Randall Kennedy

The word you're referring to is nigger.

The book that you're referring to is nigger, the strange career of a troublesome word.

The word dates back to the 16th, 17th century.

It's got a long lineage, in other words.

Basically...

Latin, basically Spanish, basically N-I-G, you know, black in various formulations.

We don't know actually how the term nigger became a slur.

So there were words that were close to N-I-G-G-E-R that were used in various ways.

For instance, N-I-G-G-U-H was used.

N-I-G-G-U-R is used.

And sometimes it was used in a way that seemed to be just purely descriptive.

We do know that by the early 19th century, it had become a slur.

It had become a derogatory word about which people complained.

But exactly how that came about, not altogether clear.

This book has generated a lot of controversy.

I thought it would.

It's probably generated more controversy than I anticipated.

It has certainly generated more...

more different sorts of experiences than I had anticipated.

So for instance, I did not think that writing this book would prompt people to ask me to be an expert witness in cases.