Negro
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2008-07-13T02:12:00Z
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/* In other languages */
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'''Negro''' is a term referring to people of [[Black people|Black African]] ancestry. Prior to the shift in the lexicon of American and worldwide classification of race and ethnicity in the late [[1960]]s, the appellation was accepted as a normal neutral formal term both by those of Black African descent as well as non-African blacks. Now it is often considered an [[ethnic slur]]<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/negro Modern Language Association (MLA):"negro." Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary. Merriam-Webster, Inc. 18 Dec. 2007.] </ref><ref>[http://www.amren.com/mtnews/archives/2004/07/florida_moves_t.php Florida Moves To Eliminate Racial-Based Names On Maps]</ref><ref>[http://gyral.blackshell.com/names.html The Racial Slur Database]</ref> although the term is considered [[archaic]] and is not even common as a racist slur. The term is still used in some contexts for historical reasons such as in the name of the [[United Negro College Fund]]<ref>[http://www.uncf.org UNCF New Brand<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref name="NYTimesUNCFName">{{cite web
| last =Quenqua
| first =Douglas
| title =Revising a Name, but Not a Familiar Slogan
| work = New York Times
| date = [[2008-01-17]]
| url= http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/17/business/media/17adco.html?ex=1358312400&en=9ea1e9b5b0107c07&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink}}</ref>. "Negro" means "black" in [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], and the [[French language|French]] "noir" as well as the [[Italian language|Italian]] "nero"- all of which derive from the ([[Latin]]: ''niger'' = "black").
In Italy the word "negro" is still used by a lot of people without offensive meaning, even if someone think that the politically correct word to refer to a black people is "nero" (meaning black) or "di colore" (that mean "coloured").
Modern synonyms in common use include:
*"[[Black people|Black]]"
*"[[Black people|Black African]]"
*"[[African American]]" (in the [[United States]])
==In English==
Around 1442, the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] first arrived in [[sub-Saharan Africa]] while trying to find a sea route to India. The term ''negro'', literally meaning "black", was used by the [[Spain|Spanish]] and Portuguese to refer to people. From the 18th century to the mid-20th century, "negro" (later capitalized) was considered the proper English term for all people of sub-Saharan African origin.
It fell out of favor by the 1970s in the [[United States]] after the [[Civil Rights movement]]. However, it is necessary to note that older African Americans from the period when "Negro" was considered acceptable, initially found the term [[black people|"Black"]] more offensive than "Negro". Evidence for this is in historical [[African-American]] organizations and institutions' utilization of the term--such as the [[United Negro College Fund]]. In current [[English language]] usage, "Negro" is generally considered acceptable in a historical context or in the name of older organizations, as in [[Negro spirituals]], the [[United Negro College Fund]] or the [[Journal of Negro Education]]. The [[U.S. Census]] now uses the grouping "Black or African American."
A specifically female form of the word—''negress'' (sometimes capitalized) —was sometimes used; but, like another gender-specific word "Jewess", it has all but completely fallen from use. (An exception is its extremely unusual use in the titles of paintings, drawings[http://www.artbreak.com/work/show/3000-the-negress-surveys-the-priceless-atomic-diameter-environed-by-a-three-quarter-arc-of-golden-pearls-in-summer-daniel-c-boyer] and sculptures,[http://www.umlaufsculpture.org/photo_galleries/sculpture_gallery/reclining_nude/] largely as an allusion to the formerly common occurrence of the word in such titles, but such usage has dropped off dramatically.) Both are considered [[racist]] and [[Sexism|sexist]], although as with other racial, ethnic, and sexual words that are seen as pejoratives, some individuals have tried "reclaiming" the word. An example of this is artist [[Kara Walker]]. [http://www.gregkucera.com/walker.htm]
The related word ''[[Negroid]]'' was used by 19th and 20th century racial [[anthropology|anthropologists]]. The suffix [[-oid]] means "similar to" and is meant to designate a wider or more generalized category than the original word.
==In other languages==
In [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], ''negro'' is an adjective meaning the color black, as in 'black' person. However, ''preto'' is the most common [[antonym]] of ''branco'' (white), while ''negro'' can be condescending, since it is a word generally associated with higher [[register (linguistics)|registers]]. In [[Brazil]] the word is considered respectful and the appropriate manner to refer to the black race,{{Fact|date=August 2007}} though it is often considered impolite to take note of an individual's skin color in any context (which causes the word to be used only in reported speech or in third-person).{{see|:pt:Negro#Negro ou preto?}}
In Spain, ''negro'' (note that [[ethnonym]]s are generally not capitalized in Romance languages) means "black person" in colloquial situations, but it can be considered derogatory in other situations (for example, by French influence, ''negro'' is also the word for a [[ghost writer]]<ref name="DRAE"/>). However, in [[Spanish language|Spanish]]-speaking countries, such as [[Argentina]], [[Chile]], [[Uruguay]] , ''negro'' (''negra'' for females) is commonly used to refer to partners, close friends<ref name="DRAE">''[http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?LEMA=negro&TIPO_HTML=2&FORMATO=ampliado negro]'' in the ''[[Diccionario de la Real Academia Española]]''.</ref> or people in general independent of skin color.
It is similar to the use of the word "nigga" in urban communities in the U.S. For example, one may say to a friend, ''"Negro ¿Como andas?'' (Literally, "Hey, black one, how are you doing?") In this case the diminutive ''negrito'' is used, as a term of endearment meaning "pal", or "buddy" or "friend." ''Negrito'' has come to be used to refer to a person of any ethnicity or color, and also can have a sentimental or romantic connotation similar to "sweetheart," or "dear" in English. (In the [[Philippines]], ''[[Negrito]]'' was used for a local dark-skinned short person, living in the [[Negros]] islands among other places)
In other Spanish-speaking [[South America]]n countries, the word ''negro'' can also be employed in a roughly equivalent form, though it is not usually considered to be as widespread as in Argentina or Uruguay (except perhaps in a limited regional and/or social context).
The popular Argentinian singer [[Mercedes Sosa]] is nicknamed "La Negra" by her fans, which in this case refers to the colour of her hair rather than of her skin.
''[[Moreno]]''<ref name="DRAEMoreno">''[http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltGUIBusUsual?LEMA=moreno&TIPO_HTML=2&FORMATO=ampliado moreno]'' in the ''Diccionario de la Real Academia Española''.</ref> can be used as a euphemism but it also means just "tanned" or ''[[brunette]]''.
In [[Haitian Creole]] the word ''nèg'', derived from the [[French language|French]] "nègre", refers to a dark-skinned man; it can also be used for any man, regardless of skin color, roughly like "guy" or "dude" in American English.
The [[Dutch_language|Dutch]] "neger" is generally (but not universally) considered as neutral, or at least less negative than "zwarte" (black one).{{Fact|date=December 2007}}
In [[German_language|German]], ''Neger'' used to be considered a neutral term for black people, however gradually fell out of favour through the 1970s and 1980s. Nowadays it is largely considered a racist slur due to its phonetic similarity to ''[[nigger]]'', and only used without racist connotation by members of the pre-[[baby boomer]] generation. Otherwise, the term ''Schwarzer'' (black person) is preferred.
In [[Russia]] the term "''негр''" (''negr'') was commonly used in the Soviet period without any negative connotation, and its use continues in this neutral sense. In modern Russian media, the word is used somewhat less frequently "''африканцы''" ("Africans") or "''афро-американцы''"("Afro-Americans") are used instead, depending on the situation), but is still common in oral speech. The word "black" (чёрный) used as a form of address is pejorative, although it is primarily used with respect to [[peoples of the Caucasus]], natives of [[Central Asia]], and not [[black people]].
The names of two African countries, [[Niger]] and [[Nigeria]], are derived from the same etymological origin.
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
* P. A. Bruce, ''The Plantation Negro as a Freeman'', (New York, 1889)
* Edward Ingle, ''The Negro in the District of Columbia'', (Baltimore, 1893)
* [[W. E. B. DuBois]], ''The Negroes of the Black Belt'', (Washington, 1899)
* [[Booker T. Washington|B. T. Washington]], ''The Future of the American Negro'', (Boston, 1899)
* Claude Bernard-Aubert, ''My Baby Is Black!'', (Hollywood, 1965)
* ''Montgomery Conference Proceedings'', (Montgomery, 1900)
* J. A. Tillinghast, ''The Negro in Africa and America'', (New York, 1902)
* [[Thomas Nelson Page|T. N. Page]], ''The Negro: The Southerner's Problem'', (New York, 1904)
* Library of Congress, ''List of Discussions of Negro Suffrage'', (Washington, 1906)
* W. E. Fleming, ''Slavery and the Race Problem in the South'', (Boston, 1907)
* Jackson and Davis, ''Industrial History of the Negro Race in America'', (Richmond, 1908)
* A. H. Stone, ''Studies in the American Race Problem'', (New York, 1908)
* W. P. Pickett, ''The Negro Problem'', ISBN 0837122007 (New York, 1909)
* [[Edgar Gardner Murphy|E. G. Murphy]], ''The Basis of Ascendency'', (New York, 1909)
* Stevenson, ''Race Distinctions in American Law'', (New York, 1910)
* [[Albert Bushnell Hart|A. B. Hart]], ''The Southern South'', (New York, 1910)
* W. P. Livingstone, ''The Race Conflict'', (London, 1911)
* B. G. Brawley, ''A Short History of the American Negro'', (New York, 1913)
* ''The Negro Year Book'', (Nashville, et. seq.)
* "Negroes in the United States," in ''Bulletin of the United States Census Bureau'', (Washington, 1915)
* [[Amory Dwight Mayo|A. D. Mayo]], ''Third Estate of the South'', (Boston, 1890)
* [[Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry|J. L. M. Curry]], ''Education of the Negro since 1860'', (Baltimore, 1894)
* [[Jabez Lamar Monroe Curry|J. L. M. Curry]], ''A Brief Sketch of [[George Peabody]] and a History of the [[Peabody Education Fund]] through Thirty Years'', (Cambridge, 1898)
* W. H. Thomas, ''The American Negro'', (New York, 1901)
* Sadler, "The Education of the Colored Race", in ''Special Reports of Great Britain Education Board'', volume xi, (London, 1902)
* Kate Brousseau, ''L'Education des nègres aux Etats-Unis'', (Paris, 1904)
* [[Booker T. Washington|B. T. Washington]], ''Education of the Negro'', (new edition, New York, 1904)
* [[W. E. B. DuBois]], "A Select Bibliography of the American Negro for General Readers," in ''Atlantic University Publications'', (Atlanta, 1901)
* [[Charles B. Davenport|C. B. Davenport]] ''Heredity of Skin-Color in Negro-White Crosses'', [[Carnegie Institution of Washington|Carnegie Institution]] Publication Number 188 (1913)
* [[Charles Henry Vail|C. H. Vail]] ''Socialism and the Negro Problem'' (1903)
==See also==
{{wiktionarypar|negro}}
*[[African American]]
*[[Black people]]
*[[Negroid]]
*[[Zanj]]
*[[Human skin color]]
*[[Race (classification of human beings)]]
*[[Free Negro]]
*[[Creole peoples|Creole]]
*[[Quadroon]]
*[[Ethnic slur]]
**[[Coloured]], [[Colored]]
**[[Mulatto]]
**[[Nigger]]
[[Category:Words referring to ethnic groups]]
[[Category:Words]]
[[Category:Ethnic and religious slurs]]
[[bg:Негър]]
[[da:Neger]]
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[[fr:Nègre]]
[[it:Negro]]
[[hu:Néger]]
[[nl:Neger]]
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[[ru:Негр]]
[[fi:Neekeri]]
[[sv:Neger]]
[[uk:Негри]]