The Etymology of the N Word

Alexis Hiatt
Ms. Tjarks
English 10 – 1A
18 February 2014
The Etymology of the Word “Nigger”
While reading the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the term “nigger” tends to constantly appear. The word first appears in chapter two when Huck says, “Miss Watson’s big nigger, named Jim, was setting in the kitchen door” (Twain 7). After that the term keeps reappearing all throughout the novel. As the novel unravels, it becomes apparent that Mark Twain is not using the term in an offensive manner. The term “nigger” has been around since at least 1619. The denotation of the term is a black person or a member of the dark-skinned race as in Webster’s Dictionary. Sometime during the 1800s the connotation of the term turned into something rather offensive. The term “nigger” is an alteration of the earlier term neger, from Middle French negre, from Spanish or Portuguese negro, from negro black and from Latin niger. The first known use of the term in the U.S. was in 1619 when John Rolfe, a British colonist, wrote a diary entry using the term to describe a boatful of newly arrived African slaves. The way Rolfe spelled “nigger”, “negar” was due to the “general lack of uniform literacy standards in the 17th century” (“The N-Word”). During this time, “nigger” solely meant a black person and was only used as a name for black people. As more time passed, the meaning developed into something else entirely. “Nigger” is closely associated with slavery and the mistreatment of African Americans. Slaves date back to a very long time ago. In the Slavery throughout History: Almanac, on page 2-3, the almanac says, “Historians believe it [slavery] happened around 10,000 years ago.” Slaves in that time were prisoners of war tamed like wild beasts. Then in 3500 B.C.E., a new form of slavery called debt slavery was used and often led to lifelong imprisonment (Sylvester 2-3). After that, the slave trade came along and humans were being shipped across the Atlantic Ocean producing an extreme amount of profit in the 18th and 19th centuries. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, on page 51 when Jim told Huck why he ran off, he told Huck that Miss Watson was going to sell him to New Orleans for eight hundred dollars. Eight hundred dollars was a lot of money in the 1800s and slaves were very valuable. Slaves were mainly used for labor and were treated very poorly. During the 1800s, white Americans “established a racist ‘hierarchy’ designed to suppress the advancement of African Americans” (“The N-Word”). Students were taught that whites were greater than blacks and scientists provided “proof” for how inferior the black race was. In order to dehumanize both free and enslaved blacks, whites used the term “nigger” to refer to blacks. Blacks began using racist slurs such as “nigger” to refer to each other in the 1820s. When Jim was talking about Jack in chapter 18, he said, “Dat Jack’s a good nigger…” (Twain 133). This shows that African Americans accepted the names that whites called them. In the mid-1800s, the Civil War broke out and ended in favor of the slaves. On page 117 in the Slavery throughout History: Biographies, the book says, “By the end of the Civil War around 3 million slaves had been freed”. Freedom was great for those who achieved it but freedom came with a price. Not all white Americans were enthusiastic about the abolition of slavery. The South was not willing to move towards equal rights and citizenship for the black population (Sylvester 218). Whites expressed their outrage by calling blacks “niggers.” This was when the term’s meaning changed from positive to negative. The term no longer went past specifically meaning a black person. “Nigger” became a form of racism and was used to hurt African Americans. There were even consumer goods using “nigger” in their names such as a line of canned seafood called “Nigger Head” and a brand of tobacco called “NiggerHair” (“The N-Word”). By the 20th century, some whites acknowledged that “nigger” was offensive to African Americans so they decided to use the less-offensive term “Negro” in place of “nigger.” However, “nigger” was still used by many Americans. The uses for the term went past being a name for a black person. The term became a word added to book titles, such as Ten Little Niggers written by Agatha Christie, to U.S. towns like Nigger Run Fork, VA and even became a “common pet name for darkly colored dogs and cats” (“The N-Word”). In the 1960s, African Americans tried to regain control over the term “nigger” by using it deliberately to arouse anger and regret in fellow Americans. But the only regret showing was regret from the black artists who overused the term. During the 1980s, rappers forced many Americans to once again stand up to the term “nigger.” In the late 1900s, “nigga” became the substitute term for “nigger” (“The N-Word”). Rappers argued that the two terms had different meanings and said “nigga” had a more positive connotation. Rappers believed the term was an expression of black pride, a personal term of endearment and that they could turn it into just another word, getting rid of its past powers of inflicting pain by continuously using it. Even though the 21st century has just begun, there has been and still is a lot of controversy over the term. Some critics say that there is no difference between “nigga” and “nigger” so neither should be used in any context. A couple of cities, such as New York City and Los Angeles, even tried to legally ban the term “nigger” but that type of law would be unconstitutional because of the first amendment. The cities were trying to make people more conscious about the harmful nature of the term. Entertainment critics said, “If the entertainment industry stopped using the n-word, then society as a whole might do so as well.” Even though a 2007 survey revealed that “nigger” is an “extremely offensive” term, some people still believe that the meaning has changed (“The N-Word”). But critics argue that “nigger” can never be truly innocent because of its harmful history. The NAACP held a symbolic burial for the term to try and show the world that it should no longer be in anyone’s vocabulary. When African Americans use the term, they are confusing white Americans because if one person says it why can’t everyone else? African Americans can use the term openly among themselves but when white Americans say it, it is unspeakable and racist. Those African Americans who use the term, “are unintentionally sabotaging themselves in the eyes of white America” (“The N-Word”). These African Americans are ignorant to the racial past of the term and do not realize what they are doing. In 2010, the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was released with the word slave instead of “nigger.” The novel has been criticized ever since it was published. The first true attack on the novel’s alleged racism was in the 1950s when many schools and libraries removed the book saying it was “racially offensive” (“Editing the Classics”). Even though Mark Twain’s intentions were pure, some people did not see it that way. Supporters said that editing the novel would allow more young people the opportunity to enjoy reading it. Critics believed that “changing the author’s words is tantamount to robbing that writer of authorship of his own work” (“Editing the Classics”). An author has reasons for choosing the words he uses so they should not be changed. Also, the word slave does not mean the same as “nigger” which means they cannot be switched. In 2011, a poll was taken to see the opinions on editing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Only 13% of the people surveyed supported editing the novel, while 77% opposed editing it (“Editing the Classics”). Since more people opposed the editing, more people approved of the novel exactly the way it was written.
Americans have been using the term “nigger” for almost 400 years. At first the term only meant a black person but later on it turned into a word mostly used by racists. Though the term is related to slavery, it was not specifically used to address slaves. White Americans used it to address all African Americans. In most cases, the term was and is used to inflict harm on African Americans. As time passed, whites realized their actions and tried to change by cutting the term out of their vocabulary. African Americans did not allow that to happen. Instead they brought the term “nigga” to life and told the world that it was different than the term “nigger.”

Works Cited
"Editing the Classics." Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 13 June 2011. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. .
"The N-Word." Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 27 Feb. 2009. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. .
“Nigger.” Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, 2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2014. .
Sylvester, Theodore L. Slavery throughout History: Almanac. Ed. Sonia Benson. Detroit: UXL, 2000. Print.
Sylvester, Theodore L. Slavery throughout History: Biographies. Ed. Peggy Saari. Detroit: UXL, 2000. Print.
Twain, Mark. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Related Readings. Ed. Literature Connections. Evanston: McDougal Littell Inc., 1997. 1-338. Print.