Meaning Of The Word Nigga

It’s no secret, the word “nigger” in today’s society is one of the most offensive, controversial, and racist things that can come from someone may say. The word right away brings up a dark past in the United States that few can be proud of, a time where African-Americans were segregated against due to their skin color. To this very day it remains one of those words that are rarely said in public because of the hurtful and derogatory meaning that it processes. But what about the word “nigga,” some may argue that our language is changing and the meaning has changed. There has been an ongoing argument over this subject for the last forty years, from when the word was first used in another context, whether it is fine to use the term despite it sharing a

The word “nigga” is an interesting example of how much the English language has the possibility to change. It all started with the English language being spoken with either an accent or different dialects that created the new word. From around the mid-20th century the “n” word started being used towards black people, both the “n” word and nigga were used interchangeably, both meaning the same thing depicting the African American race. This was because the two endings of “er” and “a” sounded very similar causing little to no separation between them. Over time the “n” word got its bad history and to this day remains one of the words that even people who swear liberally wouldn’t dare to say out loud. Time passed and the word nigga made a comeback, but only this time in a non-derogatory way. Only in the last twenty years has this new meaning for the word began gaining popularity. It is very common to hear this in the dialogue of many younger African-Americans. You may even ask yourself, why do they call each other that? This is because the word has grown into a neutral or even positive term you may use to call someone. For example, it has been revolutionized in such a way that even the OED states, “Used