Saulsberry 1 Traci Saulsberry Professor Overman English 155 25 April, 2007 A Living Word A word is not a crystal, transparent and unchanged. It is the skin of a living thought and may vary greatly in color and comment according to the circumstances and the time in which it is used. - Oliver Wendell Holmes Children with young embryonic minds are taught the age old myth “sticks and stones can break your bones but words will never hurt you.” Naively, they believe what their genius elders tell them, which eliminates the fear of being broken down by words. As life progresses and the bliss of being ignorant to the realities of society subside, the power of words becomes evident; the ability of morphed verbs and adjectives and the realism of definitions become ammunition in a war of words. And though words can not kill, they can open unhealed wounds and infect thought process and spiritual growth. Words have the ability to halt a conversation while evoking the imagination. Words are equipped with the power to infuriate a nation, and in turn cause reconciliation. The cadence of a words projection can either illuminate a heart or release a surge of hate. Contextual evaluations of words have been argued and altered through centuries. Nigger is a controversial word in the lexicon of the English language and American society. Its definition is irrefutable, yet its usage is questionable among American citizens. Beyond the overt divide between Blacks and Non- Blacks using the word, the divide amongst the African American community is intensifying. The movement to redefine nigger into aSaulsberry 2 term of endearment and the urge to banish the term completely is a battle of integrity that Blacks continue to clash over. However neither position denies the origin in which this vile word slithered its way into the English vernacular. The origin of nigger intertwines through a multitude of languages and surpasses conventional interpretations. Leading etymologists believe that nigger was derived from a Northern English word “neger” that itself derived from “Negro,” the Spanish word for Black (Kennedy). Though there are numerous renditions of how nigger attained its irreverent meaning, every rendition relates it to the mispronunciation of a foreign word. Linguist Robin Lakoff speculates that nigger became a slur when users of the term became aware that it was a mispronunciation of Negro and decided to continue using the mispronunciation as a signal of contempt- much as individuals sometimes choose to insult others by deliberately mispronouncing their names (Kennedy). By the nineteenth century the term nigger became a recognized insult to the African American community. A major source of its negative connotation stems from how a white family addressed their children. Hosea Easton, author of The Condition of the Colored People of the United States; and the Prejudice Exercised Towards Them, describes how white adults reprimanded their children: White adults reprimanded white children for being worse than niggers, for being as ignorant as niggers. And white adults disciplined their children by telling them that unless they behaved they would be carried off by ‘the old nigger’ or be made to sit with the niggers or be consigned to the nigger seat which was, of course, a place of shame (Kennedy).Saulsberry 3 Nigger was the pejorative term shackled to Black slaves as they trudged the lands of plantations; it is the term that blared through the ears of young men as they were repeatedly whipped, nigger is embedded in their scars. Nigger evolved through generations; repeated and screamed at Blacks as they marched the streets and boycotted buses in their fight for equality. As the world has grown, so has the term. It has taken a life of its own, with a grip that chokes the progression of a nation. In the divide amongst the African American community on this sensitive word, some aspire to redefine nigger in the hopes of weakening the blow. While neither side believes that the term in its original interpretation is admissible in mainstream society, some Blacks believe that by dispelling the words derogatory meaning a transfer of impact can be achieved. Tuskegee University student Gabriel Alfred says for him redefining nigger into a positive label is a battle he wishes to fight: I believe that through time the word has picked up many different meanings. The word in itself is not a negative word; it is the interpretation of our oppressors that have given negative power to the word. Like many other things, we need to take back something that is supposed to describe Black people and give our own meaning to nigger, one that is positive and speaks of brotherhood (Alfred). Alfred is not alone in his want to redefine the contentious meaning of nigger; many confident, conscious and self aware African Americans use the word nigger as a means of defiance, rebelling against its racially charged intentions. Novelist Steven Ivory believes that “repeated use of the word nigger by Blacks will make it less offensive, omitting the sting that it has the potential to posses. The Black community should not be prisoners toSaulsberry 4 an oppressive definition. Essentially the new denotation of the term is yet another battle for freedom” (Ivory). Through the efforts to place new meaning to the term, nigger has evolved into a call to brotherhood, with slight systematic changes. The progressive feat to give an acceptable definition to nigger is a battle fought through the mentality of brotherhood. A common greeting amongst African Americans that spans through all generations is “Sup Nigga.” Advocates argue that this universal greeting is not only intended to signify, but it is a step towards giving positive background behind the term. Nigga or nigger has, in some social groups, become a synonym for brother or best friend. Often it is used in the context of: “That’s my nigga!” or “Nigga I love you”. Kennedy, author of Who Can Say ‘Nigger’ and Other Considerations, compares what African Americans have done with nigger to what the gay and lesbian community have done with queer and dyke, “transformed it from a sign of shame to be avoided if possible into a sign of pride to be worn assertively” (Kennedy). However many argue that the same people who use nigger as a so called term of