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This is a very offensive racist insult. In South Africa, white people used it for a Black person, especially under the old racist system. It was meant to mark someone as less than human, and it still carries that violence.
This這個詞 is是 a very offensive racist insult一種非常冒犯的種族侮辱語. In South Africa在南非, white people白人 used it用它 for a Black person稱呼黑人, especially尤其是 under the old racist system在舊有的種族制度下. It它 was meant目的是 to mark someone把某人標記成 as less than human不如人的, and而 it它 still仍然 carries帶有 that violence那種暴力
Do not say it, do not write it for fun, and do not repeat it as a joke — even if you heard it in a film or an old book.
Do not say不要說 it它, do not write不要寫 it它 for fun好玩, and也 do not repeat不要重複 it它 as a joke當成笑話 — even if即使 you你 heard it聽過它 in a film在電影裡 or或 an old book一本舊書裡
The word ultimately comes from Arabic words for someone who does not share the speaker’s faith (“unbeliever”), and in some early European uses it arrived through Spanish or Dutch; English later used that same word as a racial slur in southern Africa. That history does not make the insult softer.
The word這個詞 ultimately最終 comes from源自 Arabic words阿拉伯文的詞 for someone指某個人 who does not share不與說話者共享 the speaker's faith信仰的人 (“unbeliever”「不信者」), and而 in some early European uses在一些早期的歐洲用法裡 it它 arrived through是經由 Spanish or Dutch西班牙文或荷蘭文傳來的; English英文 later後來 used把同一個字 that same word用作 as a racial slur一個種族辱罵語 in southern Africa在南部非洲. That history這段歷史 does not make並不會讓 the insult這個辱罵詞 softer變得比較不刺耳
If you need to talk about the idea in class, say “a racist slur used in South Africa” and stop there.
If如果 you你 need需要 to talk about談論 the idea這個概念 in class在課堂上, say就說 “a racist slur used in South Africa”「一個在南非使用的種族辱罵語」 and而且 stop there就停在那裡
組成From Arabic kaffār / kāfir (“unbeliever”), from a root meaning “to cover, to hide.” It reached European languages (Spanish cafre, Dutch kaffer, and others) before English used it; doublet of kafir.
同家族的字
- kafirdoublet — both from the same Arabic word for “unbeliever”; kafir is the religious term, this English form became a racial slur
原始詞典資料7 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法,原文照列,我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的;有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
kaffirnoun/ˈkæfə/
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offensiveIn Islamic contexts, a non-Muslim.
- He […] put me in imminent danger of my life, by telling the natives that I was a Caffer, and not a Mussulman.
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offensiveA member of the Nguni people of southern Africa, especially a Xhosa.
- … the Hambonaas, a nation quite different from the Kaffers, having a yellowish complexion […].
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offensivederogatoryslurA black person.
- I rang the bell, and a smiling Kafir boy answered it.
- If you ask a Kaffir why he does so-and-so, he will answer—"How can I tell? It has always been done by our forefathers."
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offensivehistoricalA language spoken by the Nguni peoples of southern Africa, especially Xhosa.
- This man, seeing a white person enter, moved aside for her, but she saw Joss's eyes on her, and said in kitchen kaffir, ‘No, when you've finished.’
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historicalslangbusinessfinanceSouth African mining shares
- Kaffirs bouyant most of last week
這個拼法也被記錄為下列字的變化形:
資料來源:英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary(CC BY-SA 4.0)。 原文照列,未經改寫。