This is just too crazy. Bizarre.
This is just too crazy. Bizarre.
Reminds me of the DC city councilor who used the word "niggardly".
That is mentioned in one article I read.
"Greg Patton is a professor of clinical business communication at the University of Southern California. During a recent virtual classroom session, he was discussing public speaking patterns and the filler words that people use to space out their ideas: um, er, etc. Patton mentioned that the Chinese often use a word that is pronounced like nega.
"In China the common word is 'that, that that that,' so in China it might be 'nega, nega, nega, nega,'" Patton explained to his class. "So there's different words you'll hear in different cultures, but they're vocal disfluencies."
Those poor children. I hope they can somehow recover from this terrible trauma.
We’ve raised an entire generation of people who are itching to be “offended” so that they can bask in their righteousness. Disgusting.
I've been in China and it is jarring to hear that being said and you hear it all the time because of how it is used in their language. I thought professors were smart? This guy sure doesn't seem very socially aware, no reason for him to use this as an example.
haha YOYO wrote:
I've been in China and it is jarring to hear that being said and you hear it all the time because of how it is used in their language. I thought professors were smart? This guy sure doesn't seem very socially aware, no reason for him to use this as an example.
It's probably pretty relevant if you're doing business in China.
huh what wrote:
haha YOYO wrote:
I've been in China and it is jarring to hear that being said and you hear it all the time because of how it is used in their language. I thought professors were smart? This guy sure doesn't seem very socially aware, no reason for him to use this as an example.
It's probably pretty relevant if you're doing business in China.
It's very relevant if the guy is teaching Chinese language, if that was the case I would fully agree with this being a complete overreaction. He's not though...
huh what wrote:
"In China the common word is 'that, that that that,' so in China it might be 'nega, nega, nega, nega,'" Patton explained to his class. "So there's different words you'll hear in different cultures, but they're vocal disfluencies."
.
Disfluency. Like, uhm, ya know, I like learned something, uhm, new today.
If he butchered the pronunciation then he should be forced to retake Mandarin classes. It sounds phonetically like NAYga but I've heard many non native Chinese absolutely mangle the pronunciation. I took Mandarin 1 and 2 in the states and HK. However it would take a concerted effort or to be linguistically challenged for someone to butcher it to the point of sounding like the N word.
The other way to pronounce it is NAH ge. Again nothing like the other word. He has to be linguistically challenged to project that Chinese word to be mistaken for another word. Or he tried to slip one past the goalie and got caught. I've never heard a non Chinese speaker say it like that when I was in HK and in mainland China.
One of my best friends in high school was Chinese, first time I went to his house and heard him say that word over and over again to his mom made me feel a bit weird, lol. And he definitely pronounced it NUH-ga
I have a colleague from Anhui province who says it a lot like "n_gga". No idea if that's the local accent or his voice. I've heard some mainland folks working in Guangdong also say it like that.
I wasn't in the room at USC, but either the students need to grow up or the prof was being super weird about it. Maybe both. Either is plausible.
Yes, the words can sound quite similar, especially when you say it fast. As the professor said, it is used a a filler word... like "ummmmm..." and often spoken rapidly in succession to fill the space when someone is trying to think of a word or something in conversation. I've been in Taiwan for 30 years but the connection to the N word never occurred to me. Anyway, the person from USC who wrote the statement also needs to be suspended for suggesting that they would support
any student, faculty, or staff member who requests ass
Why they have chosen to sexualize this situation is beyond me. And then the confession about establishing a pseudo religion:
committed to building a cult
Clearly inappropriate.
haha YOYO wrote:
I've been in China and it is jarring to hear that being said and you hear it all the time because of how it is used in their language. I thought professors were smart? This guy sure doesn't seem very socially aware, no reason for him to use this as an example.
What? That is a very common Chinese expression. I never even related it to the so-called "N-word" (which rappers say about a gazillion times in a song) until opening this thread and never before thought it would offend someone. I still find it hard to believe someone would draw offense from this.
Maybe regional dialects and accents come to play but I've taken standard Beijing Mandarin and it's definitely not close to that pronunciation. If someone said it fast and in succession it may sound more like that but still rather odd.
huh what wrote:
Those poor children. I hope they can somehow recover from this terrible trauma.
Thankfully we don't have to worry about that, the university will be offering therapy to traumatized students:
USC is now "offering supportive measures to any student, faculty, or staff member who requests assistance." The school is "committed to building a culture of respect and dignity where all members of our community can feel safe, supported, and can thrive."
Even so... isn't it all so arbitrary?
These students thought that Chinese word sounded close enough to get a guy suspended. But what about the word
bigger?
It's damn close. Does that get anyone's
knickers
in a twist, as they say?
The whole idea that certain syllables are inherently offensive is NUTS.
I can say
cluck
buck
duck
funk
but not
f uck?
I can say:
push it
in mixed company, bit if I leave out the pu, I've said something naughty?
How can you guys live like this?
Ignorance is bliss. wrote:
Reminds me of the DC city councilor who used the word "niggardly".
How many people use the word niggardly?
That guy either knew what he was doing or is just a dummy.
He did retain his job however.
Meanwhile, while people are getting bent out of shape about pronunciation, cops continue to kill black people with little to no repercussions.