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Under the dashboard dictionary, only the word "ho" comes up as prostitute. Hoe just comes up as the gardening device.

I prefer "ho/hoes" as in "go/goes" -- I know that one is a verb and the other a noun, but the apostrophe wouldn't be right to me, and "hos" looks retarded.
 
Why wouldn't an English speaking Black person use any English word within the lexicon?

Because they might not have encountered it regularly enough to assimilate into their daily vocabulary. Not a racial thing, but similar to how you are not likely to see many Americans using "namby-pamby" or "garn" on a regular basis. I don't think the idea is that a person of african origins is physically or mentally incapable or using the word, just that they might be more likely to use another term.
 
Because they might not have encountered it regularly enough to assimilate into their daily vocabulary. Not a racial thing, but similar to how you are not likely to see many Americans using "namby-pamby" or "garn" on a regular basis. I don't think the idea is that a person of african origins is physically or mentally incapable or using the word, just that they might be more likely to use another term.
What about Black people would have prevented them from being familiar with the term hosed? Black people are everywhere, so your regional explanation is not justification.
 
What about Black people would have prevented them from being familiar with the term hosed? Black people are everywhere, so your regional explanation is not justification.

It's not so much a regional explanation as much as a cultural one. While a person of african origin certainly could be familiar with the term, he or she is not likely to adopt it into their daily vocabulary unless the following conditions are met: 1) there is no other suitable term available or 2) there is a cultural value to adopting the term. This cultural value exists mainly in two forms, 1) it helps to distinguish the identity of one's group from others as a form of linguistic creativity or 2) the term is widely used within the culture and the adoption of the term then takes place to gain/maintain acceptance.

Since I have not seen the advert in question, I don't know the exact usage of the term, but hosed can mean either rejected or drunk. There already are preexisting terms that cover this situation, so the only reason for adopting the terminology would be if it had cultural value...and since this term originated (in the terms of the rejection definition) in west coast surfer culture, the two forms of cultural value are non-existent for the average person of african origins in this case. I'm not making the case that no person of african origins would ever adopt this term, just that it's assimilation into daily lexicon of the average person of african origin is less likely.
 
I don't think the idea is that a person of african origins is physically or mentally incapable or using the word, just that they might be more likely to use another term.

Well that's good to know.

Since I have not seen the advert in question, I don't know the exact usage of the term, but hosed can mean either rejected or drunk.

Hosed.

And I think your sociology is on acid.
 
Over 30 posts on this topic so far, and nobody black has popped up to to put the record straight?

Are there no black people on MR?

xoxo Tomato (who is also a member of a minority culture that has somehow laws protecting it, but not the one that is relevant to this discussion.)
 
And I think your sociology is on acid.

Umm...Thanks?!?!

I know it's a far from a perfect or complete explanation, but there definitely is a set of boundaries for colloquial language adoption between subsets of a larger culture. I am just attempting an possible reasoning of observed phenomena. The situation is roughly as follows:

(1) Person "A" (of any group) encounters usage of word "X" for particular meaning "5". A then examines his lexicon, and say he has three words that already equal "5". That significantly reduces the chances of adoption of "X" into his vocabulary. The other primary factor on this cultural value. (2) Person "A" finds out that "X" equals "5" for group "B" but group "C" use "Y" to mean "5". Obviously person "A"'s relations to group "B" and "C" will effect his likelihood to adopt either term. If "A" relates well and wants acceptance from either group, adoption increases...however, if "A" wants to differentiate him/herself from both groups, he/she is more likely to formulate alternates, such as "Z" equals "5"...and this term will be adopted by other persons, depending on their personal evaluations of factors (1) and (2).
 
Over 30 posts on this topic so far, and nobody black has popped up to to put the record straight?

Are there no black people on MR?

xoxo Tomato (who is also a member of a minority culture that has somehow laws protecting it, but not the one that is relevant to this discussion.)

I'm black. xD

You wouldn't really ever hear a middle aged black man say "hosed" unless he was referring to hosing down something. i.e. "I just hosed down the car."
 
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