:47, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

Twice my addition has been pulled out, within seconds of being posted. Has anyone even read this, and verified it's source, or do you just routinely censor items you don't want others to see. I saw no reason for the removal, so until I do, I'll assume the latter. --Ben414 03:05, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Problem with usage of "thug"

There are multiple problems with this sentence which is in the Usage paraphgraph: "More recently, the term has been used to signify a black person who is a thug, instead of black people altogether." Not only is this POV, it is also imprecise and confusing to somoene who is not from the U.S. or is not familiar with black culture. First of all the term "thug" needs to be defined, because its current usage does not correspond to the dictionary definition. Secondly, it is only in certain cases where the n-word is used to refer to "thugs." The sentence as it is fails to consider that black people use the word in a number of different contexts. The word is sometimes used even when the two people in the conversation do not consider themselves to be "thugs." --Farbotron 21:45, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Lead Paragraph

There are inconsistencies and clunkiness here.

1) The first sentence is fine.

2) The second sentence is far too long, and very hard to understand. I easily see that nigger was for a long time "a standard, casual English term for black people," and I agree with that characterization.

But what on earth is the meaning of "During the period when slavery was practiced worldwide, and in particular by the United States and European countries, and for several decades after Europe and North America prohibited slavery, ..."? I think it might mean "During the time when slavery was practiced in the United States and Europe, and for several decades thereafter, ..."

I also think that "several decades" is incorrect. I believe the word had the casual meaning until the 1960s, or for about 100 years after the abolition of slavery.

I would suggest something like "From the time of the Atlantic slave trade into the early 1960's...."

3) The third sentence seems to contradict the second. If the word was for a long time a "standard, casual term," how can it have "traditionally been associated with "an overt contempt," etc.?

4) I lived in the North during the 1940's and most of the 1950's, and in the South during the late 1950's and early 1960's. I can say with certainty that in my world nigger was not particularly associated with an "assumption of inherent black inferiority," or of "bestiality." Neither was it "extremely pejorative." It was simply what white people often called black people. It was not considered to be a polite term, however, and in polite conversation the word negro or colored person were commonly used. There was an assumption of inherent black inferiority and maybe worse, but the assumption was independent of the word used to refer to black people.

My personal experience shouldn't determine the content of the article. It calls the third sentence into question, though. Lou Sander 03:33, 21 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] slavery

slavery was not just practiced in the United States and Europe it was in Africa too some of the tribes captured other tribe members and killed or gave them to traveler's

If you want to mention tribes, why not go all the way as to tell of slavery during the renaissance? Pogo 00:09, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

slavery is still practiced in africa. and black people use the term "nigger" more than white people.

[edit] Negroid

The opening sentence could be better, "is a term used to refer to dark-skinned peoples, especially Africans or people of African descent." should read "is a term used to refer to dark-skinned peoples, especially negroids or people who have features seen to be negroid like.".

There are many africans and people of african descent who the term nigger isn't particularly used for. There would be more chance of a Paupa New Guinean being called a nigger than an Egyption Arab for instance, who is actually from Africa. While many darker skinned people are called niggers who are not negroids, the term nigger is related to and refers particularly to people who would be classified by forensic anthropologists as negroids.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_people is an article that should be linked to aswell. It discusses who would be considered a nigger, negro or colored in different societies. Why terms like Negro/Colored/Negroid not included in the article?

[edit] Clarification on Australia.

Though this isn't a "substantial change," I believe the phrase "African-American" as written in the Australia reference below is confusing.

Either this quote is reporting that Australians might identify black people in the Americas as "nigger" but reserve "Abo" and "boong" for indigenous Australians, or the phrase "African-American" is a point of view error from a non Australian author who wants to avoid appearing crass.

In Australia, although in general the meaning of the word is perfectly well understood to refer to African-Americans, it is now rarely used by urban light skinned people in any context; when referring to indigenous Australians, the casual terms Abo and the more derogatory boong are used in its place. However, nigger has seen common use in rural or semi-frontier districts. In this context, the usage was British colonial, that is, applying generically to dark-skinned people of any origin (c.v. Rudyard Kipling). This has led to controversy, since Australian Aborigines have started to take the term strongly to heart, in both the pejorative and revisionist senses (see below under Names of places and things).

I agree, it is confusing. Lenn0r 02:57, 15 August 2006 (UTC)

Sorry, not sure how to add a new comment and this item is related to the section on NZ and Australia but the statement about the term Maori having any similarity to the negative connotations of the word "nigger" is completely incorrect. Pretty much any term _other than_ the correct term of Maori is considered potentially offensive (for example "black" is not at all politically correct in New Zealand). Feel free to correct but am NZ born and bred.

[edit] Niglet

Shouldn't a reference to 'niglet' be made in this article? Maybe on the combinations with other words? --Kalmia 02:13, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] clarification

The word nigger is simply derived from the Latin word meaning 'black', and has been used to refer to black people, typically though not always of African origin, since the 1500's. The two African countries Niger and Nigeria (originally pronounced 'Niggeria') also derive their names from colonial use of the word Negro and its variants: Negroid, negro (Italian and Spanish), negre (French), etc. there are also relic Negroid peoples through the Malay archipelago and vietnam peninsula: Negrito's in the Philippines, Montagnards in Vietnam, the Andaman isalnds off India. Of course with time this generic term (simply the opposite of 'white') came to have a derogatory connotation. I have heard it used extensively in black on black conversation in high schools for example, usually as an insult. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Lgh (talk • contribs) .

No, unfortunately you don't know what you're talking about. Check the article on the Niger River... The origin of the name Niger is unknown. It is often assumed that it derives from the Latin word for "black", niger, but there is no evidence for this, and it would have been more likely for Portuguese explorers to have used their own word, negro, or preto as they did elsewhere in the world; in any case the Niger is not a blackwater river (see Rio Negro). The name is thus thought to be indigenous, but no convincing origin has been found among the 30 languages of the Niger delta and lower reaches of the river. One hypothesis is that it comes from the Tuareg phrase gher n gheren "river of rivers" (shortened to ngher), originating in the middle reaches of the river around Timbuktu. Arthurian Legend 21:48, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Contradictions

The claim in this article that the word "nigger" was not considered offensive before the 1960s is highly dubious, and contradicted by the article itself. If it was not offensive until the 1960s, why was the New York Times censoring the word in the 1940s? Why was a book that used "nigger" in the title sparking protests in the 1920s? The word's pejorativeness or lack thereof over time needs sourcing, badly. Nareek 22:35, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

I've changed the lead, but this piece still has serious problems. The assertion that "coon", "darky" etc. were at one time words with no pejorative connotation desperately needs a source--I for one find that very hard to believe. The claim that the many literary uses of "nigger" show that it was not an insult also needs to be backed up with an outside source; most of the quotes read to me like writers using a provocative word for humorous, shock or ironic purposes. Note the paragraph about slaves using the word to indicate acceptance of a subordinate status--how could it do that unless their was something subordinating about the word? Nareek 02:30, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] This needs references

Can someone with a background in Linguistics or Race relations in American fix this up? Too many idiots think they now what they are talking about because they use the word.

Idiots? in American? English buddie, English. -Tigger Wigger

[edit] Chris Baker?

"Its use by other races, particularly Chris Baker, is regarded as extremely offensive, however the different pronunciation "nigga" can be used within the African American community in a neutral or positive way." Err? 24.132.24.44 14:13, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

Vandalism, I removed it. Feel free to do so yourself next time :) Use the history option to see what changes are made and which are appropriate to remove/fix. - BalthCat 14:58, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

who the hell is chris baker and why would someone say something so stupid? TareTone 05:13, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Other "Combinations with Second Words"

Has anyone thought to increase the enormous number of racist epitaphs that fall into this category? One term I'm absolutely astonished nobody added was the term "college nigger." Capote uses the term in In Cold Blood to describe a person who attempts to use fancy language in an attempt to appear more educated (i.e. looking up long words in dictionaries then using them). --76.16.160.102 00:55, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] vandalism

lot's of vandalism on this page. It's inappropriate TareTone 05:12, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] African-American

The term "African-American" is politically incorrect. There are white's who live in Africa, there are white's who live everywhere. I have not seen "African-American" on any statistical papers I have filled out in a LONG time. Most black people I talk to say they prefer being called black as, they are black. Imagine all white people being offended by being called white so they want to be called "European-American". The term is VERY incorrect to classify a persons race. Loquat15 14:05, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

The Term African-American is not used to describe ones race. It is a cultural term that some black americans use to descibe themselves as Africans whos ancestors were brought to the Americas against their will. You are correct that not all blacks are African-American, but that does not mean that there are no African-Americans. African-American is far from politically incorrect. It is a term used to describe a culture... There is a difference between race and culture...

Its a stupid term. Most "African Americans" have never been to Africa and are at least fifth generation immigrants if not 10th. Black is a term that makes alot more sense.209.169.111.193 06:32, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Caucasian not accurate term for whites

Although the term is commonly used in the United States, Caucasian is not an accurate word to describe all White people. If you click on the Caucasian link, you will see various definitions with precise meanings (including people from the Caucasus region).Spylab 12:49, 22 September 2006 (UTC)Spylab

Caucasian in common usage is a reference to the Caucasoid race, which seems to be as accurate a description of white people as any other. Obviously, like any other word, its meaning must be taken in context. The proposition that someone could, in conversation, mistake a reference to "white people" as a reference to "people from the Caucasus," quite frankly seems asinine to me.--24.40.139.209 07:59, 2 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The Famous Nigger

Should this, or new article, mention that Nigger was also the name of the canine character in the classic world war two film, The Dambusters? --Jamesr84 11:38, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

Good point - useful info particularly as an example of how acceptable usage has changed - there is obviously no chance that would be included in a modern film. Hippo43 11:38, 29 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The David Howard case

My edit was to correct a simple error in fact. normally I wouldn't comment on a routine edit. But given the volatility of the topic, I suspect there may be editors waiting to pounce on any changes made to this article. If that is the case, those editors may have been condtioned to expect edits here to be rascist one way or the other. So I'm adding this discussion to avoid problems.

context: I just made an edit resulting in:
David Howard, a white city official in Washington, D.C., was fired from his job in January 1999, when he used "niggardly" in a fiscal sense while talking with African American colleagues, who took offense at his use of the word. In the subsequent furor, Howard was offered his job back but declined it.

The original incorrectly stated that howard quit but was reinstated. This is incorrect as of the last time I read about the case. (Also, I believe that you can only be "reinstated" in you were fired, though I could be wrong about that).

Now, it is POSSIBLE that howard recently agreed to return to his job and I don't know that. In fact I hope so; I live here! But if that is the case, then that fact should be *appended* to what I wrote because he did, in fact, decline to return when the offer was made to reinstate him. (The universal assumption by people living here is that he declined because he was disgusted at having been fired by semiliterate black people for using a word correctly).

Even if howard has returned to his job, the original article omitted the critical fact that in a PC pogrom, he was fired from a government job for using an innocous word correctly. It was THIS aspect of it which caused the furor. If somebody quit just because his coworkers were grumbling, it wouldn't have made the Washington Post.Sys Hax 05:34, 12 October 2006 (UTC)

Please note the word 'niggardly' has nothing to do with the word 'nigger' but implies a miser/niggard.

According to the Washington Post and the Straight Dope, Howard was not fired, he resigned; and Mayor Williams subsequently rehired him. The edits will be corrected. 74.136.207.99 02:35, 16 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] N.I.G. - Different meaning in the British Army

N.I.G. is a term given to new recruits in the British Army. It stands for "New In Green" and is not intended to be a racial slur, although still a derogitary term aimed towards new soldiers. I'm unsure that NIG should redirect here as I couldnt find any references to that word in the document.

[edit] Nigga merging

nigga should have a different page as nigga. one is offensive and one is not offensive. It makes things less controversial on this page and there is already a lot of controversy on this page. Twentyboy 18:33, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

I don't really understand what you mean by having the articles seperate making things "less controversial." Either way, I don't think that's a particularly strong reason for or against a merge. I would support a merge -- nigga is simply a variant on nigger, even if the meaning is different. It makes more sense to discuss it as a subset of nigger than as if it's some entirely different word. -Elmer Clark 04:51, 23 October 2006 (UTC)

I concur with Elmer Clark, First of all, whether or not "nigga" is an offensive word is not for any one person (or group of people) to decide. Perhaps having "nigga" merged with "nigger" will shed some light on the discussion of whether or not it is offensive. Secondly, "nigga" is derived from the offensive term "nigger" therefore the relationship should be documented here in the context of the original terms that are discussed as being accurate origins of the word. The context in which the term "nigga" is used in, which "twentyboy" has claimed is not offensive, could be directly traced back to Richard Pryor first using it in his stand-up comedy routine. This may be up for debate, as I have not listened carefully to an old Pryor recording lately, but I believe Pryor uses the word "Nigger" and not "nigga," which he later denounced in an interview after he had visited Africa. -lukymia 23:09, 24 October 2006

Everyone always turns these topics into wars. I have an idea though as a caucasion girl I have never used the word "nigger" to describe anyone or anything. If I can do this why dont we all just save some time and not use words that offend other people. The word "nigga" originates from the word that everyone takes so offensively so how could that fix anything? If only people would grow up and quit trying to cause problems for everyone else all of those words people use to describe races wont be used.

Ok, but Wikipedia really isn't the place to argue your opinion on this kind of issue. -Elmer Clark 22:19, 25 October 2006 (UTC)

I would definately oppose this merge. The two terms, though simmilar, are distinct enough to leave seperate. I believe that the differences between nigger and nigga are on par with those between nigger and negro (which also has its own page), and those between nigger and colored (which, again, has its own page). Linking with a See Also should be sufficient. As the content is not repetitive or too redundant, I see no need to merge here. --Srwm4 01:43, 28 October 2006 (UTC)

It is simply an opinion that nigga is less offensive than nigger. I for one am offended by both terms. These are the same terms just spelled differently. The history behind both words is the same... By the way I am black myself and never use either word.

Merge nigga into nigger and discuss variations on the word "nigger" and the different meanings of the variations. Steevven1 01:44, 6 November 2006 (UTC)

I'm kind of new around here but I'd like to share my opinion. I think they should remain separate because most people think of them as separate regardless of whether or not they think one word is less or not at all offensive. Also, there is enough of a distinction in popular culture created by the people who use the word and feel that one or the other applies to them to allow for a distinction here.CJ 15:18, 9 November 2006 (UTC)

Oppose Merge - "Nigga" is used in a much more positive context, while the n-word is quite derogatory.Bakaman _Bakatalk 02:57, 12 November 2006 (UTC)

MergeThey are the same word, people. "Nigga" is just a phonetic rendering of the Ebonics pronunciation of "Nigger". People who speak Black Vernacular always pronounce the word "nigger" as "nigga". They are a single word. "Nigger" has different connotations in different contexts, that's all. And that's good. Nigger should be used as widely as possible. Disarm it. Pull its teeth. It is treating it as a taboo which gives it all of its power. 65.197.28.158 16:06, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Merge Nigga is just a variant spelling of nigger based on Ebonic accent, and is not a wholly separate word, as above. LHOON 16:12, 5 December 2006 (UTC)

Merge The word "nigga" didn't exist before "nigger" and arose as a variant and derivative of "nigger". That it has a different subtext and is considered non-pejorative would be fully explained. The fact that unless seen in print - the two words SOUND alike to the ear - underscores why this should be merged. The difference in acceptability of "nigga" is also a factor in the way the original word has gone from common usage to its pariah status. Davidpatrick 11:27, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Ref Fat Joe as non-black

Fat Joe is of both Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. It is common knowledge that Puerto Rico and Cuba were colonized by Europeans, and that black African slaves were imported to do hard labor. Moreover, these black Africans often mixed with the indigenous peoples as well as the colonists. After hundreds of years of intermixing, it is evident that populations of both Cuba and Puerto Rico are very heterogenous and that one would be hard pressed to find a purely white or purely black Puerto Rican or Cuban. Furthermore, according to the one drop theory, having anyone of black lineage in one's family indeed makes one black. Therefore, I question the relevance of mentioning Fat Joe in this article if he could in the strict sense be considered black.

I strongly disagree. You're not going to find a lot of people who consider Fidel Castro black. And I hate to break it to you, but the "one-drop theory" kind of went out of vogue a century or two ago. -Elmer Clark 08:57, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Please remove protection on this page

You have spelling errors right on the intro.

[New comment] I want to add a link from this entry to an article that is clear on the racist history of the N-word. The link is [1] ("The“N”Word in Racist America. For Black Liberation Through Socialist Revolution!" Workers Vanguard No 807)

[edit] Latino Rappers

I wish to change the paragraph which talks about its usage among rappers:- "Although the popular white rapper Eminem refrains from using the word, recently the word nigga has been used by many non-white, but non-black rappers such as Fat Joe, Pitbull and some latin artists. The slang term has brought some controversy to America and confusion to the white population as to what forms of the word are offensive and what forms are not." to simply- "Although the popular white rapper Eminem refrains from using the word, recently the word nigga has been used by many latino rappers such as Fat Joe, Pitbull and some other latino artists. The slang term has brought some controversy to America and confusion to the white population as to what forms of the word are offensive and what forms are not." as to avoid confusion over whether these latinos are white or not. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by TeePee-20.7 (talk • contribs) 02:25, November 14, 2006.

I'm not sure how that avoids confusion, it seems to create more? The way it's currently stated, it's clear that they are not black, which is what makes their saying "nigga" significant. Your revision leaves out that key detail -- a black Latino saying "nigga" would not seem strange to anyone. -Elmer Clark 00:53, 15 November 2006 (UTC)

It seems that TeePee wants to remove "non-white", and Elmer wants to keep "non-black". I think I can be WP:BOLD to fulfill both requests. :-). If you disagree, feel free to say so. AnonEMouse ^(squeak) 18:20, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

I would like to see a reference to the website "Abolish the N-Word" added to the "external links" section of this article. http://www.abolishthenword.com/ - Thank You.

[edit] Recent Usage

I've noticed through many people, all around the world (specifically US, Canada, UK, Thailand and Singapore) that the N-word is used somewhat jokingly by non-black people, even referring to non-blacks as well. I don't see it used often in a single conversation, perhaps once or twice but it's utterance is popping up all over the place, regardless of whether or not a black person is present. It seems to be a bit more lax and is losing its negative, racist connotation. Take for example Shaun of the Dead, when Ed gets out of the car and says 'Sup N****s', and only receives just an exaggerated sigh and minimal shock from the others. That seems to be the reaction around a lot nowadays. But, to the point, should this be mentioned, and if so how?

Well step one is to find a credible source. Always keep WP:NOR in mind. -Elmer Clark 21:09, 18 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] mandarin Chinese

does anyone want to add the coincidental mandarin Chinese particle phrase "那个" (pinyin:nàge or nèige) meaning "that (one)" or "that (thing)" but also very commonly and repetitively used as a speech disfluency, just like "ummm..." or "uhhh..." are used in English?

the mandarin equivalent of nigger is "黑鬼" hēiguǐ or "black devil"

ooooh that explains a lot; I've heard it used many times when listening to Chinese people speak, in Singapore and here, and I've always wondered what it meant. Thanks for clearing that up for me Totalirrelevance 10:16, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

Slow down people, there is simply no Chinese equivalent to nigger that I know of. whoever says heigl = nigger has lost their mind, same with nàge or nèige. Please folks. --Sleet123 07:05, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

fine, it's not an "equivalent", but more of an "analogue"? hēiguǐ is how "nigger" is usually translated in news and literature.

Please, just stop. Stop. There are tons of homophones that sound alike in different languages. I'm glad you found another one. Neither heigui and neige should be included in this entry. please stop.--Sleet123 07:34, 30 November 2006 (UTC)

mandarin chinese however, is spoken by a larger number of native speakers than any other language, which i would argue puts it in a different position. that, combined with the fact that the phrase is used very commonly in everyday speech, should at least make its mention in the article worthy of consideration, if only for the sake of avoiding (often emotionallyl charged) misunderstandings - many of which are documented and verifiable, as per the article i cited.

and i'm not saying nàge or nèige mean "nigger" either, but that they approach near-homophone status, especially in everyday speech, which can lead to confusion and/or mistaken offense (see article linked above)

[edit] Dictionary source

If this article is going to use a dictionary source, it ought to use the Oxford English Dictionary. This would give a much more reputable definition than Webster's and would also give the accepted etymological origins of the word. A copy of this text can be found at almost any university library and also online if the library is a subscriber.

[moved section to the bottom] Feel free to do so, I can't imagine anyone would object. -Elmer Clark 05:54, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

I have corrected the etymologies of 'niggardly' and 'niggle' per the OED entries. The statement that 'nigger' may be derived from 'nigra' is also incorrect, given the broad disparity in dates -- there is no evidence that 'nigra' was used much before the late 19th c (the OED's earliest cite is from 1905), whereas 'nigger' goes back to the 16th. I have eliminated this point as well. Htooke 00:57, 11 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Unprotect this article Request

Black people don't call each other "niggers" like it is stating in the heading. It's not common anyway for normal black people like my self to call my black friends "Hey, nigger!". The word being described in the top of this article is "nigga" and shouldn't be up there at the top. Also, nigger isn't a slur term for dark-skinned people. It's a inappropriate slur term to refer to black people made up by caucasians. There is so much wrong with the heading which should be the most correct part of the article because it's the first thing people see when they open this page. I say, make the couple corrections and protect this page forever because people will keep vandalizing it as it's pretty much in a vandalized form right now and protected so we can't do anything about it Lonelyboy 07:53, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Efforts to Ban

Someone needs to write about popular efforts to ban the word (i.e. by Rev. Al Sharpton or Rev. Jesse Jackson). Also there needs to be information about how some people are proponents of the word and how it relates to free speech.

The popular culture section seems a bit long as well. 129.7.254.33 17:33, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Intro

In the first paragraph it say "However, in the United States, some (especially African Americans who feel an affinity for hip hop culture) use the word as a term of endearment and familiarity."

This is not true. The african american hip hop croud uses the word nigga, which is derived from the word nigger. The famous rapper 2pac once said a nigger has slave chains around his ankles, where as a nigga has gold chains around his neck. They are totally different. I have never tried to help on this site, but I thought it was worth a shot.

Sjbmx408 07:54, 12 December 2006 (UTC)sjbmx408@comcast.net

That's addressed later in the article, and consensus here seems to be that they're not really two distinct words anyway, despite the different connotations of the spellings/pronunciations. -Elmer Clark 13:22, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

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Category: Wikipedia controversial topics