An innocent Chinese phrase could cost a USC professor a career: it sounds like N ... word

The University of Southern California (USC) professor became the center of international scholarly debate after the institution received a letter accusing him of racism for using Chinese words that sounded like an English racial insult (N ... word). Writes about it CNN.

Photo: Shutterstock

The letter was signed not by individuals, but by all African Americans of the course.

According to the university, on August 20, Professor Greg Patton of the USC's Marshall School of Business taught Zoom communication skills. An online videotape of the call, which was confirmed by the university, shows Patton discussing the use of pauses during a call and an example of how Chinese native speakers use insertion words.

"The common word in China is 'that,'" he said in the video, before using the equivalent Chinese term nei ge several times to demonstrate.

The next day, a complaint was filed with the university administration, saying that the term sounded like an English racial slur - the N word (N... word), and that Patton "insulted all the black students in the class."

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“This phrase is clearly and precisely always identified as a phonetic homonym for a racial derogatory term in English and should be used with caution, especially when speaking Chinese in the social context of the United States,” the letter said.

Since then, the video of the lesson has spread widely on the Internet, even on Chinese social media, with Chinese viewers defending Patton's use of the phrase and expressing bewilderment as to why it was deemed problematic.

I cannot believe this is real, but it is.

This USC Professor is on leave after students were offended that a Chinese word he used during a lecture on foreign languages ​​sounded like an english racial slur.

Watch the video for yourself: pic.twitter.com/HkFPMEP5I2

- Cabot Phillips (@cabot_phillips) September 3, 2020

A week later, University Dean Jeffrey Garrett announced that another professor would take over Patton's subject for the rest of the semester.

“Professor Greg Patton repeated several times a Chinese word that sounds very similar to a vile racial slur in English,” Garrett said. “It is clear that this has caused great pain and distress among students, and I deeply regret that.” It is simply unacceptable for educators to use words in the classroom that can marginalize, harm, and compromise the psychological safety of our students.”

Garrett added that he was "deeply saddened by the unsettling episode," and that all students who are uncomfortable staying in Patton's class will be provided with alternatives to meet academic requirements.

A university spokesman said Patton was not suspended from teaching; he has just moved away from the specific course in question and continues to teach in other groups.

Patton apologized for causing "discomfort."

In the letter, the professor said that former international students gave him the example of nei ge as a placeholder word, and he decided to use it in an attempt to be more inclusive, in his words - "to find and include many international, global, diverse, broad and inclusive examples to improve communication and interpersonal skills in the workplace.”

“I was not aware of its negativity before, otherwise I would have replaced the example,” he added.

International controversy

The incident sparked widespread controversy online after headlines emerged, with many claiming that Patton was unfairly punished for essentially saying the word "mmm" in another language.

In Chinese, the term nei ge or na ge literally means “that” or “that” and is widely used in everyday speech. It also acts as a placeholder during pauses, similar to the English words um or like.

Other academics, including blacks and Chinese, criticized the USC and expressed outrage on social media.

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Some noted that the designation nei ge as offensive, as recognized by the USC administration, makes sense only within the English-speaking community. Therefore, such a decision by the administration of the institution portrays the Chinese language as subject to English rules, and not as independent.

Although English is the dominant language in the United States, there is no official language in the country, and this subordination is unfair.

“All I can say is that the professor pronounced the Chinese phrase nei ge correctly, and using it as an example of a filler word was linguistically appropriate. This is a common phrase,” wrote Yale law professor Taisu Zhang.

Black China Caucus, an American organization that bills itself as "amplifying the voices of blacks in the Chinese space," also defended Patton on Twitter.

“We are shocked by how USC mishandled this situation,” the organization wrote. “Not only is nèi ge a common pronoun, but USC’s response cheapens and demeans meaningful conversations about real issues on college campuses.”

The petition, directed to Dean Garrett and other USC executives, was signed by nearly 100 USC Marshall alumni expressing support for Patton. Most of the signatories are from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other Chinese-speaking countries.

“We represent more than a dozen nationalities and ethnic groups and support the global inclusiveness that Professor Patton brings to the classroom,” the alumni petition states.

“Most of us are Chinese, some by nationality, and many others have spent a lot of time in China. Most of us live in China. We unanimously accept Professor Patton's use of this word as an accurate interpretation of vernacular Chinese, and it is an entirely appropriate and highly effective illustration of the use of pauses,” the document states.

Numerous commentators on the Chinese social network Weibo have pointed to Wauki Zhang's Chinese song "Sunshine Rainbow Little White Horse", which repeats nei ge throughout the chorus.

Other Weibo users criticized the American sentiment and said it could be an example of something gone wrong in cultural sensitivity. Several comments compared the incident to the “literary inquisition,” China's historical persecution of intellectuals for their writings.

“I watched the video of the professor's class, read the email his students sent and the university statement,” one person wrote on Weibo. “All I want to say is that it’s funny.” This is ridiculous".

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