Questions about language that may be considered offensive or inappropriate in certain contexts.
offensive-language is for questions about words or phrases that may be considered offensive in English.
Questions tagged [offensive-language]
68 questions
64
votes
7 answers
Why is "a Japanese" offensive?
When talking about a person from Japan, why is it offensive to say "a Japanese" rather than "a Japanese person"?
The English language Wiktionary says
(person in or from Japan): The singular “a Japanese” is less common
than locutions using the…
Golden Cuy
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Is "Negro" an offensive word, or do some people just take offense to it, and why?
I was not born in the US, so let me clarify why I'm asking such question:
In Portuguese, the word "Negro" is the correct term when referring to the race, where calling somebody "Black", the color, would be considered offensive most of the time.
So…
user47
4
votes
4 answers
Is the word "foreigner" to be avoided?
Is "foreigner" a word that some people may get offended at?
A Japanese person learning English used to use "foreigner" as a translation of 外国人 (gaikokujin). However, a native speaker of English told her that it shouldn't be used, and she's come…
Golden Cuy
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Are words asterisked because they're vulgar, or because of the concept being referred to?
Some words get asterisked. For example, it's not uncommon to see "f***" or "sh*t".
But is it because of the vulgar word being used, or is it because of the concept being referred to? For example, would the word "dick" be equally, or more likely, to…
Golden Cuy
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2
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Is the term speech-impaired offensive?
I was just wondering if the term "speech-impaired" was offensive. I hear people say it a lot, but I am not sure if it is offensive to those who are mute.
Anonymous584
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Is "hell no!" impolite?
"What the hell?" is a toned down variant of "what the fu**" and can be considered offensive in some formal contexts. My question is more about other expressions like "hell no!". Is it impolite or offensive as well?
B Faley
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"[Bleep] talking" What's the offensive word that was bleeped out?
In this video, Dwayne Johnson appeared on The Tonight Show and was talking about himself being named the sexiest man alive on the cover of People Magazine.
This conversation starts at 12 seconds into the video:
Jimmy Fallon: How much grief are you…
JK2
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How bad is the word "pussy"?
I know words, I have the baddest words, but I'd like to know exactly how bad the word "pussy" is. When it's referring to women's genitalia, and when the word is being discussed as opposed to used, how much is it censored? Is it enough to put it in…
Golden Cuy
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"Roll your balls to"
Does anyone say like this in this understanding? From
Urban Dictionary:
Usually used as 'to roll one's balls to sb';
Usually used towards girls by dudes;
Meaning to flirt with a girl so as to eventually get conducted to the bed by her (guess for…
Boyep
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