neger
English
Danish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈneːjɐ]
Noun
neger c (singular definite negeren, plural indefinite negre)
- (derogatory, now offensive) a dark-skinned person, especially a person of, or primarily of, Negro descent
- a ghostwriter
Usage notes
The term neger is not quite as offensive as English nigger, but is now generally considered offensive by most people; in its place, the term sort (“black”) is preferred.
Declension
or
Synonyms
Further reading
neger on the Danish Wikipedia.Wikipedia da
Dutch
Etymology
From earlier negro (“black person”) or from French nègre (“black person”), from Spanish negro (“black person”), from Latin niger (“black”), of uncertain origin but possibly from Proto-Indo-European *nókʷts (“night”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈneː.ɣər/
Audio (file) - Hyphenation: ne‧ger
- Rhymes: -eːɣər
Usage notes
- The word is not to be confused with the (etymologically related) Dutch word nikker, which is a term similar in meaning and offensiveness to English nigger.
- For many speakers in Belgium and the Netherlands it is a neutral albeit mainly colloquial way to refer to someone with a dark skin colour. Historically, the word was also used in formal registers, including in newspapers and literary works, but such use has become rare by the early 21st century.
- In Suriname, the word is a derogatory term, except when used in the compounds bosneger and stadsneger.[1]
- In the Benelux, since about 2010, neger is increasingly considered to be hurtful, condescending and/or discriminatory, especially by black people, due to the offensiveness of the etymologically related English nigger and Negro.[2][3][4] Prescriptivists may equate its offensiveness with that of nigger.
- There is evidence that at least some black speakers have reappropriated the word.[5][6]
- The synonyms zwarte, zwarte persoon/man/vrouw, or persoon/man/vrouw met Afrikaanse roots[7] can be used as neutral alternatives in all geographies and circumstances. There is also some use of the neologistic prefix Afro-, which is used similarly to English African-. It can be added as a prefix to any nationality or ethnicity to indicate African roots; for example: Afro-Nederlander (African-Dutchman), Afro-Belg (African-Belgian) and Afro-Vlaming (African-Fleming). These are neutral alternatives in all circumstances.
Synonyms
Derived terms
- bosneger
- dobberneger
- dresneger
- excuusneger
- negeren
- Negerengels
- negerin
- negerslaaf
- negerstam
- negerzoen
- nepneger
- stadsneger
Related terms
- negroïde
References
- van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “neger”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute
- "neger", in Van Dale (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- "zwarte / neger / negerin", in www.taaltelefoon.be (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- "neger", in VRT Taal (in Dutch). Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- Idee profielwerkstuk Meertens Instituut, Negers en nepnegers, beknopte handleiding voor een profielwerkstuk (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- Mathilde Jansen, "Het N-woord: scheldwoord of geuzennaam?",
- "neger", in VRT Taal (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 June 2021.
German
See also
- Neger
- Negerant
Latin
Norwegian Bokmål
Noun
neger m (definite singular negeren, indefinite plural negere or negre or negrer, definite plural negerne or negrene)
- a Negro (sometimes derogatory and offensive)
References
- “neger” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Noun
neger m (definite singular negeren, indefinite plural negrar, definite plural negrane)
- a Negro (sometimes derogatory and offensive)
References
- “neger” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Slovak
Further reading
- “neger”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2024
Swedish
Etymology
From French nègre, from Spanish negro, from Latin niger (“black”). The offensive connotation is calqued from the corresponding use of English nigger.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈneːɡɛr/
- Rhymes: -¹eːɡɛr
- Hyphenation: ne‧ger
Usage notes
- Has undergone a similar development to English negro. Newspapers abandoned the word in the 1970s, in favor of terms like svart (“black”), färgad (“colored”) (now often considered derogatory), and afrikan (“African”). Sometimes used in a more-or-less neutral way by old people.
- The pluralization with -ar, although attested as early as 1756,[1] is less common and omitted from several dictionaries.
Declension
Declension of neger | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | neger | negern | negrer | negrerna |
Genitive | negers | negerns | negrers | negrernas |
Declension of neger | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | neger | negern | negrar | negrarna |
Genitive | negers | negerns | negrars | negrarnas |
Descendants
- → Finnish: neekeri