4 ms·

When you go as far as Proto-Indo-European roots you're in linguistic fantasy territory, but anyway, I was talking about "a word coming straight from the Latin r

When you go as far as Proto-Indo-European roots you're in linguistic fantasy territory, but anyway, I was talking about "a word coming straight from the Latin root". It's a clear evolution from the Latin "niger" to Spanish "negro" and illiterate English colonist "nigger". And it kept its meaning of "black" all this time. Since we're talking etymology in the grayed out bottom of a HN thread, did you know that the word "slave" comes from the Latin "sclavus" that means "Slav" and is therefore offensive to people of Slavic ancestry? Will you stop using it now that you know? I hope not, but it goes to show the absurdity of putting hurt feelings before reason.

emodendroket 11y ago
> Since we're talking etymology in the grayed out bottom of a HN thread, did you know that the word "slave" comes from the Latin "sclavus" that means "Slav" and is therefore offensive to people of Slavic ancestry? Will you stop using it now that you know? I hope not, but it goes to show the absurdity of putting hurt feelings before reason. You're literally arguing against your own reasoning.
- stefantalpalaru 11y ago
  "Nigger" is not a terrible word because it means "black" as it always did. "Slave" is not a terrible word because it means "a person that is the property of another" now, even though it meant "Slav" at some point in the past. BTW, since "literally" became the synonym of its antonym what's the point in using it any more?
  - emodendroket 11y ago
    No, I mean, you are quite literally, in the traditional sense of that word, arguing that etymology is more important when the modern meaning of the word is offensive, and that the modern meaning of the word is more important when the etymology is offensive. No, that word is not offensive because of the etymology meaning "black;" consider that using the term "black" is not at all offensive.
    - stefantalpalaru 11y ago
      You seem to believe that "nigger" means something different than "black" nowadays. What's this new meaning?
      - emodendroket 11y ago
        They're certainly not interchangeable, but you don't really believe they are anyway.

emodendroket 11y ago

> Since we're talking etymology in the grayed out bottom of a HN thread, did you know that the word "slave" comes from the Latin "sclavus" that means "Slav" and is therefore offensive to people of Slavic ancestry? Will you stop using it now that you know? I hope not, but it goes to show the absurdity of putting hurt feelings before reason. You're literally arguing against your own reasoning.

stefantalpalaru 11y ago
"Nigger" is not a terrible word because it means "black" as it always did. "Slave" is not a terrible word because it means "a person that is the property of another" now, even though it meant "Slav" at some point in the past. BTW, since "literally" became the synonym of its antonym what's the point in using it any more?
- emodendroket 11y ago
  No, I mean, you are quite literally, in the traditional sense of that word, arguing that etymology is more important when the modern meaning of the word is offensive, and that the modern meaning of the word is more important when the etymology is offensive. No, that word is not offensive because of the etymology meaning "black;" consider that using the term "black" is not at all offensive.
  - stefantalpalaru 11y ago
    You seem to believe that "nigger" means something different than "black" nowadays. What's this new meaning?
    - emodendroket 11y ago
      They're certainly not interchangeable, but you don't really believe they are anyway.