What Are The Variants Of The N-Word?

This essay will argue that it is acceptable for those of African American heritage to use variants of the N-word , despite the general existing societal ban. After explaining the theory behind how words acquire meaning and the historical meaning of the term, the argument will proceed in two stages. First, the essay will argue that the history of the term is inherently tied with the African American identity in such a way that is unique and highlights the struggles of the African American peoples throughout history and to the present day. Second, the essay will argue that such group specific meaning can only be subverted by in-group members to bring positive change. Current uses of the term's variants will be analysed to determine the nature of their use today to achieve this positive change. It will therefore be concluded that limiting the use of the N-word (and subsequent variants) to African American people is justified.

The N-word is a heavily-loaded term in American culture. The Merriam-Webster On-line Collegiate Dictionary (MWOCD; n.d.) entry for the term notes that it " now ranks as perhaps the most offensive and inflammatory racial slur in English". It is strange, therefore, that there has been difficulty in
Each word is linked with concepts and ideas. These concepts and ideas take form from the way language is used in communication. Communication itself is the "practice of producing meanings, and the ways in which systems of meaning are negotiated by participants in a culture"(Schirato, T. & Yell, S. 2000). In turn, culture is best understood as the matrix of meaning formed by communication. The understanding of how to navigate the cultural matrix and mould its structure is defined as cultural literacy (Schirato, T. & Yell, S. 2000). Thus a word is more than its dictionary definition. The definition is perhaps a frame to a painting, but the way a word is used in communication gives it