As far as I understand it, the entymology of the word 'nigger' derives from an ancient tongue that predates the modern languages, and it meant 'person who lives by the wide river'.
Presumably it must have come from Africa, one would suspect Nigeria or the great rift valley area.
How it ever came to be an insult is anyone's guess.
If I was black, I would want to respect my roots and use the word with pride, which I guess a lot of Americans seem to actually do nowadays.
Any descriptive word of creed can be used insultingly if prefixed with f***ing, like f***ing Scottish or f***ing Jew. Maybe it was just because black folks were so outnumbered in the west that they ended up taking umbrage to their own name (at the time) and so it was swept under the carpet.
Sad really.
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