Dave Shepherd and Howard Chang welcome a voicemail on the Nerd Number from Hillary Israeli, on modern Hebrew as an invented language. (2:06)
Dave and Howard discuss racial labels and epithets, and the boundaries of acceptability. (4:35)
Music bumper from “Nada” by Jaime Beauchamp (16:24)
Race and identity: what is “race”? (17:01)
Song: “Black Madonna,” by Sophia Ramos (25:54)
Rude word of the week: “halfbreed” (29:06)
Music bumper from “Meant to Be” by Rob Costlow (31:52)
Race, ethnicity, and diversity in American English (32:29)
The legal language of race and ethnicity (33:43)
Ethnic labels as names for sports teams (35:00)
Music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network
Theme music by Kick the Cat
Closing music from “Grapes” by Evan Stone
time: 39:57
size: 27.4 Mb
rating: R (We explore many aspects of race and speech, including many of the most hurtful and belittling racial epithets in modern American English.)
Could the reason that ‘redneck’ is more acceptable than the n-word (to take two examples) be that a ‘redneck’ will only be used to refer to someone who maybe has done something to deserve the label, whereas ‘people of colour’ (barring Michael Jackson) do not choose to be ‘of colour’.
Essentially, ‘redneck’ is based on behaviour (which people can change) whereas the n-word is based on someone’s colour (which (most) people are unable to choose).
I apologise if I’ve said anything insulting, it is not intended.
I’d have to call Modern Hebrew a revitalized language. Not an invented langauge.
I am ethnically half Irish and half Japanese, living in Hawaii, where it is typical to have ethnic combinations like this. On a recent trip to Rhode Island someone referred to me as “half regular/half japanese”….I thought that was funny and very telling. At least they didn’t say “half normal”!