Re: pc-manmonth - I had to say it

[Fred Randall <frandall -at- SOMAT -dot- COM>]

At 12:30 AM 4/29/99 EDT, Pamela Jasper <JISCorp -at- AOL -dot- COM> wrote:
> To quote Steve:
>>Ah, I see. We shoudn't be niggardly (oops, is that a bad word) in our
>>affection for our readers, is that it?
--- [ snip ] ---
>I feel safe in saying
>that if any technical writer/employee wrote a document of any sort that
>contained the word "niggardly" that this CEO became aware of, that person
>would sooner or later regret it.

For the edification of those who may not have followed the brouhaha
regarding the mayor's aide who used the word "niggardly" in a report: From
The American Heritage College Dictionary, 3rd Ed.:
     NIGGARD n. A stingy, grasping person; a miser.--adj. Stingy, miserly.
     NIGGARDLY adj. I. Grudging and petty in giving or spending. 2. Mean,
          small; scanty or meager.
The next word in the dictionary is the offensive racial epithet that
apparently many people think the above words are related to. The above
words are based on the Scandinavian word "nig" meaning a stingy person.

Ms. Jasper raises a legitimate concern about how persons may perceive a
word, and in doing so be offend based on that perception. But persons who
complain or demand retribution based on such a perceived offense (such as
the African Americans on the city council and elsewhere who complained
about the aide using "niggardly" and demanded he be fired) make themselves
liable to be seen as overy sensitive and seeing something that isn't there.
It is better that they research the word's etyology as well as what it
denotes and connotes,  not base their perception only on the sound or
spelling of the word, and pass on to other persons what they have learned.

I suggest that if one uses a word which may be perceived as offensive, that
a definition of the word be provided, say as a footnote or parethetical
comment. Then the reader will be educated as to what the word denotes; the
connotation--aye, there's the rub....


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Frederick W. Randall
Technical Communicator
SoMat Corp., Urbana, Illinois U.S.A.
Voice:  217-328-5359
Fax:  217-328-6576
"Meet on the Level, Act by the Plumb, Part upon the Square"

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