• foggy@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    There’s an alternate pronunciation and spelling of the word snickering. Same sentiment applies.

    • PatMustard@feddit.uk
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      1 year ago

      Snickering”, as far as I can tell is just the American version of “sniggering”. I can’t track down the etymology of the split and so I can’t see any huge mentions of “it sounded a bit racist so we changed it” but I guess it seems plausible given things like “titbit” being changed to “tidbit”.

      While someone saying “niggardly” is a bit suspicious given that it’s a pretty archaic word that most people haven’t even heard of, “sniggering” is a pretty normal word to use in Britain. I imagine if some racist wants to start using it as a bit of coded bigotry they could, American-branded homophobia has already ruined the word “fags” to describe your cigs!

    • Deceptichum@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Is the issue that it sounds like an American origin racist word?

      Should Spanish people also change their word for black because of youse?

      • Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        Wait until they hear about the countries and people of Montenegro… or Niger… or Nigeria. I count myself as an honorary Welsh person. Nice harmless word - until you look into it and discover that it is at best a bad term. Should I go to war against anyone that uses the verb “welch” for all the negative connotations it has for my adopted people?

      • Ignotum@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Get away with it? Is there something wrong with that word? Doesn’t it just mean like giggling or something?

        • Chill Dude 69@lemmynsfw.comOP
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          1 year ago

          Well, yeah, it does just mean giggling. And, in all honesty, I’ve never actually seen anyone get roasted for using that word.

          Niggardly is a whole different thing, though. Ain’t no reason to use that shit.