A nigger in the woodpile? A racist incident on a South African University campus

Abstract

This case study starts by providing a brief background description of the shock value of swearwords and derogatory terms before moving to a more focused discussion of the social and psycholinguistic features associated with their use. After a brief overview of the history of highly-charged taboo words referring to black African people in South Africa, the paper then discusses the repercussions of a recent and much-publicised racist incident on a South African campus in which the word ‘nigger’ was used by a white student against a black staff member and his family. Finally, some suggestions are made regarding directions for future research. Key words: Nigger, taboo, racism, expletives, South Africa.

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