The N word.

[Combwork]

OK, I know this is edgy and I mean no insult to anyone, but has nigger always been seen as an insulting word? Mark Twain was an educated man, and used it a lot in his stories about life on the Mississippi, most notably "The Adventurers of Tom Sawyer" and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", yet in one of these books he describes Jim the nigger as "the finest man he had ever met". Reprints of both books have changed the N word to black man.

If a learned man did not consider it a term of abuse then, when did it become one? In 1939 Agatha Christie wrote a book called "10 little niggers". In England in 1939 it was just a line in a nursery rhyme; I doubt very much that she saw it as insulting. When the book was re-published, the title was changed to "10 little Indians". If it's printed again, what can they call it that wouldn't be seen as insulting to someone?

I'm curious about the use of words and how they change. In 18th century London a lot of lanes and alleyways, especially round the docks had names related to their use; "Candlemakers Row" and so on. Some years back there was a live radio programme on BBC Radio 4 about the use of words and how they change. One of the guests said that on pre-Victorian maps, "Gropecunt Alley" was an alley where Sailors could find 'ladies of leisure'. Being live it couldn't be edited out, but the silence of the other guests was deafening...........