What’d You Say?Some thoughts

on Language Usage

Language

• “Language is the human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication” (“Language”).

• a method of communication

Connotation vs. denotation

• Denotation is the dictionary definition

• Connotation refers to the emotional overtones of a word.

• …all of the “baggage” a word brings with it.

context

• the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.

• When discussing the context of a word, a person considers who’s using it, what other words they’re using, who the audience is, and where it is being used.

EXAMPLES OFWORDS WITH DISPUTED USAGE

Levels of Dispute

• Words are misused or have taken on a new meaning, different from the original dictionary definition

• Words are used, but are not in the dictionary

• Words are vulgar (lacking in good taste)

• Words are used by the wrong group of people, often in wrong ways.

• Words are offensive (causing someone to feel deeply hurt, upset, or angry)

aggravate

• Some have argued that this word should not be used in the sense of "to annoy" or "to oppress", but only to mean "to make worse".

• Disputed because of misuse

• Disputed usage: – When Mrs. Jones took my cell phone away, it

aggravated me.

• Undisputed usage: – Being hit on the head by a falling brick aggravated my

already painful headache.

ain’t

• originally a contraction of "am not", this word is widely used as a replacement for "aren't", "isn't", "haven't" and "hasn't" as well.

• Disputed because it’s not in the dictionary.

• Note: Some writers use this word deliberately to create an informal style in a text.

“swear words”

• Usage of words like “the f-bomb” or a synonym for “poop” is disputed because it’s in poor taste.

• “Cursing in casual settings has never been alien to American life,” according to McWhorter, but public (written or oral) use is a different story (“Why Do”).

• Somin argues, “People who regularly insult others or use language widely considered to be inappropriate suffer tremendous damage to their reputation. They have fewer friends, contacts and business opportunities than they would otherwise. If they are public figures, they face severe criticism in the media and elsewhere. When Vice President Cheney and Vice President Biden used expletives that got caught on tape, they were both widely denounced” (“Why Do”).

AND, PERHAPS THE WORST KIND OF USAGE… THE OFFENSIVE KIND…

The “n-word”

• This word has a long history and it’s usage is long disputed for many reasons.

• It’s an epithet, one that is also a racial slur.

• According to Fishkin, “Racism is ugly. The history and legacies of American racism are our nation’s own peculiar brand of ugly -- and the n-word embodies it.”

History of “nigger”

• “The word originated as a neutral term referring to black people, as a variation of the Spanish/Portuguese noun negro, a descendant of the Latin adjective niger ("color black")” (“nigger”).

• As time went on, the word was “[o]ften used disparagingly, by the mid 20th century, particularly in the United States, it suggested that its target is extremely unsophisticated,” being used as an insult (“nigger”).

Malcolm X

• “In the 60’s, Malcolm X fought to restore African-American’s true identity by eradicating the word. He fought by any means necessary” (Jane).

• “Their worst habit is to call us ‘niggas’… when we end up using this word about ourselves, we now abuse our own.” –Malcolm X (Jane)

“N-word” = taboo

• It’s not socially acceptable for most people to use this word, especially if the speaker is not black.

• Case in point: Paula Deen, whose sponsors dropped her when they learned she used the word in the past.

Oprah & the “N-word”

• “Oprah does not believe either version of the word should be used” (Blackmore).

• Oprah addressed Jay Z in an interview: “when I hear the N word, I still think about every black man who was lynched--and the N word was the last thing he heard” (Blackmore).

Contradictions in Pop Culture

• Then how can rap artists use it so freely?

• Why do I hear it so often?

The “N-word” & Rap

• “If major labels saw that they were losing money because rappers were using the ‘n’ word, they wouldn’t sign on rappers that use the ‘n’ word. But they aren’t losing money, so it’s okay” in the labels’ eyes (Bright).

• As Puff Daddy (a.k.a. Sean Combs) reminds us, “it’s all about the Benjamin’s, baby.”

What if I change the ending?

• According to Michael Eric Dyson, “‘N-i-g-g-a, n-i-g-g-u-h, n-i-g-g-a-z — 'niggaz' — are terms generated within hip-hop culture... attempts of black people to wrest control over how they will be viewed, or at least termed, by the dominant society’” (“Is the 'N-Word' Going Mainstream?”).

• Maybe this is why Jay Z, Kanye, Lil Wayne, and Nicki Minaj still sell records, but it doesn’t reflect society’s consensus on the word.

Not everyone is OK with it.• “Nicki Minaj provoked

widespread outrage with an Instagram post featuring one of black history's most poignant images: Malcolm X peering out the window of his home, rifle in hand, trying to defend his wife and children from firebombs while under surveillance by federal agents. Superimposed on the photo: the title of Minaj's new song, which denigrates certain black men and repeats the N-word 42 times” (Cadet).

Minaj Catches Some Heat

• When critiquing Nicki Minaj’s use of the word, a writer claims, “The N-word [nigga] still carries a particular sting, a discomfort, (usually expressed when a white person says it), because it ultimately originates from its painful predecessor: “Nigger.” THAT is why Malcolm [X] fought so hard, and THAT is why it’s crucial to understand the history of the N-word before using it” (Jane).

Moving Further From History Does Not Erase It

• “‘I don't want to say today's rappers are not educated about black history, but they don't seem as aware as rap generations before them,’ said Jermaine Hall, editor-in-chief of Vibe, the hip-hop magazine and website” (Cadet).

• While previous generations had to struggle with the racism and neglect of the 1970s or the crack epidemic of the 1980s, Hall said, today's young people have not faced the same type of racial struggle — ‘They're sort of getting further and further away from the civil rights movement’” (Cadet).

The NFL & the “N-word”

• The commissioner of the NFL has suggested assigning a 15-yard penalty for using this word in a game.

• “Harry Carson, a former NFL all-pro, [says,] ‘I find it very disheartening that in our society today we're having a debate about the n-word being used as a term of endearment. If that's a term of endearment, go up to your grandfather, or an elderly black person , and use it on them. See how they react. For those who use it, I say they have no sense of history’” (Lawrence).

• The jury is still out on this rule, but even the suggestion speaks to the power of this word.

To summarize…

• Usage of the “n word” is most often taboo because it carries such racist connotations.

• Some black people use the word colloquially and have tried to change the meaning of the word.

• Others, like Oprah, argue that the history of the word can’t be erased, rendering the word taboo.

• Other forms of the word carry the same connotations for some people.

Context is Everything

• When a word (like the “n-word”) carries so much weight, one must consider context before using it.

• In the context of this classroom, use of any form of this word is unacceptable.

• You will read it (in A Raisin in the Sun), but we will not use it.

Works Cited

• Blackmore, Dana T. "Tom Ford, the N-Word, and What Oprah Winfrey and Jay Z Have in Common." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12 Aug. 2013. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dana-t-blackmore/oprah-jay-z-n-word_b_3740870.html>.

• Bright, Paul. "Op-Ed: Why Rappers Can Say The 'N' Word, But Paula Deen Can't." Digital Journal: A Global Digital Media Network. 1 July 2013. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. <http://digitaljournal.com/print/article/353504>.

• "Language." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Mar. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language>.

Works Cited

• Fishkin, Shelly Fisher. "The Words of Pap Finn’s Rant." The New York Times. The New York Times, 6 Jan. 2011. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/01/05/does-one-word-change-huckleberry-finn/the-words-of-pap-finns-rant>.

• "Is the 'N-Word' Going Mainstream?" ABC News. ABC News Network, 10 Apr. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. <http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=132632>.

• Jane, Deborah. "The “N-word”: From Malcolm to Minaj." MUSIC IS MY OXYGEN WEEKLY. The Recording Connection Music Institute, 14 Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. <http://mimo.recordingconnection.com/the-n-word-from-malcolm-to-minaj/968201/>.

• Lawrence, James. "The Proposed NFL Ban of the N-word." The Proposed NFL Ban of the N-word. Gannett, 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/editorial/2014/03/04/ban-of-the-n-word/6012239/>.

Works Cited

• “Nigger." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 29 Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nigger>.

• “Usage." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage>.

• Washington, Jesse. "Rap Artists' Disrespect Of Black Icons Raises Concerns The Industry Has Lost Touch With History." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 02 Mar. 2014. Web. 30 Mar. 2014. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/02/nicki-minaj-malcolm-x-rap-black-history_n_4885686.html>.

• "Why Do Educated People Use Bad Words?" Room for Debate Why Do Educated People Use Bad Words Comments. The New York Times, 12 Apr. 2010. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. <http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/why-do-educated-people-use-bad-words/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0>.