List of Ethnic Slurs by Ethnicity

List of ethnic slurs by ethnicity

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This list of ethnic slurs by ethnicity compiles ethnic slurs that are, or have been, used in the English language. For the purposes of this list, ethnicity can be defined by either race, nationality or ethnicity.

See also alphabetical list of ethnic slurs.

East Asian descent

Celestial

(Aust.) In the late 1900's Chinese people in Australia were often referred to as "Celestials","[citation needed] a reference to their coming from the "Celestial Empire" (i.e China), see a usage example.[22]

Charlie

(U.S.) A term used by American troops during the Vietnam War as a short-hand term for communist guerrillas: it was shortened from "Victor Charlie," the radio code designation for Viet Cong, or VC.[23]

Chee-chee

a Eurasian half-caste [probably from Hindi chi-chi fie!, literally, dirt][24]

Chinaman

(U.S. and English) Chinese person, used in old American west when discrimination against Chinese was common.[25] Possibly coined by early Chinese Americans from a translation of "Zhong Guo Ren" which is literally "China" and "Person." Compare to "Frenchman" or "Irishman," generally not considered insulting. The term generates controversy when still used in geographic places associated or resembling Chinese, and often used without intended malice outside of the U.S. Though it is still heard in the lyrics to the 1970s song "Kung Fu Fighting," it tends to generates objections in modern times, especially in the U.S. In 20th century Chicago politics, "Chinaman" had a specific, non-insulting meaning. A junior politician or government worker's political patron was their "Chinaman" (or "chinaman" without the initial capital) regardless of their actual ethnic heritage or gender.[26] "Chinaman", without the initial capital, is also regularly used in cricket in a non-ethnic sense to refer to a left-handed bowler who uses a wrist spin action.

Chink

(U.S.) used to refer to people of perceived Chinese descent. Describes their eye slits or chinks. Considered extremely derogatory, although at least one U.S. school proudly used the term as a sports mascot until the 1980s.[27]

Jap

(Predominantly U.S.) Shortened from the word "Japanese", used derogatorily towards the group.[citation needed]

Gook

a derogatory term for Asians, used especially for enemy soldiers.[28] Its use as an ethnic slur has been traced to U.S. Marines serving in the Philippines in the early 20th century.[28] The earliest recorded use is dated 1920.[29] Widely popularized by the Vietnam War (1965-73).

Oriental

(Predominantly U.S., used elsewhere) Originally the correct way to refer to an Asian person's ethnicity (In the same way "Negro" came to be a derogatory term for black people), but eventually turned into another derogatory term, as most names associated with a group of people get turned into negative terms when used by individuals that hate the directed group.

Nip

A Japanese person. From "Nippon", first used in World War II[citation needed]

Slopehead, slope head or slope

Offensive reference to East Asians, specifically Vietnamese and Chinese. Earliest reference is US usage in Vietnam War period, also used in Australia.[citation needed]

South Asian descent

American-Born Confused Desi, or ABCD

(East Indians in U.S.): used for American-born South Asians including Indian/ Pakistani/ Bangladeshi (mainly Indians as Indians are the largest number of "South Asians") who are confused about their cultural identity. This is often used humorously without any derogatory meaning.

European descent

Afro-Saxon

(North America) A young white male devotee of black pop culture.[30]

Ann

A white woman to a black person — or a black woman who acts too much like a white one. While Miss Ann, also just plain Ann, is a derisive reference to the white woman, by extension it is applied to any black woman who puts on airs and tries to act like Miss Ann.[1]

Bule

(Indonesia) White people. Literally: albino, but used in the same way that 'colored' might be used to refer to a black person to mean any white person.[31]

Charlie

Mildly derogatory term used by African Americans, mainly in the 1960s and 1970s, to refer to a white person (from James Baldwin's novel, Blues For Mr. Charlie).[citation needed]

Coonass or coon-ass

(U.S.) a Cajun; may be derived from the Frenchconasse. May be used among Cajuns themselves. Not considered to be derogatory in most circumstances.

Cracker

(U.S.) Derogatory term for whites, particularly from the American South.[32] May be used by whites themselves in a non-offensive manner.

Gringo

(The Americas) Non-Hispanic U.S. national. Hence Gringolandia, the United States; not always a pejorative term, unless used with intent to offend.[33]

Gubba

(AUS) Aboriginal (Koori) term for white people[34] — derived from Governor / Gubbanah

Gweilo, gwailo, or kwai lo (鬼佬)

(Hong Kong and South China) A White man. Gwei means "ghost." The color white is associated with ghosts in China. A lo is a regular guy (i.e. a fellow, a chap, or a bloke).[35] Once a mark of xenophobia, the word was promoted by Maoists and is now in general, informal use.[36]

Honky (U.S.)

Offensive term for a white person.

Haole (Hawaii)

Usually not offensive, can be derogatory if intended to offend. Used by native Hawaiians to refer in modern times to anyone of caucasian descent whether native born or not. Use has spread to many other islands of the Pacific and is known in modern pop culture.[37]

Mangia cake (Canada)

A derogatory term used by Italians to disdainfully describe those of Anglo-Saxon descent (from Italian, literally 'cake eater'). One suggestion is that this term originated from the perception of Italian immigrants that Canadian bread is sweet as cake in comparison to the rustic bread eaten by Italians.[38]

Ofay

A white person[39]

Peckerwood

(U.S.) a white person (southerner). The term "Peckerwood," an inversion of "Woodpecker," is used as a pejorative term. This word was coined in the 19th century by Southern blacks to describe poor whites. They considered them loud and troublesome like the bird, and often with red hair like the woodpecker's head plumes.[40]

Roundeye

(English speaking Asians) a white or non-Asian person.[41]

Wigger, Wegro

is a slang term for a white person who allophilically emulates mannerisms, slangs and fashions stereotypically associated with urban African Americans; especially in relation to hip hop culture.

Individual ethnicities

Americans

Merkin

The phrase "a merkin" sounds similar to "american", and is in common use by the British, especially expats and in online communities.

Yank

From the term "Yankee" used for people from New England,[42] often interrelated as slang, used within the UK (and sometimes Canada and Australia).

Septic

Cockney rhyming slang, from "Septic Tank" rhyming with Yank.

British

See Alternative names for the British

Germans

See List of terms used for Germans

Italians

Dago

(U.S.) A person of Italian descent.

Ginzo

(U.S.) an Italian-American.[43]

Goombah

An Italian male, especially an Italian thug or mafioso.

Greaseball

(U.S.) A person of Italian descent.[44]

Guinea

(U.S.) someone of Italian descent. (Derives from "Guinea Negro," was called because of some Italians who had dark complexions)[45]

Wog

(Australian and Britain) Usually refers to any person of South Asian, Mediterranean, Southern European, and Middle Eastern descent. Often used for Italians, Greeks, and Arabs.

Wop

(U.S.) Possibly from Spanish adjective "guapo," meaning "handsome", and used in some dialects of Italian as a greeting.[46] With Out Passport/Papers has been noted as alternative definition to Italians that arrived to North America as immigrants without papers.

Jews

Heeb, Hebe

(U.S.) offensive term for a Jewish person, derived from the word "Hebrew".[47][48]

Hymie

A Jew, from the Hebrew Chaim ("life"). Also used in the term, "Hymie-town," a reference to New York, and in particular, Brooklyn.[49]

Kike

Originates from the word 'keikl', in Yiddish, which means 'circle', the reason being that the first Jewish immigrants in America, who were unable to sign their names, signed with a circle instead of a 'x'.[50]

Sheeny

From Yiddish "shaine" or German "schön" meaning "beautiful."[50]

Shylock

Comes from Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice" and "Othello." Similar to Sheister.[50]

Yid

Backformation from "Yiddish".[51]

Russians

Russki, Russkie

Disparaging when used by foreigners for "Russian"[52] (actually, these are transliterations of the Russian "Русский" (in Russian pronounced: Rooskiy) for "Russian" and the spelling Russkiy is almost always in a literary context. "Russki" in Russian simply means someone who is an ethnic Russian as opposed to a minority nationality within the Russian Federation.)

Tibla

A highly offensive Estonian term for Russians

Literature

Geoffrey Hughes, An Encyclopedia of Swearing: The Social History of Oaths, Profanity, Foul Language, And Ethnic Slurs in the English-speaking World, (M.E. Sharpe: 2006)
The New Oxford American Dictionary, second edition. Ed. Erin McKean. (OxfordUniversity Press: 2005).
The Concise Oxford English Dictionary. Ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. (OxfordUniversity Press: 2004)
Bruce Moore (editor), The Australian Oxford Dictionary, (2004)
Eric Partridge, A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English, (2002)
Richard A. Spears, Slang and Euphemism, (2001)
Jonathon Green, The Cassell Dictionary of Slang (1998)
Grand dictionnaire (Larousse: 1993)
John A. Simpson, Oxford Dictionary Of Modern SlangISBN 0198610521
John A. Simpson, Oxford English Dictionary Additions SeriesISBN 0198612990

References

^ ab Hugh Rawson, Wicked Words, (1989) p. 19.
^ Spears, loc. cit. p. 10.; also, Zoo Ape or Jungle Ape
^ Green, loc. cit. p. 36.
^ abcdefg Spears, op. cit. p. 118.
^Online Etymology Dictionary: Coon
^ "crow." Webster's [Accessed 12 March 2006].
^"'Controversial' golly to be shelved" BBC News 23 August 2001
^ Simpson, "jigaboo," op. cit.
^Jim Crow Laws: Arkansas
^ "Jim Fish." Ibid. [Accessed 12 March 2006].
^Allen Quip Provokes Outrage, Apology
^ ab Goings, Kenneth (1994) Mammy and Uncle Mose: Black Collectibles and American Stereotyping, Bloomington: Indiana University Press, ISBN 0-253-32592-7
^ Simpson. "munt." loc. cit.
^ "nig-nog" Webster's
^ Simpson. "nigra," loc. cit.
^Who Are The Bush People? by Sean Gonsalves
^ Boskin, Joseph (1986) Sambo, New York: Oxford University Press
^ Simpson, "sooty." loc. cit.
^American Heritage Dictionary
^ Simpson, "tar," op. cit.
^ Green, loc. cit. p. 1185.
^ "A Celestial on a Bronco"
^"The Language of War," on the American Experience/Vietnam Online website; retrieved August 31, 2007
^ "chee-chee." Webster's [Accessed 12 Mar. 2006].
^Peak of Controversy in Canmore "a resident of Calgary, wrote to the Minister of Community Development strongly objecting to the name Chinaman's Peak"
^"From trouble to patronage job, and now to bigger trouble" January 27, 2004 Chicago Sun-Times. Accessed March 7, 2007. "Before the age of political correctness, Munoz would have been called Torres' chinaman, and in City Hall, that's still what they'd call him, but if you prefer, you can stick with mentor or patron."
^ Simpson, "Chinky"
^ abDictionary.comgook.
^ Seligman, Herbert J., "The Conquest of Haiti", The Nation, July 10, 1920.
^ Speers, loc. cit. p.4.
^Don't call me bule! How expatriates experience a word
^1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
^The American Heritage Dictionary: Gringo
^ "gubba," Moore, op. cit. [Accessed 7 May 2006.]
^Gwai Louh: The Foreign Devil
^Gweilo
^haole - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
^"Anyone for a Kubasa on a Calabrese?"
^The American Heritage Dictionary: Ofay
^A Visual Database of Extremist Symbols, Logos and Tattoos
^ Spears, p. 295.
^Yankee - Definitions from Dictionary.com
^"ginzo"The New Oxford American Dictionary, second edition. Ed. Erin McKean. (OxfordUniversity Press: 2005.) [Accessed 6 May 2006]
^greaseball - Definitions from Dictionary.com
^ "Guinea," op. cit. [Accessed 21 Mar. 2006].
^Online Etymological Dictionary: Wop
^Madresh, Marjorie (2004-05-28). "Founder of 'Hip to be Heeb' magazine speaks to students". The Triangle Online. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
^"Merriam-Webster Online definition of hebe". Retrieved 2007-02-14.
^Hymie, Eric Wolarsky, Rhetoric of Race Dictionary Project, College of New Jersey. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
^ abcList of slurs
^Online Etymological Dictionary: Yid

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