2. Language
• “Language is the human capacity for acquiring
and using complex systems of
communication” (“Language”).
• a method of communication
3. 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.
4. 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.
6. 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)
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. “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”).
11. 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.”
12. 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”).
13. 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)
14. “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.
15. 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).
16. Contradictions in Pop Culture
• Then how can rap artists use it so freely?
• Why do I hear it so often?
17. 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.”
18. 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.
19. 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).
20. 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).
21. 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).
22. 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.
23. 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.
24. 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.
25. 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>.
26. 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/>.
27. 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>.
