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Niggard has no etymological, denotational, or connotational connection to a racial slur. It’s a little astounding to me that it’s a bad word now that people are
by Amezarak 8y ago
Niggard has no etymological, denotational, or connotational connection to a racial slur. It’s a little astounding to me that it’s a bad word now that people are afraid to even type because it sounds sorta like one until you get the whole word out.
- intertextuality 8y agoI didn't even know of that word, so I don't know it's history, but niggardly is another similar word, or snigger. Etymologically they may be unrelated but come on. Every single time you say one of those words we all know what word people are going to think of instead, as they're way too close in spelling and pronunciation. It doesn't help those words are not commonly used at all either. So although they technically may not be bad words, I wouldn't say them. Languages do not follow rules or technicalities. Those words just got the short end of the stick, unfortunately.
- 0815test 8y ago> Etymologically they may be unrelated but come on. Every single time you say one of those words we all know what word people are going to think of instead But surely this must hold all the more strongly for the "a" word? Even if you're hearing it in a music video as a reference to a social ingroup, it basically amounts to propping up one of the vilest racial slurs around, which just seems self-defeating.