The word makes my skin crawl. And I'm not alone. When I use it recently on the playground, Marcia, a babysitter, starts shaking her head like she just tasted something sour. She holds up her hand and says to me, "That word sets my teeth on edge. I can't even stand to hear it said out loud." Another sitter, Susan, who like me is from Trinidad, looks at me like I've forgotten my native tongue. "Are you crazy?" she wants to know, "Na- I can't bring myself to say the word. Don't you know what a nanny is?"
Of course I know. In Trinidad, "nanny" is slang for vagina.
Question: does that mean film-goers in the Caribbean are walking out of The Nanny Diaries disappointed?Read the essay here.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. according to Victoria G. Brown, the author of the essay "Taboo," the word "nanny" is grossly offensive to West Indians
West Indians living and working in an English speaking country where the word "nanny" isn't slang for vagina?
They are just going to have to stay offended.
God Be Gone at 7:10AM on Aug 28th 2007
2. Well Ada I am sure that most people that have hired a person to watch over their children and have been accustomed to using the term NANNY are unaware of its slang interpretation by the West Indian, so I would suggest that thise who are now aware attempt to respect the person who it may offend by no longer using it, while the offended realize that the person who has used it does not do so intentionally meaning to insult them and take it in the context it was intended. Call it compromising or just that not everything is always all about YOU.( meaning the offended)
Mar(Blog LOLLIPOP) at 7:50AM on Aug 28th 2007
3. This is America. Banning ANY word, regardless of its so-called offensiveness is a foreign concept. WE are a FREE people. Or at least we WERE. WIth you liberal bungholes around, the chances of that are not very high. Rest assured that as long as the SECOND Amendment is still around, all of hte others are safe for now.
The Constitutionalist at 8:22AM on Aug 28th 2007
4. There are few words in the ENGLISH language more venerable and respected than the title of Nanny, so if I have a choice of disrespecting the SLANG used by a small ethnic group or disrespecting the millions of ENGLISH speaking and entirely honorable NANNIES, both living and dead, I will choose to insult the small ethnic group. I put this in the same catagory as the blacks who were offended by the efficiency of putting ones money or signed credit card slip ON THE COUNTER where it could be quickly scooped up and the transaction completed. The blacks were 'offended' that we didn't put the money in their hand. Now, all over America, people, myself included, have added a gazillion man hours to simple transactions by carefully placing the slip and the pen into the cashiers hand rather than risk offending them, even though I still don't understand which part of efficiency is insulting.
lordfussy at 8:58AM on Aug 28th 2007
5. God Fordbid. Just think of all the American tourists in England with their FANNY PACKS.
cowgirl20160 at 10:07AM on Aug 28th 2007
6. Ada - Why can't you blog on something newsworthy and interesting, rather than on something that could predictably polarize blacks and whites even further than we are already polarized? So the slang in the Caribbean is different. So what!
Why not do a blog on different slang terms around the world? That wouldn't have had the polarizing impact that your blog has had, with the predictable vitriolic responses about how "beleagured" our nation is for having to mollify "ethnic groups."
I hope you will consider going deeper next time. The whole blog tone is offensive, not the quirky West Indian slang itself.
Jones at 10:37AM on Aug 28th 2007
7. When accepting residence and or employment in a foreign land people (and their decendants) must be willing to adapt to the ways of the new land. People must learn, and apreciate, the language and customs of the land they chose to call their new home. It is not right to accept ones hospitality while trying to force the host country to change their ways to accomidate the guest. After all, if the ways of the old country were so great what are they doing here? If my house guests want to stay in my house they must abide by my rules. Why should this be any different for guests in our country.
John D at 10:45AM on Aug 28th 2007
8. Well these women are not nannies. They are not educated. They don't drive or swim. They often cannot even help a 6th grader with basic homework. Instead of them being offended at being called nannies, nannies should be offended that unprofessional people are being called nannies. A nanny is a term for a professional childcare worker!
jen little at 11:27AM on Aug 28th 2007
9. I have no proof of this as I choose not to spend all day researching it, but I would guess that the word nanny as it is used in English speaking countries predates the slang word nanny by many years, so perhaps they should stop using the slang word. What will we do if the word "stockbroker" becomes slang for penis in the West Indies - will we stop using the word?
John at 11:37AM on Aug 28th 2007
10. Interesting, I lived down there for 7 years and had direct daily contact with West Indians from all islands. I never heard that word used for vagina, but I did hear "Muddascunt" several times a day. "Stupid Muddascunt" is used by all ages. Sometimes they add "white". If "nanny" was slang for vagina, then they would be saying, stupid "muddasnanny". I will never say "nanny" again, when they stop using "muddascunt". Sound fair?
Tell your nanny to get with it or go home. "Were not in the Caribbean!"
Steve Barnes at 12:14PM on Aug 28th 2007
11. Youre right on track John D. (7) If the people from the West Indies or any other country for that matter, choose not to use the word, that is their personal choice. It is an Americans choice to use any word in the English language. There will always be someone complaining about something they dont like.
Queen Bee at 12:46PM on Aug 28th 2007
12. What about the word Pumkin in Thai sound like "FackTong"
Or in Spanish the word CURVA means TURN but in Polish is something else like.
I'll say Nanny
joe at 1:52PM on Aug 28th 2007
13. The problem with the mindset of 'ban any word that has negative connotations in any part of the world'.... doesn't realize that almost 90% of the English language would be banned then! Pussy would be banned because it can refer to a woman's genitals, when it actually can mean that or a pussy cat.
Chi-chi, the name of the DBZ character, can mean breasts in one part of the world.
Those are only the most obvious examples I can think of right now.
Christopher at 9:54PM on Aug 29th 2007