The phonetic difference between "nigger(s)" and "nigga(s)" probably has its origin in the AAVE tendency to drop the final 'r'. — Bitter Crank
Whether "nigger(s)" and "nigga(s)" is one word with two racially inflected pronunciations or one word (or two) with racial inflections and two separate meanings seems to me unsettled. Time will tell. Lots of words have had decades of popularity, then disappeared (and sometimes, lamentably, have refused to go away. — Bitter Crank
AAVE isn't non rhotic like New England, British, or old South (I do declaa), — Hanover
I think that distinction should be easier to spot for Americans than for other British speakers, because most varieties of American English are 'rhotic', meaning they pronounce terminal 'r's, whereas British and Australian English do not, instead pronouncing the ends of words ending in 'er' as 'ah' or 'uh'. So that distinction is lost on we Poms and Aussies. — AndrewK
Old Australian slang for visitor or immigrant from England. The etymology is lost in the mists of time. Two explanations I have heard are:Now, what pray tell is a "pom"? — Bitter Crank
My question is whether this social convention of never uttering the N-word is a reasonable act of respect or whether it's simply a politically imposed rule that can be used to divide and destroy? — Hanover
Odd spike around 2014. — Baden
making generalisations about all inhabitants of the British Isles, as if they were monolithic. I acknowledge that those islands are one of the most linguistically diverse regions in the world. I was aware that Scottish, Irish and some regional dialects of England (West Country perhaps. Certainly not Cockney or RP though) are rhotic — andrewk
My question is whether the N-word specifically has become a word that is per se insulting, regardless of context, where its mere utterance is a sin. — Hanover
It depends on who you ask and even then you will get contradictory answers from the same person who claim to be offended by the word, yet they use it themselves to refer to "friends".My question is whether the N-word specifically has become a word that is per se insulting, regardless of context, where its mere utterance is a sin. — Hanover
Get involved in philosophical discussions about knowledge, truth, language, consciousness, science, politics, religion, logic and mathematics, art, history, and lots more. No ads, no clutter, and very little agreement — just fascinating conversations.