h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A573419

This is an excellent entry that should be considered for the edited guide.

Eternity

Yes, very useful I should think. I recently found out myself that it wasn't a very polite thing to call anyone. Not that I'm planning on visiting that neck of the woods, but you never know, do you?

True. It is a good article.

But... The article concentrates mainly on the correct naming of the "eskimos" -- BTW what would be - if there is any - the political correct general form for "eskimos"... I mean I hate using this word, but if I am talking about all groups I have to find a denomination...

I miss some more history and socio-cultural aspects... What is the religion, why do they live in such an inhospit part of the globe. Tell people that they to NOT live in igloos unless they have to (were the Igloos not originally used as depots for fur and meat?) Are they nomadic?

Thanks for listening,

HELL

Since this article is about why you should not use the word Eskimo, it should be called something like:

Eskimo - a derogatory term

(just for the records: the author is
amukinak http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/U179029,
and has been made aware of this PR thread

Useful entry, I would have called them E. just out of ignorance.

I too was ingnorant, but I still don't really have a good idea of how to pronounce the names correctly- some from of pro-noun-see-a-shun guide (perhaps in brackets after the names) would be really nice.

Cheers, vp

I thought the PC term was 'inuit' (sp?) but I may be wrong...

I agree this entry should either have a different name (the easiest thing to do, it could stay as it is then), or contain more general information about the topic in question (perhaps exploring the '30 names for snow' myth).

Hey, hey...

Just found following:

Eskimo is not stemming from a french word-corruption meaning "raw-fish-eater"

Eskimo comes from the Cree (a native language) word:
ayaaskimeew - which means snowshoe-maker (Verb: assimeew)

and is related to the Ojibwa language word:
askimee (meaning: she is making a snow-shoe)

-- check that out the net if you don't believe

I think this defuses some of the derrogativeness of the word 'Eskimo'... Anyway, there are better terms to call these people.

Cheers,

HELL

Maybe we should be calling them "Arctic Americans"?

I think it might be a bit strong to assume the word "Eskimo" is an insult just because it's a foreign-language term. After all, if I were Deutsch or Español then terms such as "German" or "Spanish" would be applied to me purely as descriptors with no pejorative intent.

Possibly it's just a manifestation of the phenomenon where the name of a minority group now goes through several recognisable stages:
1) A term is used purely descriptively - no more emotive than, say, "tall"
2) The minority believes (wrongly or more probably rightly) that it is disliked or disrespected
3a) The term comes to be seen as an insult by the minority
3b) The term comes to be used as an insult by intolerant members of the majority
4) A new "neutral" term has to be invented, and the wheel starts to turn again
5) Radical members of the minority attempt to show their toughness or assert their identity by using a word no-one else is allowed to use in describing them

Once stage 5 is reached, it is very confusing to tell whether someone is using the term in an innocent/ignorant, offensive or ironic sense - as has happened with words such as "gay" and "black". Most people just want to know what word won't offend, then use that. Thank goodness it doesn't work the same way with objects and concepts - imagine how difficult it would be to read old novels if the word for (eg) "horse" or "hate" had to be changed with every generation!

Hi GVI you're right to a certain extent, but:

1) They apparently don't want to be called 'Eskimo'
2) *We* have to adapt to that
3) Probably there are many of the so called 'Eskimos' who do not think that the word 'Eskimo' is a derrogative term.
4) 'Arctic Americans' would only cover a small part of the 'Eskimo' population
5) AFAIK There is no term to substitute 'Eskimo' yet.

Anyways, let's return to the entry...

Cheerio,

HELL

Hi Hell,

I was just doubting the assertion in the article that the term Eskimo is offensive Because it's an "imposed" word. It's not imposed - it's just the ENGLISH word. My point about Deutsch etc is that you have to accept that other languages use other words for things, including yourself. Obviously some find the term offensive, though I'd be interested to know WHY.

However, the comparison to terms such as "Kraut" is inappropriate. If a Briton calls a German a "Kraut", they INTEND to be offensive. If the average person in the street uses the term "Eskimo", they are simply trying to find a short and convenient term to cover the native peoples of Far North America.

Obviously there are many complications - there seems to be little or no clear distinction from other indigenous American peoples, as you might expect given that the whole continent is populated and there must have been overlapping and interbreeding. But there is a recognisable set of pre-European peoples who live in those areas of Canada and surrounding islands that freeze solid in the winter: I would invite them to please tell us by what term they wish to be known, and we will endeavour to comply.

I'm not trying to be offensive: I'm trying to find out how NOT to offend. Some Britons are offended by being callled "European", but we're not going to ask the rest of the world to stop using the term

Hi GVI,

I was not opposing your message. I said I agree to a certain extent. I also think that calling a German a 'European' is almost the same as calling an Inuit 'Eskimo'... I just would like know what they WANT to be called instead IF they feel insulted. If they told us - no problem, we'd adapt.

I do not think that the German/Kraut Inuit/Eskimo analogy holds. But hey, I only learning.

GVI: I was NOT saying that you were being offensive.

It's just that this article laid out that these people don't want to be called Eskimos... For some good reasons.

*Uff* What the heck. I'm on a merry go round argument here.

I understood you GVI, and I agree to a certain extent, and I too would like to know what the political correct term for the supposedly derrogative term 'Eskimo' is, so that I can adapt.

Bye,

HELL

Okay, sorry, I wasn't implying that you were saying I was being offensive - I was just concerned some readers might be.... and so we could go on, as you say.
Glad that's cleared up

Look as I see it they had a name imposed on them during a derogatory time and it has come to sum up that time, in very much the same way as a certain name has for Africans and people of African decent [In fact to be pedantic we are all of African decent but hey ho]. Now I think it is fair natives of the artic north of the Americas have the right to say that they don't want to be called that any more.
I seem to recall that recently they where given rights to there own homeland and they named it something that means "Our Land" possibly a variation on that like England to English might be appropriate.

The inhabitants of Nunavut ("Our Land") call themselves Inuit, which seems to be the standard PC term in English-speaking countries.

For what it's worth, Greenland is known by its natives as Kalallit Nunaat, which also roughly translates as "Our Land". As far as I know, the standard PC term for its natives is "Greenlandic".

Geographically Greenlandic, politically Danish?
I'm interested in the debate here about perceived offence by foreign appellation. When I was in Italy, my friends were confused to learn they were "tedeschi," and were suspicious of this term at first. Add to this "alemanes", "allemands", and "German" and you have a whole slew of terms for a people that call themselves "Deutsch." Which of these is offensive. I think a lot has to do with intent. If you call someone "nazista mangiapatate" instead of "tedesco" you do it with the intention to offend, whereas until a few moments ago I knew the inhabitants of the northernmost reaches of the American continent only as Eskimo and have absolutely nothing personal against them.
What are you supposed to do if it's the only word you know?

If you don't know and you get the wrong reaction then ask what is wrong, apologise and then adapt. It's all you can do.

But this entry is helpful as it tells people it is wrong.

However thinking of it the only time I can think of an nationality coming up in conversation is
1) your [nationality] aren't you?
Which to be fair is pointless conversational white noise.
2) During political debate, and in that case just ask what the apropriate name for the people ahead of time.

Well that is my glib answer of the week.

Researcher PSG

Hi,

I just checked Canadian Gov. site for The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. They recognise three groups of aboriginal people: Indians, Métis people and Inuit. Fisrt Nations is the P.C. alternative to Indian. Inuit is a collective word for aboriginal people living above the tree line in N.W.T. (and now Nunavut), Quebec and Labrador.
The word Inuit means "people" in the Inuit language - Inuktitut. The singular of Inuit is Inuk.

I read or heard once that the word Huskey came from Eskimo ("esky" dogs).

I've had a chance to go home and do some research, so now I know that the Greenlanders refer to themselves as "Kalaallit", and "Nunaat" means "Our Land" for them, just like "Nunavut" means the same for the Canadian Inuit.

Back to reviewing the article: It mentions how "Eskimos" is derived from the French word for "eaters of raw fish". Might that word be "esquimaux"? It should probably be mentioned in the article, once it gets edited.

No I don't think so.

As I stated earlier, the word 'Eskimo' is probably not derived from the French version of 'Raw fish eater' but comes from a Cree word meaning 'Maker of snow-shoes'... It's in this thread further up above.

Cheers HELL,

--------- Longish PS follows -----------

BTW: There are many Nation/Nationalities-Words derived from other things than the 'Our Land'/'our Nation'-motif:

The word 'American' is derived from Vespuccis forename ('Amerigo') and 'Brazilian' originally means 'Red-Wood Worker' (because the protuguese originally found red woods in their colony, and the people working there were 'Brazilians' or 'Those working with Red Wood', hence the designation 'Brazil'). Or 'Philippines' derived from a Dutch king's name. Think of 'Bolivia' and 'Ecuador'... OK, enough. It was just a thought, that there's nothing wrong in naming people according to what they do or who had discovered them. The point is: If they feel it's OK, then OK. If they want to ba called something else (as is the case with the 'Inuit', 'Kalaalit' or 'Nunaat') then the others should adapt.

Cheers,

HELL