What's in a name?

How often does one use a derogatory phrase to describe a stranger, a celebrity _ even a friend? Often we use derogatory words on a regular basis and don't even realize it, as these words are commonplace.

University Professor Calvin Gidney gave a lecture entitled "What's wrong with the N-Word" to a standing-room only crowd before the Thanksgiving holiday that both asked the question "What is wrong with the N-Word?" and told the crowd "What is wrong with the N-word."

The speech was part lecture, part editorial and part performance. The performances came at two different points in the speech. First, Gidney used two other people in attendance to help him list off different terms used by and for African-Americans.

In a wide-scoping lecture, Gidney used linguistics to objectively look at the term "'nigger'" versus the term "'nigga.'" "Nigga," Gidney claimed, can be a euphemism, a positive term, and a dysphemism, depending on the context. "Hip-hop is leading a language change," he said. Gidney noted that since "nigga" is used so prominently in a music form listened to by many youths that the usage may be changing.

An anecdote from a trip to San Francisco to made Gidney's point. He described overhearing a conversation between two teenage boys, in which the two were using the word "'nigga'" back and forth. He assumed they were black until he turned around and found that one was Asian, and the other Hispanic. While he found this strange, Gidney emphasized two points to the audience. He made the audience repeat with him two principles of linguistics.

"There is no standard other than usage," was the first principle. When Gidney heard these teenagers, he found the usage to be interesting data rather than racist speech. He did not think that the kids thought about their words as being racist, and instead could have used the word "man" to mean the same thing. Some people believe that is possible to use a derogatory term without it being a reference to blacks, Gidney said.

According to Gidney, the second principle was that "all languages change over time; change is inevitable." This principle evoked a number of questions from the audience who felt that "nigger" and "nigga" might have too much history and power to become part of colloquial speech. Gidney, staying true to his principles, maintained that while these words might be different, they could still change.

He used the term "gypped" as an example of a word that has bad ethnic connotations that most people do not think about when they use it. The term "gypped" comes from Gypsies, who are often stereotyped as thieving peoples.

Sophomore Jarred Johnson was impressed with how well Gidney handled such a difficult topic.

"I think he was a brilliant, energetic speaker," Johnson said. "He did a really good job of sticking to the linguistic aspects of the topic which is hard when discussing a word with such a powerful history."

Polysemy, or when a word has two connotations, is a large part of any language. People are generally conscious of both meanings of a word and still use it in the non-charged way, Gidney said.

Another anecdote, this one from research he conducted in a junior high school in Cambridge, illustrated his point on polysemy.

When a student called math "gay," Gidney asked her what she meant by "gay." "When I say 'gay,' I don't mean gay gay," she said. "I just sort of mean, gay." The eloquent student was a perfect example of polysemy.

Junior Andrew Hara, who is teaching an Ex College class entitled, "The Multi-racial Experience," required his students to go to the lecture. Hara particularly liked Gidney's discussion of the term "people of color."

Gidney said that he did not like the term "people of color," because it lets "colorless white people sleep soundly."

"The only thing that puts people in the group 'people of color' is that they lack white-privilege," Gidney said.

Gidney's discussion of the term 'people of color' tied in directly with the ongoing discussion of white-privilege in Hara's class. "The discussion of the term highlighted the effects that power structures have on language," Hara said. Gidney advocated the term "non-white," so as not to forget the real reason the groups are tied together.

The talk was part of the Black Culture Seminar Series, which is in its sixth year of existence. The lecture series consists of four to five lecturers per year, either from Tufts or another university. Funding for this lecture series comes from Arts and Sciences Diversity Funding.

Provost Jamshed Bharucha introduced Professor Gidney, who is a professor in the Child Development department and who specializes in linguistics. "[Gidney] is a great ambassador for Tufts," Bharucha said.