Creole (people): Difference between revisions
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As applied to people, '''Creole''' refers to [[human]]s of mixed ancestry, generally [[colonialism|colonial]] and native. That word, and its foreign language cognates, are used differently in different countries, and can be merely descriptive or highly pejorative. ''Louisiana Creoles'', for example, refers to Americans from the state of [[Louisiana]] of French and sometimes Spanish descent, and is not usually taken to be offensive. | |||
The word has its roots in [[French language|French]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and ultimately [[Latin language|Latin]]. Originally from Latin ''creare'', meaning 'bring up' ('raise'), it appeared in Portuguese as ''cria'', denoting someone raised in one's house, probably a servant or [[slavery|slave]]. Moving into Spanish as ''criollo'', the meaning changed to 'native [person]', i.e. someone raised in a particular area. By the early seventeenth century it had reached French as ''creole''. It seems that as late as the 1920s it had few or no [[race|racial]] connotations, but instead referred to people of [[Europe]]an or [[Africa]]n ancestry raised in the [[Caribbean]] or the [[Americas]].<ref>''Dictionary.reference.com'': '[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/creole Creole]'.</ref> | |||
==Footnotes== | |||
{{reflist|2}} | |||
==See also== | |||
*[[Creole language]] | |||
Revision as of 21:32, 4 March 2008
As applied to people, Creole refers to humans of mixed ancestry, generally colonial and native. That word, and its foreign language cognates, are used differently in different countries, and can be merely descriptive or highly pejorative. Louisiana Creoles, for example, refers to Americans from the state of Louisiana of French and sometimes Spanish descent, and is not usually taken to be offensive.
The word has its roots in French, Portuguese, Spanish and ultimately Latin. Originally from Latin creare, meaning 'bring up' ('raise'), it appeared in Portuguese as cria, denoting someone raised in one's house, probably a servant or slave. Moving into Spanish as criollo, the meaning changed to 'native [person]', i.e. someone raised in a particular area. By the early seventeenth century it had reached French as creole. It seems that as late as the 1920s it had few or no racial connotations, but instead referred to people of European or African ancestry raised in the Caribbean or the Americas.[1]