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It is commonly agreed that racism existed before the coinage of the word, but there is not a wide agreement on a single definition of what racism is and what it is not. [11] Today, some scholars of racism prefer to use the concept in the plural racisms, in order to emphasize its many different forms that do not easily fall under a single ...
The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary describes the term as "perhaps the most offensive and inflammatory racial slur in English". [3] The Oxford English Dictionary writes that "this word is one of the most controversial in English, and is liable to be considered offensive or taboo in almost all contexts (even when used as a self-description)". [2]
The exact history and origin of the term is debated. [6]The term is "probably an agent noun" [7] from the word crack. The word crack was later adopted into Gaelic as the word craic meaning a "loud conversation, bragging talk" [8] [9] where this interpretation of the word is still in use in Ireland, Scotland, and Northern England today.
In practice, its use and meaning are heavily dependent on context, with non-offensive examples ranging from a greeting, [12] to reprimand, to general reference, to a use synonymous with male person. [ citation needed ] As of 2007 [update] , the word nigga was used more liberally by some younger members of all races and ethnicities in the United ...
Prejudice plus power has been criticized for taking a reductionist approach to racism, [14] and for downplaying racism committed by non-white people by replacing the word racism with the less negatively perceived word, prejudice. [15] This view is often shared by many social conservatives. [16]
Kennedy Mitchum expected little in return after emailing Merriam- Webster about its standing definition of the word racism. The 22-year-old was surprised to receive a response from the editor of ...
Ebonics remained a little-known term until 1996. It does not appear in the 1989 second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, nor was it adopted by linguists. [14] The term became widely known in the United States due to a controversy over a decision by the Oakland School Board to denote and recognize the primary language (or sociolect or ethnolect) of African-American youths attending ...
Linguists and others argue that the word has a historical racist legacy that makes it unsuitable for use today. Mainly older people use the word neger with the notion that it is a neutral word paralleling negro. Relatively few young people use it, other than for provocative purposes in recognition that the word's acceptability has declined. [51]