Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 10:48:37 -0500

From: Al Futrell al[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]LOUISVILLE.EDU

Subject: Re: What does the "n" word mean? (was PC dictionaries)



On Tue, 28 Oct 1997, Dennis Baron wrote:



The reporter who interviewed me about the n word for the local TV

station is black and said she was surprised to see all this discussion,

since when she was growing up her working definition of the word was 'an

uneducated person' and it had no racial connotation. She was surprised

when I told her it was connected to Negro. I thought this was very

interesting. Jesse, and others: is there any additional confirmation

for such a use of the word in the African American community?





I just spoke to an African-American professor who grew up in Gary, IN and

he told me the same thing Dennis reports here. Where I grew up

(Champaign) the N-word always referred to a person of color. And it does

here in Louisville as well -- at least when used by a white person.



Al Futrell

-- al[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]louisville.edu

-- http://www.louisville.edu/~awfutr01

Dept of Communication -- University of Louisville