McWhorter on "Negro" [Was: on "Negro English"]

Seán Fitzpatrick grendel.jjf at VERIZON.NET
Thu Jan 21 18:57:51 UTC 2010


Perhaps, in  the sense that "Negro" was pronounced nigra, which did double
duty as the dialectically and socially acceptable mincing of nigger.

Sean Fitzpatrick
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?
I blame Global Warming.
http://www.logomachon.blogspot.com/



-----Original Message-----
From: Joel S. Berson [mailto:Berson at ATT.NET]
Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 7:56 PM
Subject: Re: McWhorter on "Negro" [Was: on "Negro English"]

At 1/18/2010 12:20 PM, Bill Palmer wrote:
>When I was growing up in Virginia in the 1950's, the few blacks I had
>conversations with, routinely used "colored".

Was this because there "Negro" sounded to much like "Nigger"?  So
"colored" was the term of choice among the other possibilities?

Joel


>The local newspapers in all news stories involving blacks had the word
>"negro" following the name.  This practice ended sometime in the 60's I
>believe.
>
>My great aunt and uncle (natives of KY, born in late 1800's) routinely used
>"darky", and my wife's aunt, native of SW Georgia, born around 1890
>routinely used  the term even when in the presence of blacks.  Other than
>those examples, Stephen Foster was the only person I ever heard use that
>term.
>
>Bill Palmer

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