Professor suspended for using Chinese word that is homophone for slur

Quid est Veritas? · Sep 11, 2020

Simple Chinese word sparks racial sensitivity debate

So this professor used a Chinese word that is a homophone of a racial slur, and gets suspended for it. The context was in a discussion on language, so this has nothing in any way, shape, or form, to do with the slur. Essentially, we are criminilising the very act of putting two specific syllables next to each other, regardless of intent or context?

What silliness is this? Are we to outlaw words like niggardly, or must pause for a sufficient length of time in a sentence where they fall together, such as in Daphne gargles, in case someone is offended by those specific sounds being allowed to coexist?

Even more, I wholeheartedly agree with the Chinese who are saying this is racist or imperialist itself, as if the perceptions of a sub-group of Americans outweigh the very structure and morphology of their native tongues.

Aussie Pete · Sep 11, 2020

Quid est Veritas? said:
Simple Chinese word sparks racial sensitivity debate

So this professor used a Chinese word that is a homophone of a racial slur, and gets suspended for it. The context was in a discussion on language, so this has nothing in any way, shape, or form, to do with the slur. Essentially, we are criminilising the very act of putting two specific syllables next to each other, regardless of intent or context?

What silliness is this? Are we to outlaw words like niggardly, or must pause for a sufficient length of time in a sentence where they fall together, such as in Daphne gargles, in case someone is offended by those specific sounds being allowed to coexist?

Even more, I wholeheartedly agree with the Chinese who are saying this is racist or imperialist itself, as if the perceptions of a sub-group of Americans outweigh the very structure and morphology of their native tongues.

The lunatics are running the asylum. Who needs to live in North Korea when you can be dictated to by PC nut jobs? At least he was only suspended and not executed.

Tom 1 · Sep 11, 2020

Quid est Veritas? said:
Simple Chinese word sparks racial sensitivity debate

So this professor used a Chinese word that is a homophone of a racial slur, and gets suspended for it. The context was in a discussion on language, so this has nothing in any way, shape, or form, to do with the slur. Essentially, we are criminilising the very act of putting two specific syllables next to each other, regardless of intent or context?

What silliness is this? Are we to outlaw words like niggardly, or must pause for a sufficient length of time in a sentence where they fall together, such as in Daphne gargles, in case someone is offended by those specific sounds being allowed to coexist?

Even more, I wholeheartedly agree with the Chinese who are saying this is racist or imperialist itself, as if the perceptions of a sub-group of Americans outweigh the very structure and morphology of their native tongues.

Sooner or later there has to be a way of moving on from this kind of thing. Training young people to hijack every appearance of some sort of possible reference to racism is a bit daft.

ViaCrucis · Sep 11, 2020

Hopefully it gets sorted out.

My suspicion is that this was a hasty move done largely to avoid negative attention. Tensions are high here in the US. And so my suspicion is that the school acted in such a way that would avoid controversy (which, obviously didn't work) probably with the idea that this could get smoothed over through conversation.

I'm obviously speculating, but that would be my guess.

The alternative likely would have also potentially resulted in controversy and its own messiness. But I hope that reason and rational discourse can clear these things up, and the professor can get his position back.

-CryptoLutheran

Tinker Grey · Sep 11, 2020

I took about a year of Chinese, Beijing dialect. Na ge, 'enunciated', does not sound like the n-word--at least not in that dialect.

Nithavela · Sep 11, 2020

Tinker Grey said:
I took about a year of Chinese, Beijing dialect. Na ge, 'enunciated', does not sound like the n-word--at least not in that dialect.

Apparently there are dialects where it DOES sound like the n-word, or at least reasonably similiar.

essentialsaltes · Sep 11, 2020

University of Spoiled Children

(Go Bruins!)

Aryeh Jay · Sep 11, 2020

No surprise at all. I see people get upset in the Hispanic food aisle when they encounter the Spanish word for “Black Beans”.

SummerMadness · Sep 11, 2020

Ridiculous.

Tinker Grey said:
I took about a year of Chinese, Beijing dialect. Na ge, 'enunciated', does not sound like the n-word--at least not in that dialect.

It doesn't sound like a racial slur at all, the enunciation is more like Nay-Gah.

Hopefully, this gets sorted out.

The IbanezerScrooge · Sep 11, 2020

I passed a restaurant in my town yesterday that I had never seen before. It was called Cafe' Bich Nga. It is Vietnamese. I made no attempt to pronounce it.

Pommer · Sep 11, 2020

Didn’t we do this one already...about a week ago?

SoldierOfTheKing · Sep 12, 2020

The IbanezerScrooge said:
I passed a restaurant in my town yesterday that I had never seen before. It was called Cafe' Bich Nga. It is Vietnamese. I made no attempt to pronounce it.

I believe it’s pronounced “bick naw”

IceJad · Sep 14, 2020

Tinker Grey said:
I took about a year of Chinese, Beijing dialect. Na ge, 'enunciated', does not sound like the n-word--at least not in that dialect.

It's more like Ni-i Ke. Translate: this one.

Like: Ni-i ke ser sem mo ah?

This one, what is it?

Tinker Grey · Sep 14, 2020

IceJad said:
It's more like Ni-i Ke. Translate: this one.

Like: Ni-i ke ser sem mo ah?

This one, what is it?

I wasn't taught a 'pause word'. But the pinyin pronunciation for that would be something like "Nah Guh" ... at least in Beijing dialect. The Na as in the English notch. The Guh as in giving someone guff.

Hey @InterestedAtheist, you live in China, right? Thoughts?

Quid est Veritas? · Sep 14, 2020

There is a very wide array of pronunciation within the dialect continua of the various Chinese languages. Certainly in some this word sounds different, but clearly it is a homophone of the slur in others - as the article notes friction with Chinese players in the NBA and fights around it having broken out when tourists heard the word. I also recall a stand-up comedian that once mentioned this, too. Fact remains that context and intent matter, as ultimately words are merely sounds meant to signify.

durangodawood · Sep 14, 2020

Quid est Veritas? said:
....as ultimately words are merely sounds meant to signify.

Hmm...

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made ....The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

— John 1:1-3, 14 (NIV)

Now I might just be a confused non believer. But it sounds like the word in this case is more than a signifier.

Quid est Veritas? · Sep 14, 2020

durangodawood said:
Hmm...

— John 1:1-3, 14 (NIV)

Now I might just be a confused non believer. But it sounds like the word in this case is more than a signifier.

Yes, you are. The specific sounds don't matter - the concept does, whether called the Logos, the Word, die Woord, etc.

durangodawood · Sep 14, 2020

Quid est Veritas? said:
Yes, you are. The specific sounds don't matter - the concept does, whether called the Logos, the Word, die Woord, etc.

If He's the concept, then John shouldnt have made such a distinct point about saying He's the word. In fact he should have made effort to say the opposite. "No Word" or something like that.... because, as you noted, the word is the signifier, not the thing itself.

Trogdor the Burninator · Sep 14, 2020

It gets more confusing as some people use Nèi ge instead of nà ge for the same word (那个) - that

And yes, this whole thing is stupid. I'd suggest that it's the Dean who needs to be suspended. Perhaps he, along with the students who complained, could use their new found spare time to take a trip to China and learn that the rest of the world is not America, nor do they speak like Americans.

IceJad · Sep 14, 2020

Tinker Grey said:
I wasn't taught a 'pause word'. But the pinyin pronunciation for that would be something like "Nah Guh" ... at least in Beijing dialect. The Na as in the English notch. The Guh as in giving someone guff.

Hey @InterestedAtheist, you live in China, right? Thoughts?

I don't blame you, because mandarin is pronounce differently in different region of the world. And although there is Chinese writing there is no Chinese spoken language. It is all dialects, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien, Teo Chew and etc. Each dialect speaker will pronounce Mandarin to the closest intonation of their mother dialect.

Like English got Victorian, Cockney, Scottish, Aussie, Manglish, Singlish and etc accents

Professor suspended for using Chinese word that is homophone for slur

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