List of terms for ethnic out-groups

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An ethnic out-group (also sometimes "outgroup" without hyphen) [1] is a group of people which does not belong to a particular ethnic group, religion or nationality. Many cultures have terms referring to all outsiders, but in practice this often becomes narrowed to the largest outsider group.

Contents

Out-group terms are sometimes, but not always, considered to be derogatory, depending on the word and the context and manner in which it is used. The extent to which specific terms (such as allochtoon in the Netherlands or Pākehā in New Zealand) should be considered offensive is often a source of public debate. Nonetheless, these terms can be distinguished from ethnic slurs which are always derogatory and always refer to specific ethnic groups (rather than outsiders in general).

These terms are principally used by the members of an ethnic group (the in-group) to refer to outsiders (the out-group). However, in some cases the terms are used more widely, including by members of the out-group to describe themselves in relation to the group concerned. For example, the word gentile (non-Jew) is used by both Jewish and non-Jewish people.

A

Ajam
(Arabic; عجم) Literally: mumbler, a person who cannot speak proper Arabic. A traditional term for non-Arabs (literally as those who cannot speak, or cannot be understood), often specifically applied to Persians. Derogatory implications depend on context.
Ajnabi
(Arabic; اجنبی) Literally: Stranger, foreigner or alien. Traditionally used for westerners.
Allochtoon
A Dutch term (from the Greek ἀλλος-allos) that literally means "originating from another country". Refers to both immigrants and their descendants. Officially refers to any person with at least one immigrant parent. Not usually considered offensive. [2]
Anērān also Anirani
Pre-Islamic Persian term referring to people who are both non-Iranians and non-Zoroastrians, most used in Middle Persian and Early Modern Persian texts. [3]
Ang mo
A Hokkien term (Min Nan Chinese : 红毛, lit.  'red hair') referring to white people.
Ausländer
Ausländer is a German word meaning foreigner or alien.

B

Barbarian
Although the modern usage of the word may carry a different meaning, historically this term was used to denote non-Greek-speaking people and later anyone not belonging to Greek or Roman civilization.
Bilagáana
(Bilagáana) is the Navajo word for white people or people of European descent.

E

Englischer
A non-derogatory Pennsylvanian Dutch word [4] used by the Amish to refer to a non-Amish person. [5]
English
A non-derogatory English Amish term to refer to the non-Amish, [5] derived from the Pennsylvanian Dutch Englisch/Englischer (see above).

F

Farang
(Thai; ฝรั่ง) A generic term for foreigner used to refer to those of European ancestry and can be used to refer to plants or animals that are foreign in origin as an adjective. [6] The word Farang derives - via tenth century Arabic and then Persian - from Frank, referring to the Germanic people that gave their name to modern France. [7]
Farangi
(Persian; فرنگی) A Persian term for foreigner. The word derives from Franks . May have derogatory connotations.

G

Gaijin
(Japanese; 外人) Literally 'out person', usually used in context to refer someone who is ethnically not Japanese. Considered politically incorrect and often derogatory by those it refers to. Because Japanese is a highly contextual language, it is possible to use the word "Gaijin" without derogatory intent; however, "Gaikokujin" (外国人) is highly preferred to remain politically correct and avoid misunderstanding.
Gadjo
(Romany) A Romany term meaning "house dweller," used to refer to a non-Roma.
Galla
(Abyssinian) A term used by Abyssinian Christians to refer to non-Christian, mainly non-Semitic Cushitic Pagans, and Muslims. It was employed in official documents and communications until the fall of the Solomonic Dynasty in 1974.
The use of the term mainly pointed to the Oromo due to their numerical superiority over other groups that were collectively referred to by this term during the period of the Ethiopian monarchy.
Gentile
(English) Term used in English principally to mean "non-Jew". Gentile derives from Latin 'Gentes/Gentilis' a word which originally meant "people" or "tribe" but which evolved in the early Christian era to refer to a non-Jew. In Judaism the word 'Goy' (see below) followed the same journey over the same period: also evolving from meaning "nation" or tribe" to mean non-Jew. Some Christian groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, have traditionally used the term gentile to describe outsiders, but such usage has declined among Mormons. [8]
Giaour
(Turkish; gâvur) Also spelled Ghiaour or Gavur, a generic term for a non-Muslim or non-Turk, often used specifically for Christians, particularly the local Greeks and Armenians. It's always considered derogatory. [9] [10] [11]
Gorbatti
(Nubian) It literally means land worker but is used to refer generally to non-Nubians in Egyptian Nubia. [12] The word is composed of two words, (Gor) which means land, and (batti) which means to work.
Goy
(Hebrew, Yiddish; גוי (borrowed into English)) A non-Jew, or gentile. The modern meaning of goy evolved from Biblical Hebrew: in the Bible goy means a nation or a tribe, and can refer to both the nation of Israel and other nations. In English usage the word can sometimes be derogatory.
Gringo
(Latin American Spanish and Portuguese; feminine form gringa) A term used to refer to foreigners in Latin American countries, typically used to refer to those from English-speaking countries. It can be used, depending on country of origin, to mean any non-Spanish speaker, an Anglophone person, a light-haired or light skinned person, or a non-Iberian European. [13]
Guiri
(Spanish) A term originally to refer to uncouth foreign tourists, particularly from the United Kingdom but is applied to include people from other Northern European countries. [14] [15]
Gweilo
(Cantonese) A Cantonese term literally meaning "ghost man" though often translated to English as foreign devil used to refer to Europeans in a derogatory manner.

H

Haole
(Hawaiian, widely adopted in English, pronounced: How-leh) A universal term for foreigner, can be used for people, plants or animals that are non-Hawaiian in origin. The phrase has been linked to anti-foreigner hate crimes in Hawaii. [16]
Heathen
Refers to those who are not Christian, Jewish or Muslim. The term is old-fashioned and derogatory. [17]

J

Juddin
(Persian) Non-Zoroastrian [18]

K

Kafir
(Arabic, كافر kāfir; plural كفّار kuffār) A non-Muslim or infidel, may include People of the Book depending on context. In Islamic sharia doctrine, Kafir are divided into dhimmi, harbi and musta'min. Often seen as a derogatory term for non-Muslims.
Kawaja
(Sudanese Dinka) Used to refer to a purely white person with no black ancestry. Not derogatory in any usage.

M

Mawali
(Arabic; موالي) A classical term for a non-Arab Muslim. Fell out of use after the Abbasid revolution. [19]
Mleccha
(Sanskrit; A Vedic Sanskrit term for a non-Aryan person. In recent times has taken on a derogatory meaning for non-Hindus.

P

Palagi
(Samoan, pronounced Palangi) A term used throughout the South Pacific to refer to (typically Caucasian) non-Polynesian foreigners. [20]
Pākehā
(Maori, adopted into English) A Maori term for non-Polynesians living in New Zealand, usually used for those of European descent specifically, though also used for non-Maori in general. In its narrower definition, acceptance of the term varies amongst those it describes. It is commonly used by a range of journalists and columnists from The New Zealand Herald , New Zealand's largest-circulation daily newspaper. It is accepted wholeheartedly by some of the people it describes but was dropped as a descriptive term from the 2001 census because of potential offence. [21]
Pytaguá
(Guarani) A Guarani term for strangers.

S

Stranac
Serbo-Croatian (Cyrillic spelling стра́нац) a term literally meaning stranger, used in the countries that made up Former Yugoslavia to refer to any foreigner or alien. The term is still used legally in Bosnia and Herzegovina [22] but has been phased out of use in Croatia and Slovenia.

T

Tapuia
A term used by the Tupi of Brazil for all non-Tupi indigenous peoples. [23]

W

Wasi'chu
Term for a non-indigenous, particularly white person in the Sioux Dakota and Lakota languages. Widely adopted in English in works critical of colonialism on the erroneous, folk-etymology belief that it derives from the term for "he who takes the fat." [24] [25]

Y

Yankee
An uncommon term used among the Amish of Geauga County, Ohio to refer to non-Amish people. [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbarian</span> Person said to be uncivilized or primitive

A barbarian is a person or tribe of people that is perceived to be primitive, savage and warlike. Many cultures have referred to other cultures as barbarians, sometimes out of misunderstanding and sometimes out of prejudice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farang</span> Persian word for Europeans

Farang is a Persian word that originally referred to the Franks and later came to refer to Western or Latin Europeans in general. The word is borrowed from Old French franc or Latin francus, which are also the source of Modern English France, French.

<i>Goy</i> Word meaning non-Jew

In modern Hebrew and Yiddish, goy is a term for a gentile, a non-Jew. Through Yiddish, the word has been adopted into English also to mean "gentile", sometimes in a pejorative sense. As a word principally used by Jews to describe non-Jews, it is a term for the ethnic out-group.

Gentile is a word that today usually means someone who is not Jewish. Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, have historically used the term gentile to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is used as a synonym for heathen, pagan or any non-circumcised person, regardless of ancestry. As a term used to describe non-members of a religious/ethnic group, gentile is sometimes compared to other words used to describe the "outgroup" in other cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pākehā</span> Māori term for non-Māori or White New Zealanders

Pākehā is a Māori-language word used in English, particularly in New Zealand. It generally means a non-Polynesian New Zealander or more specifically a European New Zealander. It is not a legal term and has no definition under New Zealand law. Papa'a has a similar meaning in Cook Islands Māori.

This glossary of names for the British include nicknames and terms, including affectionate ones, neutral ones, and derogatory ones to describe British people, Irish People and more specifically English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish people. Many of these terms may vary between offensive, derogatory, neutral and affectionate depending on a complex combination of tone, facial expression, context, usage, speaker and shared past history.

Gweilo or gwailou is a common Cantonese slang term for Westerners. In the absence of modifiers, it refers to white people and has a history of racially deprecatory and pejorative use. Cantonese speakers frequently use gwailou to refer to Westerners in general use, in a non-derogatory context, although whether this type of usage is offensive is disputed by both Cantonese and Westerners.

<i>Comrade</i> Term meaning friend, colleague or ally, with political connotations

In political contexts, comrade means a fellow party member, usually left-wing. The political use was inspired by the French Revolution, after which it grew into a form of address between socialists and workers. Since the Russian Revolution, popular culture in the West has often associated it with communism. As such, it can be used as a derogatory reference to left-wingers, akin to "commie". In particular, the Russian word tovarishch may be used as derogatory reference to Communists.

<i>Ajam</i> Arabic word referring to people whose first language is not Arabic

Ajam is an Arabic word meaning mute. It generally refers to non-Arabs, including those whose mother tongue is not Arabic. During the Arab conquest of Persia, the term became a racial pejorative. In many languages, including Hindi, Sindhi, Urdu, Persian, Turkish, Hindustani, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Kurdish, Gujarati, Chechen, Malay, Punjabi, Kashmiri and Swahili, 'Ajam and 'Ajamī refer to Iran and Iranians respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaffir (racial term)</span> Ethnic slur used to refer to a black person

Kaffir, also spelled Cafri, is an exonym and an ethnic slur – the use of it in reference to black people being particularly common in South Africa. In Arabic, the word kāfir ("unbeliever") was originally applied to non-Muslims before becoming predominantly focused on pagan zanj who were increasingly used as slaves. During the Age of Exploration in early modern Europe, variants of the Latin term cafer were adopted in reference to non-Muslim Bantu peoples even when they were monotheistic. It was eventually used, particularly in Afrikaans, for any black person during the Apartheid and Post-Apartheid eras, closely associated with South African racism, it became a pejorative by the mid-20th century and is now considered extremely offensive hate speech. Punishing continuing use of the term was one of the concerns of the Promotion of Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act enacted by the South African parliament in the year 2000 and it is now euphemistically addressed as the K-word in South African English.

Allochtoon is a Dutch word (from Greek: ἀλλόχθων, from ἄλλος allos'other' and χθών chthōn'soil, earth, land', literally meaning "emerging from another soil". It is the opposite of the word autochtoon (in English "autochthonous" or "autochthon"; from Greek αὐτόχθων, from αὐτός autos'self, same' and again χθών chthōn'soil, earth, land', literally meaning "emerging from this soil".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giaour</span> Non-Muslim person (of Ottoman Empire)

Giaour or Gawur meaning "infidel", is a slur used mostly in the lands of the former Ottoman Empire for non-Muslims or, more particularly, Christians in the Balkans.

Mzungu, also known as muzungu, mlungu, musungu or musongo, is a Bantu word that means "wanderer" originally pertaining to the first European explorers to the East African region whom the local tribes thought were traveling aimlessly with no goals to settle, conquer or trade, like restless spirits - the initial explorers who unbeknownst to the local tribes, were taxed with mapping the area, travel and trade routes, key landmarks like the source of the river Nile as well as documenting dominant kingdoms and forging some alliances that were then later used by missionaries and colonialists in their conquest.

Gabr is a New Persian term originally used to denote a Zoroastrian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infidel</span> Disbeliever in central tenets of a religion

An infidel is a person who is accused of disbelief in the central tenets of one's own religion, such as members of another religion, or irreligious people.

Bule is an Indonesian word for foreigners and/or non-Indonesian national, specifically people of European descent.

Oborɔnyi is the Akan word for foreigner, literally meaning "those who come from over the horizon." It is often colloquially translated into "white person."

Gaijin is a Japanese word for foreigners and non-Japanese citizens in Japan, specifically being applied to foreigners of non-Japanese ethnicity and those from the Japanese diaspora who are not Japanese citizens. The word is composed of two kanji: gai and jin. Similarly composed words that refer to foreign things include gaikoku and gaisha. Though the term can be applied to all foreigners of non-Japanese citizenship and ethnicity, some non-Japanese East Asians may have specific terminology used instead.

Dkhar, is a term used by the Khasis to refer to non-Khasi people in Meghalaya. It is non derogatory but some perceived it as derogatory. For Khasis any non-tribal is a dkhar and they address them by that term. Sometimes the word dkhar have been collectively used with the term heathen (Non-believers), as most of the native Khasis are christian, While non-tribals are mainly hindu. In real, the term is mostly used against affluent Bengali Hindu settlers from West Bengal or the Bengali Hindu refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan It is sometimes abbreviated to ′Khar and may also denote a Khasi clan with the same name.

References

  1. ↑ "Outgroup (definition)". APA Dictionary of Psychology.
  2. ↑ "Dutch word of the day: 354. Allochtoon". Dwotd.web-log.nl. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Gignoux, Ph. "ANĒRĀN". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  4. ↑ McKanagh, Kristen. "Amish Words & Phrases".
  5. 1 2 "Why do Amish call us "English"? (Video)" . Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  6. ↑ The Baheyeldin Dynasty. "The Thai word "Farang", its variations in other languages, and its Arabic origin | The Baheyeldin Dynasty". Baheyeldin.com. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "farang". Etymology, origin and meaning of farang by etymonline. 3 April 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  8. ↑ Needham, John (1999). "The Mormon-Gentile Dichotomy in PMLA (letter to editor)". Publications of the Modern Language Association of America. 114 (5): 1109–10. doi: 10.2307/463472 . JSTOR   463472. S2CID   164189324 . Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  9. ↑ Speros Vryonis (1993). The Turkish State and History: Clio Meets the Grey Wolf. Institute for Balkan Studies. ISBN   978-0-89241-532-8. The Turkish term "giaour" a term of contempt, was applied to these Balkan Christians,
  10. ↑ Entangled Histories of the Balkans: Volume One: National Ideologies and Language Policies. BRILL. 13 June 2013. p. 44. ISBN   978-90-04-25076-5. In the Ottoman defters, Orthodox Christians are as a rule recorded as kâfir or gâvur (infidels) or (u)rum.
  11. ↑ Gawrych, George (2006). The Crescent and the Eagle: Ottoman Rule, Islam and the Albanians, 1874-1913. I.B.Tauris. p. 15. ISBN   978-1-84511-287-5.
  12. ↑ "Being Black in Egypt". The New Arab. For example, Nubians take pride in their pure race, and they use the term 'Gorbatti' to describe outsiders or non-Nubians
  13. ↑ The Merriam-Webster Dictionary
  14. ↑ "Guiri, gabacho, gringo, ¿conoces el origen de estas palabras?". 2 February 2018.
  15. ↑ "Gringo, gringa | Diccionario de la lengua española".
  16. ↑ "Honolulu Star-Bulletin Local News". Starbulletin.com. 24 March 1999. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  17. ↑ "heathen (definition)". Miriam Webster.
  18. ↑ "Glossary of Zoroastrian terms". Avesta.org.
  19. ↑ Archived 20 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  20. ↑ Archived 27 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  21. ↑ "Census poses a $38m question - National - NZ Herald News". Nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 22 August 2014.[ dead link ]
  22. ↑ http://msb.gov.ba/PDF/zkb/zkbclan%205.pdf
  23. ↑ http://www.tribunadonorte.com.br/noticia/os-tapuios-etnia-ou-designaa-a-o/457546
  24. ↑ Ortiz, Roxanne Dunbar (1 September 1981). "Wasi'chu: The Continuing Indian Wars. By Bruce Johansen and Roberto Maestas. (Book review)". American Indian Culture and Research Journal. 5 (4): 77.
  25. ↑ Roth, David D. (1975). "Lakota Sioux Terms for White and Negro". Plains Anthropologist. 20 (68): 117–120. ISSN   0032-0447.
  26. ↑ "Outsiders" . Retrieved 15 July 2023.
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