USC Communications Professor Placed On Leave after Using Chinese Word That Sounds Like Racial Slur

[mieumieu]

USC Communications Professor Placed On Leave after Using Chinese Word That Sounds Like Racial Slur

The University of Southern California has placed a professor on leave after he said a Chinese word that sounds similar to a racial slur in English while teaching a communications class.Greg Patton, a professor at the university's Marshall School of Business, was giving a lecture about the use of...

news.yahoo.com

Can't find a better source than National Review or Reason (ugh) but if anyone can find it please reply. Thanks!
This case is definitely something that could be weaponized by right-wing "reasonable" people (including some Chinese, tbh) but imo it shows that multicultural mutual understanding is very important.

Greg Patton, a professor at the university’s Marshall School of Business, was giving a lecture about the use of “filler words” in speech during a recent online class when he used the word in question, saying, “If you have a lot of ‘ums and errs,’ this is culturally specific, so based on your native language. Like in China, the common word is ‘that, that, that.’ So in China it might be ‘nèi ge, nèi ge, nèi ge.’”

In a statement to Campus Reform, USC said Patton “agreed to take a short term pause while we are reviewing to better understand the situation and to take any appropriate next steps.” Another instructor has stepped in to teach the class in the meantime.

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[i like big butts]

Reminds me a story of an NBA locker room about to throw hands at Yao Ming after they heard him say that word on the phone.

I personally don't use it as a filler word but have absolutely heard others use it a whole lot.

 

[Cyanity]

We're really out there focusing on the things that truly matter in 2020

 

[Zoe]

Knew it would be that word before opening the thread.

 

[Wulfric]

Similar thing happens with 내가 in Korean.

 

[Chikor]

It's super common and it was quite jarring to hear it for the first time, but like, it's not the n word.
I think it's actually really good to tell people about that, maybe warn american audience about that in advance, but suspension does not seem warranted here for me.

I personally don't use it as a filler word but have absolutely heard others use it a whole lot.

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I don't use it as a filler word, but it's still a word you kinda need to use quite often.

 

[SRG01]

A lot of people can be ignorant about foreign languages, unfortunately.

 

[i like big butts]

It's super common and it was quite jarring to hear it for the first time, but like, it's not the n word.
I think it's actually really good to tell people about that, maybe warn american audience about that in advance, but suspension does not seem warranted here for me.

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I can't watch the video but the article and excerpt seem pretty clear he isn't yelling the n-word but rather speaking Chinese. I wonder why he got suspended, did a student tell the administrators or something? It seems like in context too, being a business school and communications class.

I don't use it as a filler word, but it's still a word you kinda need to use quite often.

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Absolutely, I don't think its possible to speak fluent Chinese without using that word.

 

[Spoo]

With a hard E? Seriously though, this seems a bit unreasonable.

 

[noquarter]

Remember the first time I heard 那个 I thought the same thing.

 

[Zoe]

From the source article according to the students' complaint...

The word is most commonly used with a pause in between both syllables.

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Huh? Certainly not the way I usually hear it said.

 

[Natsume Soseki]

Sounds pretty stupid. We have so many actual problems with racism in academia. Maybe focus on one of those?

 

[Zoe]

I can't watch the video but the article and excerpt seem pretty clear he isn't yelling the n-word but rather speaking Chinese. I wonder why he got suspended, did a student tell the administrators or something? It seems like in context too, being a business school and communications class.



Absolutely, I don't think its possible to speak fluent Chinese without using that word.

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Here's the source article with the complaint.

USC Professor Placed on Leave after Black Students Complained His Pronunciation of a Chinese Word Affected Their Mental Health | National Review

Professor Greg Patton was giving a lecture about the use of “filler words” in speech during a recent online class.

www.nationalreview.com

“It was confirmed that the pronunciation of this word is much different than what Professor Patton described in class,” the students wrote. “The word is most commonly used with a pause in between both syllables. In addition, we have lived abroad in China and have taken Chinese language courses at several colleges and this phrase, clearly and precisely before instruction is always identified as a phonetic homonym and a racial derogatory term, and should be carefully used, especially in the context of speaking Chinese within the social context of the United States.”

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[i like big butts]

I don't know where that person lived in China but that student would probably throw hands at me if he heard me pronounce that word.

But if that person is basing their experiences of the Chinese language course they took, it makes complete sense to me because everyone in Chinese 101 and 102 stresses the syllables.

 

[maruchan]

Reminds me of my naginta

 

[mieumieu]

Here's the source article with the complaint.

USC Professor Placed on Leave after Black Students Complained His Pronunciation of a Chinese Word Affected Their Mental Health | National Review

Professor Greg Patton was giving a lecture about the use of “filler words” in speech during a recent online class.

www.nationalreview.com

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Thank you, I didn't click on that one cos I didn't want to give NRO clicks. :(
This explanation puts some context but I don't know if their description of how the word should be pronounced is entirely correct, like you said above.

 

[Zoe]

Thank you, I didn't click on that one cos I didn't want to give NRO clicks. :(
This explanation puts some context but I don't know if their description of how the word should be pronounced is entirely correct, like you said above.

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The professor's response is in there as well and he says he pronounces it like they do in Shanghai due to his time spent there

 

[Chikor]

Here's the source article with the complaint.

USC Professor Placed on Leave after Black Students Complained His Pronunciation of a Chinese Word Affected Their Mental Health | National Review

Professor Greg Patton was giving a lecture about the use of “filler words” in speech during a recent online class.

www.nationalreview.com

Click to shrink...

I want to see the receipts that those people lived in China.
Like I donno, china is big and people speak in different dialects, but 那个 sounding problematic to Americans is like "what's the deal with Airline food?" for comedians there.

 

[jvalioli]

I'm black and my industry is 50% Asian (mostly Chinese). It took me a long time to get used to hearing this and not react.

 

[GS_Dan]

Encountered this issue a few years ago in university. As someone with no understanding of Mandarin, it's super jarring to overhear a word you 'recognise' in someone else's conversation and it's that word of all things.

 

[Squarehard]

Of course it's this word, lol.

I've certainly had a few times in my younger years when I was speaking Chinese in public and it would come up and a couple of heads would turn until they realize I was just speaking Chinese the whole time.

 

[torre_avenue]

The students' response makes sense, however this part is something I haven't seen.

“It was confirmed that the pronunciation of this word is much different than what Professor Patton described in class,” the students wrote. “The word is most commonly used with a pause in between both syllables. In addition, we have lived abroad in China and have taken Chinese language courses at several colleges and this phrase, clearly and precisely before instruction is always identified as a phonetic homonym and a racial derogatory term, and should be carefully used, especially in the context of speaking Chinese within the social context of the United States.”

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I've taken Chinese classes in college for 3 years and studied abroad in Shanghai, and I cannot recall a teacher ever making this warning. The closest thing I've heard to it is an anecdote from a teacher about someone they knew getting into trouble accidentally, but that's it. That being said, my classes didn't have any black students enrolled in them, so it never had to come up.

The NR article links a video of the moment in question:

I think its in line with the typical pronunciation of that phrase, but I'll cede to anyone that knows more than me, since my experience with the language is limited.

 

[Pet]

The students' response makes sense, however this part is something I haven't seen.

I've taken Chinese classes in college for 3 years and studied abroad in Shanghai, and I cannot recall a teacher ever making this warning. The closest thing I've heard to it is an anecdote from a teacher about someone they knew getting into trouble accidentally, but that's it. That being said, my classes didn't have any black students enrolled in them, so it never had to come up.

The NR article links a video of the moment in question:

I think its in line with the typical pronunciation of that phrase, but I'll cede that my experience with the language is limited.

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The professor doesn't seem to pronounce it wrong? Not sure what the student is talking about.

I'm not an expert in Mandarin Chinese, but my parents both speak Mandarin as their first language and I grew up in Mandarin speaking household and with Mandarin speaking peers.

 

[Gay Bowser]

different languages, how do they work

 

[sheaaaa]

The professor doesn't seem to pronounce it wrong? Not sure what the student is talking about.

I'm not an expert in Mandarin Chinese, but my parents both speak Mandarin as their first language and I grew up in Mandarin speaking household and with Mandarin speaking peers.

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He's obviously saying it in a non-native-sounding way, but that's how the word is pronounced. I've never heard it with a pause in between like the students claim. Sounds like nonsense to me.

 

[Squarehard]

The students' response makes sense, however this part is something I haven't seen.

I've taken Chinese classes in college for 3 years and studied abroad in Shanghai, and I cannot recall a teacher ever making this warning. The closest thing I've heard to it is an anecdote from a teacher about someone they knew getting into trouble accidentally, but that's it. That being said, my classes didn't have any black students enrolled in them, so it never had to come up.

The NR article links a video of the moment in question:

I think its in line with the typical pronunciation of that phrase, but I'll cede that my experience with the language is limited.

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As a native speaker, I've never spoke those words with a pause between, at least not intentionally.

The only time there could possibly be a confusion of a pause between them is the stress at the end of the nei, as it may get stretched out a bit.

Other than that, I'm not aware of any pauses having spoken the language fluently for 30 some odd years now.

 

[Cels]

the professor's pronunciation seems to be fine...? i mean no one is mistaking him for a native speaker but it's perfectly acceptable

 

[NetMapel]

As a native speaker myself, I do not think it's the responsibility of Chinese speakers to tip toe an English-language issue. When you speak a language, you think in that language and it would not have registered in the speaker's mind about how it sounds in another language. The Chinese word 那個 can be pronounced a variety of ways and does not cater to English speakers.

 

[Divvy]

The way the professor pronounced it is the same way I've always heard it pronounced, although he has a westernized affectation to it, but yeah there's no pause in it when you're speaking at a normal speed.

 

[purplemonkey111]

As a Taiwanese...and native chinese speaker...I don't understand why he's suspended. His pronounciation is with a China accent, the way I pronounce it, it's more like Naa ge, like Naga. So...imo his suspension is unwarrented.

 

[asun]

of course it would be that word. it doesn't sound like he pronounced it wrong. he also gave the definition of the word before using it and with fact that it's a common interposer word in mandarin.

 

[wisdom0wl]

the pronunciation was normal..? idk this seems like it's a problem for English speakers and not really the responsibility of Chinese speakers.

different languages so nothing really you can do there.

 

[rAndom]

Prof's not wrong though. Living in China for several years, that's how the locals say it and use it. And native speakers here also agree.

 

[Dullahan]

Placed on leave for accurate Chinese?

 

[i like big butts]

The way the professor pronounced it is the same way I've always heard it pronounced, although he has a westernized affectation to it, but yeah there's no pause in it when you're speaking at a normal speed.

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Yeah having a quick listen to it, its a non-native speaker speaking but its perfectly fine. I've never heard anyone pause between the syllables.

Like I mentioned before, this is an issue you would encounter in Chinese 101 and 102. Fluent Chinese speakers speak too fast for there to be an actually notable pause between the syllables.

 

[Falore]

so um, Unless I am misunderstanding this story it sounds like the professor needs to be apologized to and the student(s) in question that reported / complained about this without further researching the language / diving deep into the issue before taking issue with it should begiven a failing grade since they do not understand the language?

Considering that the professor was literally not using a slur

 

[dipship31]

This story is absolutely ridiculous....

SMDH

 

[SilentPanda]

Here's the source article with the complaint.

USC Professor Placed on Leave after Black Students Complained His Pronunciation of a Chinese Word Affected Their Mental Health | National Review

Professor Greg Patton was giving a lecture about the use of “filler words” in speech during a recent online class.

www.nationalreview.com

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Taiwanese, I speak perfectly fine Mandarin, and cantanoese
I watched the video, his example of is ok,
哪個~哪個~哪個~


Is pretty common, especially in normal life, like in street market or normal market, when pointing out what you want,
I don't use it, but I use 哪一個, the longer one more often.

So I don't see why he is punished for speaking without meaning to use specific word, and there's no intent to be racist.

 

[IDreamOfHime]

So it's an online class for people learning Chinese? From only hanging around my Chinese friends I know that phrase and how innocent it is, so surely any University student should have at least heard of it beforehand if they are embarking on learning the language at a higher level?
So he was definitely reported by a student who wanted to get the guy in trouble even though the student would know it wasn't as problematic as it could sound to a layman hearing it.
What a little shit.

 

[Richter1887]

Should have done their research before doing this. It is an actual word with meaning.

He doesn't deserve punishment for this.

 

[i like big butts]

So it's an online class for people learning Chinese? From only hanging around my Chinese friends I know that phrase and how innocent it is, so surely any University student should have at least heard of it beforehand if they are embarking on learning the language at a higher level?
So he was definitely reported by a student who wanted to get the guy in trouble even though the student would know it wasn't as problematic as it could sound to a layman hearing it.
What a little shit.

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No, its a communications professor for a business school giving examples of fillers words in different cultures. The Chinese example being pertinent due to them being the 2nd largest economy in the world and something anyone doing international (or even domestic) business would have to deal with.

The person who reported the professor knows what it means, he or she just appears to have the Chinese language skills of a student and not a fluent speaker or has actively engaged with fluent speakers who are speaking in a proper fluent pace. Despite claiming having lived in China, which I really doubt because that student would have heard fluent speakers say it pretty much like this professor.

 

[KoopaTheCasual]

Knew it would be that word before opening the thread.

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Yea. Kinda annoyed actually that he's getting reprimanded for literally saying "that". And yea, I've definitely heard it used as a filler word repeated, similar to "like" in American English.

 

[zerocypher]

I was wondering when a thread about this would be made. I'm not a native speaker but I've never heard a distinct pause between the syllables. Prof shouldn't have been suspended.

 

[Xiao Hu]

Of course it had to be 那个...

It's a very stupid misunderstanding

 

[Ashhong]

I hear this word all the time and sometimes have to do a double take like what did you just say?! With the information available to us now, I just feel sorry for this guy. Hope he gets an apology from the school and even the students.

No, its a communications professor for a business school giving examples of fillers words in different cultures. The Chinese example being pertinent due to them being the 2nd largest economy in the world and something anyone doing international (or even domestic) business would have to deal with.

The person who reported the professor knows what it means, he or she just appears to have the Chinese language skills of a student and not a fluent speaker or has actively engaged with fluent speakers who are speaking in a proper fluent pace. Despite claiming having lived in China, which I really doubt because that student would have heard fluent speakers say it pretty much like this professor.

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So the complainer isn’t even Chinese or a native speaker? They just think they know better because they took a couple of classes, and what, automatically think this guy is some huge racist? Sounds like another case of someone trying to be too woke.

 

[blue_whale]

I remembered when I was about 8 or so I was talking to my friend (in Mandarin) in a a Dillards and this black woman got super upset at us. Like my mom had to explain that we were just speaking chinese.

Don't know where the pause between the two words is coming from? Maybe if someone wanted to emphasize something, but as a filler word yeah it gets repeated like that.

 

[Truly Gargantuan]

I was learning mandarin once and it was sure an adjustment period hearing the teacher say that over and over again. Especially if she paused before saying my name.

 

[badatorigami]

There's literally no pause between the two syllables when you speak the phrase, what the heck?

It sucks that the black students were made to feel uncomfortable (understandably, before they learned that yes, it literally does mean "that"), but damn, it's another language and means something completely different and innocuous. Suck, and it'll probably always be jarring for them to hear, but mouth noises do have linguistic and cultural context, and that will unfortunately need to be remembered in the international business world.

As a speaker though, I might have kept the similarity in mind and issued a warning beforehand had I been in the professor's situation.

The only thing I could maybe think of is that it's a white lecturer with a pattern of racism, whom students suspect of purposefully bringing up that example for the purpose of antagonizing black students while trying to maintain plausible deniability, but that doesn't seem to be the case based on the background.

Obviously this is the kind of shit conservative folk (lot of Chinese in that crowd, unfortunately!) love to eat up as examples of "crazy marxist college libs are the REAL racists and want to control what YOU say!"
Can't wait til my parents get wind of this, sigh.

Edit: paragraph breaks

 

[Elfotografoalocado]

Reminds me of the time a Mexican guy named Enrique (Which has the diminutive Quique or Kike) had been banned from PSN or something for using the second form of the diminutive in his PSN name.

We've come to the point where people speaking other languages have the onus of making sure nothing they say can be misinterpreted in the English language, which is both weird and sad. This will certainly be ammo to racists too.

 

[TorianElecdra]

Anglos gonna anglo.