Date:  Mon, 31 Oct 1994 00:03:34 CST

From:  "Donald M. Lance" <ENGDL[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MIZZOU1.BITNET>

Subject: Re: offending idioms



Charles Juengling claimed that "Neger" has "absolutely no negative connotations

whatsoever." When I was in Germany in 1978-79, I was told (more than once)

of a gaffe committed by a particularly klutzy President of BRD who was

giving a speech in some former German colony in Africa and began his

address with "Meine Damen und Herren, Liebe Neger,...." The teller of this

tale said no more than these words, then rolled his/her eyes and sighed.

Could Herr Juengling be misinformed about the way Germans actually use this

term?

One of the nagging little questions that has occurred to me from time to time

is to wonder about 'Negro' coming from Spanish and 'n---' from the French

form 'neger'. A good research project for someone; I'm frying other fish for

a while.    DMLance