soft a

English

Noun

soft a (plural soft a's)

  1. (informal, US, phonology) The schwa at the end of the African-American Vernacular English word nigga, as contrasted with the hard r at the end of the word nigger when spoken with a General American accent (which is considered very offensive).
    • 2016 May 5, MItchell Joseph Sewell, Standpoint: Black Queer Southern Revelations‎[1], University of South Carolina - Columbia, Senior Theses. 87, page 45; Tips for a Successful Interracial Relationship:
      First and foremost / You are under no circumstances / Ever permitted / To say the n-word / I don't care if it's soft a or hard r
    • 2022 January 7, John McWhorter, “Opinion: I Can’t Brook the Idea of Banning ‘Negro’”, in The New York Times‎[2]:
      Opinions will continue to differ about the N-word — does pronunciation that ends in a soft “a” versus a hard “r” make a difference?
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