I would guess that in conversation in a fictional work, it would be
appropriate to reproduce the words that would be used, but in the context of
explaining what happened in a historical context one would be expected to
use the less abrasive terminology. Just as you would not use the term "crip"
to designate a disabled person in an academic work, it is now no longer to
refer to a "slave" or an "owner" without referencing the fact that we now
understand that such designations reduce the humanity and dignity of the
person so labeled.
It takes a lot of explanation of what is acceptable today, in teaching such
works of literature as Huckleberry Finn. The concern is that students will
see the "n" word in common use in the praised literary work, and think it is
OK to use the same term in today's world. This is most important at the high
school level, and diminishes as the student moves into the rarefied
atmosphere of the university where students are expected to understand the
difference between literary language and every-day language.
Anne
Anne Pemberton
[log in to unmask]http://www.erols.com/apemberthttp://www.educationalsynthesis.org
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