Talk:Controversies about the word niggardly

Resignation
Was he forced to resign, or did he offer to resign? I sort of thought it was the latter. -R. fiend 1 July 2005 15:41 (UTC)

Old Norse etymology
I corrected the etymology, going by this book. Previously we had misrepresented "niggla" as an Old Norse word, but that is instead a more modern Scandinavian version of the Old Norse "hnǫggr". This is the previously cited source that I removed:  , it may still contain some valuable information if someone has access to it even though the etymology was a bit off. --213.220.68.114 (talk) 12:21, 2 July 2019 (UTC)


 * That's not quite precise, either. The modern word is nigla 'to be stingy', specifically Norwegian, and probably the source of English (to) niggle. The Old Norse word is hnøggr and descends from Proto-Germanic *hnawwa-. It's not really clear how nigla (which is evidently not Old Norse because it would have to start in hn- then, if it related to hnøggr, that is) could be a derivation from hnøggr < *hnawwa-; it could (perhaps) only derive from an (unattested) Old Norse reflex of the Proto-Germanic verb *hnewwana-, with an -e- in the root. Unless, of course, hnøggr with its unexpected ø is instead itself a descendant from a Proto-Germanic adjective *hnewwa- with -e- rather than -a-; in dialects without the w-umlaut, it could have been **hniggr, and from a stem **(h)nigg-, a derivation like Modern Norwegian nigla is plausible indeed. --Florian Blaschke (talk) 17:35, 8 July 2019 (UTC)

Once again the word trips someone up, but the problem identified was that he went on to use that other word, several times
Should this be included? At first I thought it was his anachronistic explanation of Shakespearean language, a mistake an English teacher should be expected to not make, but apparently what a student and parents took offense at was that he went on to use the other word, multiple times.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/08/30/an-english-teacher-who-misexplained-niggardly-now-faces-hearing-keep-his-job/


 * It all started last school year during a class reading of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”


 * A student stumbled upon a line in the play that included the word “niggardly”. [Teacher Jim] Quinlisk paused the reading and started a class discussion about the word.... He told them “niggard” is related to the racial slur, and he allegedly said the n-word multiple times during the discussion.

It's not clear whether the kerfuffle is only due to the use of the racial epithet, although that only happened because of the teacher's response to the word "niggardly"


 * One student in the class, referred to as “student A”, and her mother complained to the school assistant principal. The student said she was uncomfortable and didn’t want to be in Quinlisk’s class anymore. The assistant principal testified and said the student was removed from the class. She also said no other students complained about the incident.

Or whether the teacher's doctrinal mistake, as the definition of the word was also addressed in the hearing on possible discipline/response:


 * A professor from St. John Fisher College testified, and said the word does not have the same roots. She said Quinlisk taught it wrong.

https://www.rochesterfirst.com/news/local-news/brighton-teacher-accused-of-using-racial-slur-in-class/

Also, the WashPo article says: "In 2012, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) was met with online controversy when he used the word on MSNBC to describe his fellow Congress members and their spending habits on veterans." Haven't had a chance to check up on that one. Ileanadu (talk) 02:44, 5 September 2019 (UTC)

Dick Cavett interviewing Muhammad Ali
Dick Cavett used the term and got a playful angry reaction from Ali while interviewing him in 1974. --rogerd (talk) 20:12, 30 December 2019 (UTC)

Original Research
Unless we include a reputable source that refers to this subject as a whole - that the word use is now highly controversial owing to these incidents - I would be inclined to view this article as violating WP:OR.

I.am.a.qwerty (talk) 21:56, 6 February 2020 (UTC)


 * It's not claimed that the use of niggardly is controversial because of these incidents; the article simply documents controversies that occurred surrounding specific uses of the word. –Deacon Vorbis (carbon &bull; videos) 22:25, 6 February 2020 (UTC)

Edit request: Hatnote
A hatnote should be added to handle the other n-word term, as redirects here. This term is editfiltered, so someone with extended rights would need to add this hatnote. Please add:

You will note, that this can't even be properly spelled/requested, because of the edit filter. You will need to remove the spaces for the 6-letter word to make it work properly.

-- 65.94.170.207 (talk) 21:20, 18 April 2020 (UTC)


 * ❌. A hatnote wouldn't be helpful here. –Deacon Vorbis (carbon &bull; videos) 01:30, 19 April 2020 (UTC)
 * A lot of the article is about that very confusion. If that is so, then, it is obvious that there be a hatnoe -- 65.94.170.207 (talk) 04:18, 19 April 2020 (UTC)

I oppose a hatnote. If they got here by mistake there are links in the first paragraph that could get them on track. Richard-of-Earth (talk) 06:02, 20 April 2020 (UTC)

NPOV concerns
An off-wiki friend who is active in anti-racist work feels that this article fails WP:NPOV, and that its tone is, "OMG, those poor people who just used a cromulent old word, or stumbled across it in Shakespeare." Comments? -- Orange Mike &#124;  Talk  18:42, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
 * Does your friend have any specific recommendations or suggestions? I don't see a lack of neutral representation of the sources, so it would be helpful if they could point out where we fail to do so. Schazjmd   (talk)  18:51, 15 April 2021 (UTC)
 * A person is reported, second hand, to find an article does not have adequately WP:NPOV. That not automatically require a change in the article. A specific response could be considered if a specific point was cited. Wikipedia never has and never will never please everybody on the matter of neutrality. I am offended by the tone of some articles, but find that my opinion is dismissed. On we go... Pete unseth (talk) 14:46, 13 January 2022 (UTC)

Logical debating
Seems like this may need to be settled through debate. do not commit fallacies or bias and keep it civil! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Random kid who likes science (talk • contribs) 15:31, 25 May 2022 (UTC)

red herring
are people FEIGNING confusion here? the word is impossible to mistake for the N-word...BECAUSE OF THE -LY SUFFIX. the real issue should be over confusion and/or offense caused by the NOUN, "niggard".

all of the people who insist upon their right to use niggardly (myself included) might still hesitate on the noun form. i cannot imagine calling a black mayor or a black shopkeeper or a black waitress "a niggard" under any circumstances. w/e incidents there have been to date would be 100-fold in intensity were we talking about the noun here.

article should be moved to "Controversies_about_the_word_niggard", frankly. the "-ly" suffix renders the whole discussion moot. 2601:19C:527F:A680:4DB4:D125:F981:AEAD (talk) 21:57, 16 June 2022 (UTC)


 * So do you have a citation for anyone using the noun "niggard" this century? [The last example of use of the noun form at Wiktionary is from 1955]. Or anyone being offended by its use? All the references in the article are to objections to use of the adjective – either through mishearing or misunderstanding. Because if you don't, please see wp:Wikipedia is not a forum for your personal opinions. --John Maynard Friedman (talk) 23:05, 16 June 2022 (UTC)


 * i don't see "dated" or "archaic" or anything similar in the entry u link, and, in fact, it makes the very POINT at core here -- that the NOUN is the very form which could be legitimately confused.
 * if u wish to quash said issue, don't go quoting evidence to SUPPORT me!! :o
 * and why is this even a question? a capital B is oft confused for the number 8; is it ever confused for the numbers "18" or "82"?!  apples to apples, man! 2601:19C:527F:A680:4DB4:D125:F981:AEAD (talk) 23:44, 16 June 2022 (UTC)
 * I didn't seek to [s]quash the issue on the grounds that the noun might be archaic but specifically that there is no evidence that any notable person has used it and has been reported by wp:reliable sources as having been called out for doing so.
 * Perhaps it could happen but there is no evidence that it has and we don't speculate in articles about what might happen. The article reports the fact that people did take offence at the adjective being used and did not back down when their error was pointed out. I might privately speculate that they might well have wondered why the speaker did not choose the more obvious word "miserly", but my speculations don't belong on Wikipedia so I don't put it there. The same goes for your speculations: this is not a forum. --John Maynard Friedman (talk) 23:52, 16 June 2022 (UTC)
 * these people that are claiming to be offended, are they implying the -ly is silent? or do they seriously think the speakers intended "n*ggerly"?  u want ARCHAIC!
 * rather than the laughable claim of "phonetic similarity" between niggardly and the N-word (really a stretch), how about saying "phonetic similarity of the word's root" to the N-word?
 * i would "be bold" and fix it, but i anticipate flak. so i propose it here. 2601:19C:527F:A680:4DB4:D125:F981:AEAD (talk)
 * If you can fix it without violating policies WP:no original research and WP: synthesis, go right ahead.
 * In all honesty, this topic is borderline trivia. I guess it must have been significant in the context of US culture wars and Twitter storms but in the real world it is a total non-event. I for one don't intend to spend any more time on it. --John Maynard Friedman (talk) 12:39, 17 June 2022 (UTC)

"Niggard (14th C) is derived from the Middle English word nigon, which is probably derived from Old Norse hnǫggr and Old English hnēaw." Okay, but what did those words mean? Very important, especially since the citation is behind a paywall. Polar Apposite (talk) 20:33, 1 August 2023 (UTC)
 * Stingy, all of them. See niggard. Richard-of-Earth (talk) 04:00, 2 August 2023 (UTC)

Exact meaning of niggardly
Fun fact about english, and all languages, every single word has an exact unique meaning. A niggardly person isn't just "stingy" in general, but to be very specific to be niggardly means you give the absolute minimum required and not one iota more. As compared to a stingy person who is hesitant to give anything at all or a miser who gives little because he wants to have a lot. 67.177.112.52 (talk) 05:51, 1 November 2023 (UTC)


 * "Every single word has an exact unique meaning": obvious nonsense. I planted a rose. She rose from her chair. You seem to have invented your definition of "niggardly" too: I see your distinction in no published dictionary. 2A00:23C5:FE56:6C01:5C4B:B84D:3215:24D9 (talk) 17:53, 9 November 2023 (UTC)
 * I mean that's a very bad example. Two words spelled the same can still be different words. Not saying you're wrong, but I'd have chosen a better example. 24.63.3.107 (talk) 17:02, 25 June 2024 (UTC)