Meaning Of Retard In Today's Society

The adjective and noun “retarded” evokes diverse feelings in today’s society, many of them negative. However, this was not always the case. The word’s original meaning, from the early 17th century, was “held back or in check; hindered, impeded; delayed, deferred,” which was used to describe objects as opposed to people (Simpson, Weiner). It was not until almost the 20th century when “retarded” was used to describe an individual. Therefore, the meaning of retarded has changed meaning from a socially acceptable term to a term that individuals are united against for personal and political reasons. Retarded comes from the verb “retard” plus the suffix “-ed.” Retard is an Anglo-Norman and Middle French term from the 12th century in Old French. Many other Romance languages have their own version of this word, including Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish, but not until the 14th century, making the French the first to use this term. The first definition listed in the Oxford English Dictionary, OED, for “retard” means “to hold back, delay, or slow (a person or thing) with …show more content…
“When ‘retard’ and ‘retarded’ are used as synonyms for ‘dumb’ or ‘stupid’ by people without disabilities, it only reinforces painful stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities being less valued members of humanity” (R-word). Many groups connected to The Special Olympics, including athletes, family members of individuals with disabilities, among others, want to eradicate the use of this word. Reflecting on the North American slang form of retarded, again, meaning “stupid, silly; foolish; pathetic,” individuals dislike being called something that implies these meanings. Rosa’s Law was signed by President Obama in October of 2010, which ultimately removed the use of this word in educational and political environments, to name a few