# From away - What do you call people from other places?



## cuchuflete

The thread on "It's all Greek to me..." has made me ponder the ways each nation or village has to refer to foráneos, foreigners, strangers, and anyone from another place, including the neighboring village.

Here in Maine, we say "flatlander" to refer to people from the interior of the country, or generally those not from this coastal region.  Flatlanders don't know anything about lobster fishing, and are tolerated but considered deficient!

As a generality, anyone who is not a 5th generation descendent of a native-born Mainer is called "From away".  "Away" includes the neighboring states, and usually implies that the person is not fully in touch with reality.
Many of my neighbors are 'from away' and they and I use the term to refer to the summer tourists, and other new residents.  We quickly forget that we too are from away, and always will be!  When we say that someone is from away, we don't always mean that they are stupid or ignorant, rather that they just don't understand reality from a Maine perspective.

What terms do you use?  What are their implications?

thanks,
Cuchu


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## walnut

"Straniero" "Foreigner/Stranger" is today neutral but I remember that in the sixties "La Straniera" was also used like a synonym for an American, French or North-European girl, generally coming from a much more advanced and open minded country, particularly for what concerns sexual behaviour. "Ha sposato una straniera" "He married a foreigner" could be exotic and jet-set like because mixed couples were so rare and mostly upper class.  

Today "Extracomunitario" is very common for who comes from outside the EU, but it VERY rarely applies to people coming from the first world...  There are Japanese, American, Australian and then the poors and immigrants or "Extracomunitari" (doesn't matter if a person is from a nation which technically belongs to the EU: immigrants ARE Extracomunitari). This is the style that also our media like to suggest. 

Until few years ago North-African persons were "Marocchini" = Moroccans, doesn't matter if they actually came from Algeria or Tunisia, because the first big immigration wave from north Africa came from that country.

 When a room or a place is a mess as it is after a party we say "sembra che siano passati gli unni" = "it's like if the Huns passed by here".
We say "usanze barbare" = "barbarian habits" when joking about strange habits or styles coming from abroad. It's everyday language not for italian speaking persons only but... 1000 years ago we DID have barbarians running through the country! I couldn't guess if these expressions entered everyday language because of historical remindings, but I like to think so...

  W.


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## Silvia

When someone's not from your own town, you say he/she's forestiero/a and that applies to at least a couple of generations.


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## dave

In my mother's little village in Yorkshire, anyone who can't trace their roots in the village back to the Wars of the Roses is known as an offcumden (and woe betide you if you're from Lancashire!)


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## cuchuflete

dave said:
			
		

> In my mother's little village in Yorkshire, anyone who can't trace their roots in the village back to the Wars of the Roses is known as an offcumden (and woe betide you if you're from Lancashire!)


Thanks for that Dave.  Now...please tell us more about the meanings, official and other, of "offcumden". That is, of course, if you can discuss it in a public setting.

Abrazos,
Cuchu


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## dave

Well, I have no idea! I might be speaking to my mum later so I'll see if she knows.


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## David

Sometimes, they are called "Friend," or even "Brother." But not very often.


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## charlie2

In Hong Kong where Cantonese (a chinese dialect) is spoken, all westerners are called "Gwai Lo". "Gwai" means "ghost" and "Lo" means "a guy". I don't think it is meant to be disrespectful. It just means that "they" think differently.


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## cuchuflete

David said:
			
		

> Sometimes, they are called "Friend," or even "Brother." But not very often.


 Sadly, you are correct.  Our viewpoints seem to remain very narrow, despite our supposed 'worldliness'.

When I came to this little village a few years ago, I overheard the following conversation.

Lady from "away", speaking to a local man:  "His son is from the  city."
Local: "The city.  Hah!"  When you first get here, that means New York [~350 miles away] or Boston [~160 miles away].  After you live here a few years, when you say 'the city', you mean Portland. [about 60 miles away.]
When you've been living here ten years, it means Bath or Brunswick! [10 miles away, population about 10,000].

saludos,
Cuchu


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## Jana337

This is slightly off topic but anyway...
The Czech name for Germany literally means "Dumbland" (dumb in the sense of "unable to speak", not "stupid"). The language the German tribes used was absolutely incomprehensible for the Slavic population. It was equally impossible to communicate with a German as it was with a dumb person.
This holds for all Slavic languages as far as I am aware.

Jana


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## Whodunit

As I said in "It's all Greek to me ..." posting #25, there aren't only expressions like "foreigner" and "alien", but also insults like "Nip", "Yankee", and "Kraut".

My question to all native English speakers: How often is used such an insulting language?

Thanks.


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## cuchuflete

whodunit said:
			
		

> As I said in "It's all Greek to me ..." posting #25, there aren't only expressions like "foreigner" and "alien", but also insults like "Nip", "Yankee", and "Kraut".
> 
> My question to all native English speakers: How often is used such an insulting language?
> 
> Thanks.



Whodunit...please read message #1 of this thread.  You will find that it is about a different topic than yours, which seems to be about unpleasant ways to describe people from specific nationalities.   This seemed to escape you in two threads in one day.

To answer your question...uneducated buffoons say things like the examples you have provided with unfortunate frequency. Educated people tend to use these terms very little or never.  Would you really have expected a different answer?  

There are, of course, exceptions.  Shortly after a war, people in most countries will use insulting terms to describe their recent enemy.  Over time, the use of those words decreases.  In the 1950's in the US it was common to hear the words 'nip' and 'jap'.  These are very uncommon today.

cuchuflete


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## Cath.S.

In Frence there really are two categories of foreigners, if not in my eye, in the opinion of lots of French people.
The first is "les étrangers" which is basically neutral.
The second is
"les immigrés" which means those foreigners who have come to France for longer than just holidays. Mind you, if , say, an Australian person settles in France, no one will call him "un immigré". This word, which was not meant to be derogatory but merely descriptive has become a synonym of "unwanted foreigner preferably from a third world country, and most of the time from an Arabic country". 
The majority of French people are (un)fairly xenophobic, and it does not make me proud to say this. 
I know this from personal experience. Even though I was born in France from a French mother, my dad's family was from Armenia, and as a kid I was dark-skinned and -haired. Other kids used to call me "sale Arabe" -even though Armenia is not an Arabic country, as we all know. But to them I was still one of the dirty "immigrés" their parents had warned them about.
I only mentioned normal acceptable words, there are worse insults of course, but this is not the right thread and anyway it is to sad to talk about.


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## gaer

In South Florida, where I live, we refer to tourists (who mainly come here in the winter) as "snowbirds".


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## cuchuflete

gaer said:
			
		

> In South Florida, where I live, we refer to tourists (who mainly come here in the winter) as "snowbirds".



Hi Gaer,
For the benefit of those not from the US, please give us the sense of what you and your fellow Floridians mean when you call someone a snowbird.  Is it just descriptive of a migratory pattern, or is there something more to it?

thanks,
Cuchuflete


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## Whodunit

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Whodunit...please read message #1 of this thread.  You will find that it is about a different topic than yours, which seems to be about unpleasant ways to describe people from specific nationalities.   This seemed to escape you in two threads in one day.
> 
> To answer your question...uneducated buffoons say things like the examples you have provided with unfortunate frequency. Educated people tend to use these terms very little or never.  Would you really have expected a different answer?
> 
> There are, of course, exceptions.  Shortly after a war, people in most countries will use insulting terms to describe their recent enemy.  Over time, the use of those words decreases.  In the 1950's in the US it was common to hear the words 'nip' and 'jap'.  These are very uncommon today.
> 
> cuchuflete



Okay, calm down cuchu. I'm really sorry about that.

Yes, I DID expect another answer. In Germany, we call foreign buddies e.g. "nigger" or "nip" but these expressions are _only_ used if (s)he's your friend. Otherwise, it is forbidden and not often used.

The infants and little kids also use these terms by hearing from the eldest or grown-ups. Between friends, they'd say: "Look in there, a Nip" only since they recognize his "slit-eyes".

In Germany, foreigners are generally called "Ausländer". But words like "Migranten"/"Immigranten" are very rare.


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## cuchuflete

Peace Brother Whodunit!!

I was simply following your instructions:




> Please correct my mistakes! Thanks.
> Korrigiert mich bitte! Danke.
> Corrigez-moi, s'il vous plaît! Merci.
> ¡Por favor, corrijan mis faltas! Gracias.
> .فضلاً صحح اخطائي! شكراً
> Errores meos corrigete, quaeso! Benigne.







			
				whodunit said:
			
		

> Okay, calm down cuchu. I'm really sorry about that.
> 
> Yes, I DID expect another answer. In Germany, we call foreign buddies e.g. "nigger" or "nip" but these expressions are _only_ used if (s)he's your friend. Otherwise, it is forbidden and not often used.
> 
> The infants and little kids also use these terms by hearing from the eldest or grown-ups. Between friends, they'd say: "Look in there, a Nip" only since they recognize his "slit-eyes".
> 
> In Germany, foreigners are generally called "Ausländer". But words like "Migranten"/"Immigranten" are very rare.


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## vic_us

whodunit said:
			
		

> Okay, calm down cuchu. I'm really sorry about that.
> 
> Yes, I DID expect another answer. In Germany, we call foreign buddies e.g. "nigger" or "nip" but these expressions are _only_ used if (s)he's your friend. Otherwise, it is forbidden and not often used.
> 
> The infants and little kids also use these terms by hearing from the eldest or grown-ups. Between friends, they'd say: "Look in there, a Nip" only since they recognize his "slit-eyes".
> 
> In Germany, foreigners are generally called "Ausländer". But words like "Migranten"/"Immigranten" are very rare.



I really don't know how to respond to your post without sounding condescending but I'll give it a try. 

First, when you make this type of comments AND you are from Germany, some people get a wee bit nervous... 

Second, things that are consciously forbidden because they have been well thought through and discussed are ok but anything that is _just _forbidden without engaging the frontal cortex can pose a problem in the long term...  

Just a thought!


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## Leopold

In EsEs, we call "guiris" tourists, specially when they're white-skined (burnt white-skined), video-camera and socks with their sandals. Big smile and no idea of Spanish. It applies to USA visitors and Mid/North Europeans holidaymakers.
About not being of one's town... I don't know, "es de fuera". In the cities it is usually said: "es de pueblo" (when, obvious, he does not come from another city), but it has also a derogatory meaning.

L.


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## gaer

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Hi Gaer,
> For the benefit of those not from the US, please give us the sense of what you and your fellow Floridians mean when you call someone a snowbird. Is it just descriptive of a migratory pattern, or is there something more to it?
> 
> thanks,
> Cuchuflete


 
"Snowbirds" is a slang term for tourists. 

It refers to the fact that most of the people who come here come during winter, to escape the cold weather (snow!). For instance, at this moment my mother-in-law is visiting. She lives in up-state NY, and recently she had 30 inches of snow in one day.

Does help?

Gaer


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## DesertCat

Snowbirds aren't generally considered tourists but rather part-year residents.  I live in Arizona and they come here to escape the cold weather but most of them own a house or mobile home here. (Some come in RVs).


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## cuchuflete

gaer said:
			
		

> "Snowbirds" is a slang term for tourists.
> 
> It refers to the fact that most of the people who come here come during winter, to escape the cold weather (snow!). For instance, at this moment my mother-in-law is visiting. She lives in up-state NY, and recently she had 30 inches of snow in one day.
> 
> Does help?
> 
> Gaer



Only 30"?  Well...one can't be too picky these days...When she's had her fill of heat...send her over here...I can always use help shoveling out.

Thanks Gaer,

Cuchu


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## gaer

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Only 30"? Well...one can't be too picky these days...When she's had her fill of heat...send her over here...I can always use help shoveling out.
> 
> Thanks Gaer,
> 
> Cuchu


 
It's really shocking to examine the latitudes of very cold places in the US and look at similar latitudes in Europe!

Berlin is about 52n30. Schenctady, NY--where my mother-in-law lives--is only 42n49, almost 10 degrees lower. Rome is 41n54. What a difference in climates!


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## Whodunit

vic us said:
			
		

> I really don't know how to respond to your post without sounding condescending but I'll give it a try.
> 
> First, when you make this type of comments AND you are from Germany, some people get a wee bit nervous...
> 
> Second, things that are consciously forbidden because they have been well thought through and discussed are ok but anything that is just forbidden without engaging the frontal cortex can pose a problem in the long term...
> 
> Just a thought!



Hi and sorry,

I knew about the problem that can be caused by such a post but that's why I mentioned the word "Kraut", i.e. I would have insulted myself - and I didn't. So I also didn't insult other people.

And I hope it won't have any consequences so I'll keep my post here.

Peace - and I hope never to cause such probs!


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## cuchuflete

whodunit said:
			
		

> Hi and sorry,
> 
> I knew about the problem that can be caused by such a post but that's why I mentioned the word "Kraut", i.e. I would have insulted myself - and I didn't. So I also didn't insult other people.
> 
> And I hope it won't have any consequences* so I'll keep my post here.*
> 
> Peace - and I hope never to cause such probs!



And because this is a place for open discussion of cultural issues, including some which may be uncomfortable...the post stays here, the thread is open for business.  So long as no one intends a personal insult...we converse freely here.  

Thanks to all for keeping the level of conversation at a high level of courtesy.

Cuchu


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## gaer

whodunit said:
			
		

> Hi and sorry,
> 
> I knew about the problem that can be caused by such a post but that's why I mentioned the word "Kraut", i.e. I would have insulted myself - and I didn't. So I also didn't insult other people.
> 
> And I hope it won't have any consequences so I'll keep my post here.
> 
> Peace - and I hope never to cause such probs!


 
I'm not entirely sure why your initial question caused upset, or why it is off topic.

First of all, Nippon and Nihon are two alternate romaji spellings and forms that form the Japanese word for Japan, as it is written in Japan. This is why nihongo is Japanese, the language. Ni brings up the kanji for sun, hon is the kanji for "book" but also for "true" (it has other meanings), and the kanji for "go" represents speech or language. There are many other kanji associated with these sounds, but not together. If you type nihongo and have Japanese installed, you will get three kanji immediately which mean Japanese. Nippongo is not a word though.

During WWII, perhaps before, Nippon was shortened. There is also an historical significance to this regarding the military here, because the term "Nips" was used primarily by one branch of the military, "Japs" by another. Not too long I read a book about intelligence during WWII, and different terms for "the enemy" were used by different branches.

I can't speak for other countries or even other areas, but the term "Nip" does not seem to be used at all today. At least I've never heard it. Not from anyone I know, not in any conversation overheard. I associate it primarily with an earlier time. Furthermore it seems to me that the Japanese, for the most part, are admired more than disliked here. When Japan's econmy was especially strong, there were hard feelings throughout the US about Japan "taking over", but I think that was mostly about very stupid people being scared.

I'm sure you can find a few malicious idiots who use it here and there today, but the world will never be entirely free of such people. It's not a particularly inflammatory word, for the reason I just gave, not in my opinion.

Finally, since whodunit also brought up the word "Kraut", another word I associate mostly with WWI and a period after that, I think these words are on topic. At some time I heard or read an explanation of where that word came from, but it probably also has an interesting history. You might hear that world a bit more often here, used as an insult. But I have a theory about the US and Germany. I believe it has always been very convenient to point a finger at Germany while totally ignoring problems here. It's quite easy to focus on 1935-1945 in Germany (rough figures) rather than to focus on McCarthyism, in the 50s, racial discrimination (only recently starting to really change here) or various American adventures abroad, "making the world safe for democracy".

No one said anything about what foreigners are called TODAY, and I don't see anything wrong in examining history so long as that is what we are doing, not spreading hate or ignorance. And I see none of that here. I usually work very hard to avoid any kind of controversy, but I really hate censorship, and I'm glad you people decided to leave the discussion alone.


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## Whodunit

gaer said:
			
		

> I'm not entirely sure why your initial question caused upset, or why it is off topic.
> 
> First of all, Nippon and Nihon are two alternate romaji spellings and forms that form the Japanese word for Japan, as it is written in Japan. This is why nihongo is Japanese, the language. Ni brings up the kanji for sun, hon is the kanji for "book" but also for "true" (it has other meanings), and the kanji for "go" represents speech or language. There are many other kanji associated with these sounds, but not together. If you type nihongo and have Japanese installed, you will get three kanji immediately which mean Japanese. Nippongo is not a word though.
> 
> During WWII, perhaps before, Nippon was shortened. There is also an historical significance to this regarding the military here, because the term "Nips" was used primarily by one branch of the military, "Japs" by another. Not too long I read a book about intelligence during WWII, and different terms for "the enemy" were used by different branches.
> 
> I can't speak for other countries or even other areas, but the term "Nip" does not seem to be used at all today. At least I've never heard it. Not from anyone I know, not in any conversation overheard. I associate it primarily with an earlier time. Furthermore it seems to me that the Japanese, for the most part, are admired more than disliked here. When Japan's econmy was especially strong, there were hard feelings throughout the US about Japan "taking over", but I think that was mostly about very stupid people being scared.
> 
> I'm sure you can find a few malicious idiots who use it here and there today, but the world will never be entirely free of such people. It's not a particularly inflammatory word, for the reason I just gave, not in my opinion.
> 
> Finally, since whodunit also brought up the word "Kraut", another word I associate mostly with WWI and a period after that, I think these words are on topic. At some time I heard or read an explanation of where that word came from, but it probably also has an interesting history. You might hear that world a bit more often here, used as an insult. But I have a theory about the US and Germany. I believe it has always been very convenient to point a finger at Germany while totally ignoring problems here. It's quite easy to focus on 1935-1945 in Germany (rough figures) rather than to focus on McCarthyism, in the 50s, racial discrimination (only recently starting to really change here) or various American adventures abroad, "making the world safe for democracy".
> 
> No one said anything about what foreigners are called TODAY, and I don't see anything wrong in examining history so long as that is what we are doing, not spreading hate or ignorance. And I see none of that here. I usually work very hard to avoid any kind of controversy, but I really hate censorship, and I'm glad you people decided to leave the discussion alone.



Nice history, gaer. I'm really impressed - you're the historian in here.

Thanks for the information.

But if you had read a story about the word "Kraut" what about "Hun", "Dutch", etc.? All of these are insults for the German and synonyms for "Kraut". And is the term "Yank(ee)" used as an insult or affectionate form?


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## cuchuflete

As far as I know, "Yankee" was first used by British troops to describe the colonials...These took the insult, and began to use it to describe themselves, with pride and sarcasm at the same time.

As to being 'off topic'...well, yes, the conversation has migrated from its original meaning, but that's not a problem while we are sharing ideas and history.  As a generality, if things move very far away from a topic, it might be best to simply open a new thread.

saludos,
Cuchu


PS- If anyone is still interested, the original question was about what we call people who are not from the place where we live, and the implications behind the words.  It was not about what we call any specific national group, rather the terms we use to describe, collectively, all people from places other than our own.


			
				whodunit said:
			
		

> Nice history, gaer. I'm really impressed - you're the historian in here.
> 
> Thanks for the information.
> 
> But if you had read a story about the word "Kraut" what about "Hun", "Dutch", etc.? All of these are insults for the German and synonyms for "Kraut". And is the term "Yank(ee)" used as an insult or affectionate form?


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## gaer

Cuchu said:
			
		

> PS- If anyone is still interested, the original question was about what we call people who are not from the place where we live, and the implications behind the words. It was not about what we call any specific national group, rather the terms we use to describe, collectively, all people from places other than our own.


 
Cuchu,

I think I understand the original idea of the topic, but to be honest, I'm not entirely sure. For instance, the terms we were talking about, although they are insulting, have definitely been used to "label" people in other countries as well as people from those countries who have either moved here or even live here.

During WWII and afterward there was a tremendously strong anti-German sentiment in the US. I know this firsthand because people in my own family often made remarks suggesting that Germans are warlike, bossy, etc. In other words, they "bought into" a very negative stereotype. Skipping ahead from around 1945 today, isn't it ironic that Germany is one of the most peaceful countries in the world and is criticized here for NOT supporting the "war" in Iraq?

And I yes, from time to time I DID hear "those Krauts" from my own family, even my mother, in relationship to Germans, especially the East Germans when they were dominating parts of the Olympics. To make it more laughable, we do have some German ancestors, and whenever someone in my family sneezed, I always heard "Gesundheit", not "bless you". 

You might imagine the reaction of my family when I chose to learn German and learned to read it fluently. My grandparents stressed the "other parts" of their lineage. I have no German-speaking friends. No one in my family speaks German. I've never known anyone in this country who speaks German. I simply love the language. I don't even know why. But the older members of my family, the ones who were (in my view) openly prejudiced, are dead, and this is why I think the old insulting word "Kraut" has largely disappeared. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that it mostly belonged to another generation.



> As far as I know, "Yankee" was first used by British troops to describe the colonials...These took the insult, and began to use it to describe themselves, with pride and sarcasm at the same time.


 
Yankee is an interesting term, because you have the "New York Yankees", who call themselves that name with great pride, but you also have "Yankee go home…", which immediately reminds all of us of situations when troops from the US have been viewed as invaders and have been much hated.

All the best,

Gaer


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## gaer

whodunit said:
			
		

> Nice history, gaer. I'm really impressed - you're the historian in here.
> 
> Thanks for the information.
> 
> But if you had read a story about the word "Kraut" what about "Hun", "Dutch", etc.? All of these are insults for the German and synonyms for "Kraut". And is the term "Yank(ee)" used as an insult or affectionate form?


 
Actually, history is a very weak area for me, though perhaps I've learned a bit more. I almost always got my worst grades in history in school. And Spanish. 

I know a bit about Japanese because I've studied it very hard for several years, unfortunately with very little success. I think it must be at least one of the most fascinating languages in the world. But it is terribly difficult to learn to read it.

Cuchu gave you a pretty good answer for "Yankee". I've NEVER heard "dutch" used as an insult here, and I've rarely even heard "hun". For background on those words we have to hope that someone else can give us some information. 

Gaer


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## cuchuflete

Thanks Gaer,
Great post, even if on a slightly different subject.  When I was a child, we had a Japanese exchange student living with us.  One of my relatives referred to him, with a very disparaging tone, as 'that Jap'.  I didn't speak with her for years afterwards.  The Japanese boy and I were friends, and I couldn't understand my aunt's bigotry and venom.
Two of her brothers--my uncles--were killed in WWII combat, so I can now understand, though not excuse, her feelings.  This was only about a decade after that war ended, and for many people, the wounds hadn't yet healed.

Re German, there is a town in New Hampshire called Berlin.  When WWI started, rather than go to the trouble of renaming the town, the local residents just took the easy way out, and changed the pronunciation to Bér lin, with the emphasis on the first syllable.  So it remains today.

saludos,
Cuchu


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## Ralf

Even though whodunit came up with a few suggestions, I can't think of any expression to generally refer to people from other countries. Mostly they are called simply 'foreigners' (German: Ausländer) or are referred to by their countries' names (the Dutchs, the Americans, the Cinese, ....). Of course, in Bavaria they have the word "Zuag'roaste" (means as much as 'those, who have moved in') but it will be applied to any non-Bavarian, no matter if he/she is from Germany or abroad.

Anyway, this thread reminds me of a small anecdote from my hometown. In the early sixties many students from (Northern) Korea lived here. So almost all visitors, guests or students from Asia had been referred to as 'Koreans' then, and even today you may find some elder Dresdener to use the word 'Koreans'. Their favorite grocery store near the campus, which meanwhile had been turned into an horribly expensive deli, is still called 'Korea Town' today. 

Ralf


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## gaer

Ralf said:
			
		

> Even though whodunit came up with a few suggestions, I can't think of any expression to generally refer to people from other countries. Mostly they are called simply 'foreigners' (German: Ausländer) or are referred to by their countries' names (the Dutchs, the Americans, the Cinese, ....). Of course, in Bavaria they have the word "Zuag'groaste" (means as much as 'those, who have moved in') but it will be applied to any non-Bavarian, no matter if he/she is from Germany or abroad.


 
Man, I am I an idiot. This thread was about the words, in different languages for "foreigner". Good grief. Talk about "thick"!!!

Okay, Japanese: gaijin.

Outsiders, foreigners, people outside. From discussions with a Japanese contact I gather that it's not a particularly complimentary word. 

Japanese makes German dependent clauses look like English by comparison. Japanese puts verbs at the end, the "particles" that correspond to our prepostions go AFTER the words they modify, there are no plurals, no articles, and so on.

Gaijin is composed of two kanji. The first is "outside" (gai), the second "person/people" (jin).

jitto="steadily"

miru=look (at), contains kanji meaning see.

beki dewa nai=verb suffix, meaning "should not".

So:

Gaijin jitto mirubeki dewa nai.

Foreigner steadily look at must not, or: One/people shouldn't stare at foreigners.


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## gaer

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Thanks Gaer,
> Great post, even if on a slightly different subject. When I was a child, we had a Japanese exchange student living with us. One of my relatives referred to him, with a very disparaging tone, as 'that Jap'. I didn't speak with her for years afterwards. The Japanese boy and I were friends, and I couldn't understand my aunt's bigotry and venom.


It was a different world. People were ignorant of so many important things, not just hateful. Many people remain ignorant, of course, but more facts are available. I believe you have to work much harder at being bigoted today.


> Two of her brothers--my uncles--were killed in WWII combat, so I can now understand, though not excuse, her feelings. This was only about a decade after that war ended, and for many people, the wounds hadn't yet healed.


The war propaganda was so horrible. You probably thought as I do and did, even when you were small. I always felt that the hate started at the top, through governments, and that left alone people are pretty much the same all over. I've also always thought that many Asian people are particularly good-looking, so I never understood prejudice on account of appearance. 


> Re German, there is a town in New Hampshire called Berlin. When WWI started, rather than go to the trouble of renaming the town, the local residents just took the easy way out, and changed the pronunciation to Bér lin, with the emphasis on the first syllable. So it remains today.


I want to mention Walter Krankheit (Cronkite), Walter "Sickness". I'm not making fun of him, just pointing out that there was a time when anyone who had a last name that was remotely German sounding tried to change it. That may be a pure coincidence, but it may not.

It reminds me of lines from "South Pacific": 

You've got to be taught
to hate and fear
you've got to be carefully taught…


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## gaer

Prejudice… I got lazy and didn't "spillchuck".


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## te gato

Hola;

As for what do we call people not from here(Alberta)---We say "*US* and them other guys"  
Quote from US Albertans*--"Call me stubble jumper one more time and I'll run you over with my John Deere"*
te gato


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## lsp

I went to a campus college 600 miles from where I grew up and so of course I lived in the campus dorms. All of us called the locals, people who actually resided in the town, townies. That's a reverse case, the away-people having a name for the natives!


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## manuycacu

Here in Argentina we call people from other countries "extranjeros" or just "turistas", when they are so.
Then, we have names for particular countries: US: americanos o yankees; Spain: gallegos; Uruguay: charrúas; Bolivia: bolitas--> this is not a nice way of calling people, it has a negative connotation; France: franchutes; and so on.
Then, those of us who live in Buenos Aires, call people living in other provinces "del interior" or "provincianos" 
See ya


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## Douglas

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> The thread on "It's all Greek to me..." has made me ponder the ways each nation or village has to refer to foráneos, foreigners, strangers, and anyone from another place, including the neighboring village.
> 
> Here in Maine, we say "flatlander" to refer to people from the interior of the country, or generally those not from this coastal region. Flatlanders don't know anything about lobster fishing, and are tolerated but considered deficient!
> 
> As a generality, anyone who is not a 5th generation descendent of a native-born Mainer is called "From away". "Away" includes the neighboring states, and usually implies that the person is not fully in touch with reality.
> Many of my neighbors are 'from away' and they and I use the term to refer to the summer tourists, and other new residents. We quickly forget that we too are from away, and always will be! When we say that someone is from away, we don't always mean that they are stupid or ignorant, rather that they just don't understand reality from a Maine perspective.
> 
> What terms do you use? What are their implications?
> 
> thanks,
> Cuchu


Hi there,

Just wanted to copy a cartoon in the Le Monde which I thought relevant.


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## gaer

te gato said:
			
		

> Hola;
> 
> As for what do we call people not from here(Alberta)---We say "*US* and them other guys"
> Quote from US Albertans*--"Call me stubble jumper one more time and I'll run you over with my John Deere"*
> te gato


I've asked this somewhere else, but I don't remember where:

What is a "stubble jumper"? And what does "my John Deere" mean?


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## te gato

gaer said:
			
		

> I've asked this somewhere else, but I don't remember where:
> 
> What is a "stubble jumper"? And what does "my John Deere" mean?


gaer;
Here in Alberta we are a Prairie Provence made up of (mostly) Farmers, Ranchers and so on...We supply Grain to other places and also beef (the mad cows we keep at home)  We at times have been refered to as HAY SEEDS, and STUBBLE JUMPERS--(derogatory names for farmers)...Stubble Jumpers--jumping over the stubble after a field has been swathed.
JOHN DEERE is the name brand of a TRACTOR that we stubble jumpers like to use.
It is funny that SOME (not everyone) people forget that we also supply most of the gas, natural gas, wheat and so on...
te gato


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## gaer

te gato said:
			
		

> gaer;
> Here in Alberta we are a Prairie Provence made up of (mostly) Farmers, Ranchers and so on...We supply Grain to other places and also beef (the mad cows we keep at home) We at times have been refered to as HAY SEEDS, and STUBBLE JUMPERS--(derogatory names for farmers)...Stubble Jumpers--jumping over the stubble after a field has been swathed.
> JOHN DEERE is the name brand of a TRACTOR that we stubble jumpers like to use.
> It is funny that SOME (not everyone) people forget that we also supply most of the gas, natural gas, wheat and so on...
> te gato


 
Ah, stubble jumpers. I that Canadian only? As for John Deere, well, now you know what *I* know about farming—nothing.

YEE HAW!


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## te gato

gaer said:
			
		

> Ah, stubble jumpers. I that Canadian only? As for John Deere, well, now you know what *I* know about farming—nothing.
> 
> YEE HAW!


Yes....We are called worse things.....but I will not tell you what (not in front of the kids).....
te gato


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## gaer

te gato said:
			
		

> Yes....We are called worse things.....but I will not tell you what (not in front of the kids).....
> te gato


Can you tell me after midnight.?!?


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## seosamh

In Lurgan, the town I grew up in in Ireland, anyone who didn't have at least three generations of ancestry there (like us - my grandmother moved there in the mid-1920s) was called a "blow-in" (as if the wind had blown them in). Although often said jokingly, it could nonetheless be a little hurtful!


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## maxiogee

"Blow-ins" are not just confined to Lurgan. Most smallish communities have them. Although Dublin is too big to be concerned with blow-ins, small units of it can be very insular and treat someone who moves in from even two miles
away as a blow-in.
Dubliners used to refer to country-folk who moved up to 'the big city' as Culchies, but this is dying out - it seems to me that the influx of immigrants over recent years has made 'culchies' less objectionable. As a country which had suffered massive emigration for over 150 years we never had outright racism, our few immigrants were novelties and 'exotic' and were 'tolerated'. We are seeing the emergence of racism here and it is not a pretty sight.


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## *Cowgirl*

We say "them uns that ain't from around these here parts"


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## JazzByChas

When my father was growing up in rural Georgia, people from out-of-state, or any civilized city were referred to as "furr-ners."  

I appreciate different culture, so I just say they are British, German, Italian, French, Chinese, Japanese, or whatever thier nationality might be.

Now, Floridians, especially from here in the Tampa Bay area, call any person from Latin America "Mexicans," whether they are from Mexico or not... 
(...and anyone trying to merge into traffic "_*in my way*_..."  )

I've heard all the remarks about "Nips," "Krauts," "Pollacks," "Slant-Eyes,""Hebe's," "Wetbacks," "Greasers," "Dagos," "Wops," "Rag-Heads" etc. You can probably guess who is who...I am glad we no longer call people from the Orient, "Orientals..." a little too broad-stroked, I think. I refer to them by their country, i.e. Japanese, Chinese, Korean, etc. 

We won't get into the "N" word for African-Americans... 

Oh, and let us not forget "Rednecks," "Hayseeds," and "
Bumpkins," and "Hillbillies," who are from rural areas, and speak with a drawl or a twang. I imagine most city folk, or people not originally from the south might consider them foreigners. But don't forget that some consider themselves "American by birth, and Southern by the grace of God..." 

{EDIT: and yes, here as well as when I lived in warm Arizona, there is the phenomenon of "snow birds" who are people from colder (northern US) climates who visit or live here at least half the year from approx. October through April}


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## Hakro

In Finnish we can call someone 'ummikko' if s/he doesn't speak our language. The word means about the same as dumb.

Of course we have bad names for different nationalities but I think it's not the point of this thread.

People who live in Helsinki call all the other Finns 'country people' (yes, it's a little offensive), no matter if they live in other cities or in real countryside.


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## murena

In Mexico the words fuereño or forastero can be used for this. Forastero is a bit associated to western movies, as it was the classic word to call an outsider.
 
There is a song from El Piporro, which says: 
 
"... pero se le frunce el ceño, 
cada vez que ve un fuereño".
 
So fuereño could be even somebody from the neighbour town.
 
If the person is a foreigner, we just call him/her extranjero, or if from the US, gringo.
 
In Australia, I think because it is a big island, the expression overseas is widely used, for example, overseas student.


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## tvdxer

We call them barbarians.  

Just kidding!  Usually "foreigners".


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## annettehola

In Denmark we use the word "udlaending" to describe people that are not Danish. "Udlaending" can literally be translated: Person that comes from another country. 
"Foreign affairs" on TV is "Udland" which literally translated is "The Outland." It is, quite simply, to say that people who are not Danish come from countries that are outside of Denmark, not inside.

Voilá!

Annette


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## GenJen54

> Now, Floridians, especially from here in the Tampa Bay area, call any person from Latin America "Mexicans," whether they are from Mexico or not...
> (...and anyone trying to merge into traffic "_*in my way*_..."  )



Interesting, when I lived in Miami (Fort Lauderdale), we were farily conscientious about trying to use either "hispanic," if a specific nationality was not known.  Of course, despite the great diversity among hispanic cultures there (Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Nicaraguan in particular).

I also got used to calling the people who came down for the winter as "snow birds."  There was definitely an increase in traffic after Labor Day.

As for where I live now, I guess "foreigner" is the most popular, although said in the wrong tone, I feel it can be a bit derogatory.


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## fenixpollo

Apart from *snowbirds*, another term that's used in the American Southwest to distinguish between locals and "the other" are words associated with immigrants.  *Illegals*, *illegal aliens*, *illigal immigrants*... so many people here are obsessed with immigration and immigration law that this is the most talked-about group in my state.  

My state is one of the fastest-growing in the country, with the population growing exponentially.  Since 2/3 of the people that live here were born somewhere else, there isn't any kind of local nativism -- just "nationalistic" nativism.


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## Agnès E.

In Provence, we use to talk about all French people who don't speak with the Provençal accent as: _les Parisiens_ (people from Paris)... wherever they are coming from!
And all other people are _les estrangers _(with the Provençal accent). The foreigners. Even other Provençal people, as soon as they are not from YOUR village ... they are exactly as _estrangers_ as some Inuits can be!


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## cuchuflete

Snowbirds escape to warm places.  In Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, we get a reverse migration.  In October, we are invaded by *leaf peepers*.  These are, for us at least, "southerners" who come north to see the autumnal folliage.


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## Pat_C

Here are some names I learned when I lived in Central America:
"chapines" = Guatemalans, "ticos" = Costa Ricans, "cheros" = Salvadorean, "catracho" = Honduran. And also they use "gringo" for an American, European, Canadian, Australian or anyone with blond hair. And if they had an Argentinian friend, they called him "ché", and a Mexican friend = "güey". And I'm not from Galicia, but friends called me "gallega" = Spaniard


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## Frenchme

dave said:
			
		

> In my mother's little village in Yorkshire, anyone who can't trace their roots in the village back to the Wars of the Roses is known as an offcumden (and woe betide you if you're from Lancashire!)


 
Im from lancashire!


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## JazzByChas

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Snowbirds escape to warm places. In Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, we get a reverse migration. In October, we are invaded by *leaf peepers*. These are, for us at least, "southerners" who come north to see the autumnal folliage.


 
Fascinating...I will have to take a trip up north this year to Maine, and whilst viewing Mr. Cuchu's waterfall, "peep" some leaves (in all their fall splendor) as well...


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## nichec

tvdxer said:
			
		

> We call them barbarians.





			
				tvdxer said:
			
		

> Just kidding! Usually "foreigners".


 
Taiwan not being a "hot" tourism spot, we call them foreigners, businessmen and engineers and tourists and teachers alike....

But sadly, I do remember I was taught back in the school that thousands of years ago when China was the most powerful country in the world, they did call any non-Chinese "barbarians", so you have "blond barbarians" and "red-haired barbarians"....... And they had the reputation of being hairy and stong (tall) and wild and ill-smelled 


Gentlemen, my sincere apology for my ancestors' arrogance.


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## tvdxer

nichec said:
			
		

> Taiwan not being a "hot" tourism spot, we call them foreigners, businessmen and engineers and tourists and teachers alike....
> 
> But sadly, I do remember I was taught back in the school that thousands of years ago when China was the most powerful country in the world, they did call any non-Chinese "barbarians", so you have "blond barbarians" and "red-haired barbarians"....... And they had the reputation of being hairy and stong (tall) and wild and ill-smelled
> 
> 
> Gentlemen, my sincere apology for my ancestors' arrogance.



LOL, I just read about that.  The Ancient Greeks also called virtually all foreigners _barbaros_.


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## la reine victoria

The Isle of Wight has three distinct classifications of people thereon.

If you are an islander born and bred you are a '*caulkhead*'.  This name originates from the boat builders of Cowes who used to caulk (make water tight with pitch) the seams of the wooden boats

If you are a visitor to the island, e.g. day tripper or holidaymaker, you are a '*grockle*'.  This is a West Country English dialect word (derogatory) for a tourist.

If you move to the island and make it your home, you are an '*overner*'.  This has an obvious meaning - you have come *over* to the island to stay.

I am an overner. Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and all nine children were grockles since their island home was not a permanent residence.

LRV


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## Isotta

charlie2 said:
			
		

> In Hong Kong where Cantonese (a chinese dialect) is spoken, all westerners are called "Gwai Lo". "Gwai" means "ghost" and "Lo" means "a guy". I don't think it is meant to be disrespectful. It just means that "they" think differently.



Well, the relationship between the two cultures is historically complex. I always got the feeling "gwai lo" was not kindly meant, like when a taxi driver would moan and say (don't know how to spell it), "jee sin gwai po," which means something like "crazy white woman." 

Z.


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## badgrammar

"Yabançi" is the Turkish word for foreigner, I don't know the word's history, but I do know you hear it a LOT, usually when you listen to a conversation between two Turkish people - it's how you know for sure they're talking about you.

"Yabançi" also seems to have a magical power in Turkey - it can change the price you pay for anything from a kebab to a hotel room.


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## victoria luz

Gypsies call all non-gypsies Gagi (pronounced as Gadjee).

In the Middle East they used to call all westerners Ferenjee (french). Nowadays,mainly in the Gulf, what you hear the most is Kuffar (pl. Kafeer), meaning Unbeliever.

Genteel, found in the Bible as used by the Jews to refer to non-Jew, is originally a latin word coming from GENS... so a genteel is a person from other ppl...

Talking about romans, in Italy there are at least 2 words (as far as I know) coming from latin which mean from outside:

one is used in my region, and is PPOPPITO, from ab-oppidum (outside of the city walls). It is used in derogatory tone, but not really offensive. It hints at the person being peasant-like, or from the country.

With the same meaning, in Rome they use the word BURINO. I'll leave it for my fellows from the capital to explain that


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## macta123

In Hindi - Pardesi (People from other lands (may be within same country) )
             Videshi (For foreigners)


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