Language Log: WHAT UP, NICK–?
My thoughts:
- There are black linguists? (Just kidding.)
- The usage boundaries of the n-word are fuzzier than many people seem to think. In many contexts (obviously contexts where my peer group is largely black) I’ve been off-handly called “nigger” (or, if you prefer, “nigga”) in the sense of “dude” or “person”; I’m not the only person of non-black heritage to be thus addressed. And in the same groups it’s not unheard of for people who are not at all black (latinos, frequently, or occasionally very ghetto whites) to also use the term, usually with few to no repercussions. Now, you won’t hear me referring to someone with that term, and I assume all the people in question are smart enough to figure out in what contexts that will fly and in what contexts it won’t, but there is a real sense in which the word is, for some people, anyway, and in some contexts acquiring a totally race-neutral sense.
- Obviously, there’s really no linguistic argument that can justify assault.
- Yes, the only reason I read this post at all is that the header was “What up, Nick—?”