Black affrontit
Da followin is been written by a pair o BIPOC haands (scroll) at belang tae a linguist o mixed heritage.
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Noo an agein da question is been brocht up aboot da history o Shaetlan expressions laek "black fantin", "black affrontit", "black dark", "black calm", etc, an whidder or no d'ir PC. Dis is da origin o da expressions:
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Da wird "black" comes fae Aald English blæc/blacc- (Northumbrian), meanin 'black, dark, ink'. Dat itsel comes fae Proto-Germanic *blakaz 'brunt; black', but ony ferder etymology w'ir no sure o. Hit startit bein øsed in a figurative wye wi negative connotations nae laetter as idda 14C. Da meanin o 'braaly, extremely' is pan-Scots an is attested fae da 19C.
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Da wird "fantin" comes fae Aald Scots fant 'fent', an dat comes fae Aald French faint/feint 'feigned, sluggish, etc'. Da meanin o bein hungry is Shaetlan specific an attested fae da 19C.
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Da wird "affrontit" is maed up wi da noun affront + da adjective endin -it. It comes fae Middle English afro(u)nt, an dat itsel comes fae Aald French afronter 'tae ging agenst'. Da meanin 'tae caase offence' is attested fae da 14C.
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As you can see da expressions hae a lang an varied history. D'ir no seid wi da intention o caasin offence - d'ir onnly inherited expressions athin dis contact language at haes a rich an fascinatin history. Dis café au lait coloured linguist is nivver come apün ony BIPOC body at's taen up ati' dis expressions. Tae politicise dis inherited, veeve expressions wid tak awey fae da real issue o racism an makkin idder fokk feel unkan.
