Listen to Lexicon Valley Episode No. 126:
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On a recent episode of Jeopardy, contestant Nick Spicher was deemed to have offered a wrong answer when he said “Gangster’s Paradise” rather than “Gangsta’s Paradise.” John McWhorter argues that, like gangster and gangsta, nigger and nigga are two distinct words.
You’ll find every Lexicon Valley episode at Slate.com/lexiconvalley, or in the player below:
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Podcast production by Mike Vuolo.