African-American: difference between revisions

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# {{lb|en|of a person}} [[American]] and [[black]].
# {{lb|en|of a person}} [[American]] and [[black]].
#: {{syn|en|Afro-American}},[[Soulaan]]
#: {{syn|en|Afro-American}},[[Soulaan]]
# {{lb|en|US|nonstandard|proscribed|of a person}} Of Black African descent.
# {{lb|en|US|broadly|proscribed|sometimes|offensive|of a person}} Of Black African descent.
# Of or pertaining to the culture of African-American people.
# Of or pertaining to the culture of African-American people.


====Usage notes====
====Usage notes====
* In the US, this term is often seen as a more formal and polite alternative to {{m|en|black}}.
* In the US, this term is often seen as a more formal and polite alternative to {{m|en|black}}.<ref>{{cite-web|author=Cydney Adams|title=Not all black people are African American. Here's the difference.|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/not-all-black-people-are-african-american-what-is-the-difference/|work=CBS News|publisher=CBS News|date=June 18, 2020|accessdate=January 18, 2024}}</ref>
* Aside from {{m|en|black}} and {{m|en|person of color|of color}}, most other synonyms are dated, and likely to be considered offensive in the US.
* Aside from {{m|en|black}} and {{m|en|person of color|of color}}, most other synonyms are dated, and likely to be considered offensive in the US.
* This term is not generally used for Americans of North African descent, such as Moroccans or Egyptians, nor is it used for White Africans. It is specifically used to refer to the group of people that have descended from the Atlantic slave trade, racial segregation, and the civil rights movement that have resided in the United States for centuries as well as other Americans with African heritage but the term is sometimes used incorrectly to refer to other groups of people, such as West Indians, more recent African immigrants, or erroneously to any black person, even if not African or American.
* This term is not generally used for Americans of North African descent, such as Moroccans or Egyptians, nor is it used for White Africans. It is specifically used to refer to the group of people that have descended from the Atlantic slave trade, racial segregation, and the civil rights movement that have resided in the United States for centuries as well as other Americans with African heritage, but the term is sometimes used incorrectly to refer to other groups of people, such as West Indians, more recent African immigrants, or erroneously to any black person, even if not African or American. This incorrect usage can cause offence.


====Translations====
====Translations====
Line 48: Line 48:
# A [[black]] [[American]].
# A [[black]] [[American]].
#: {{syn|en|Afro-American|Afromerican|unbleached American|q3=slang, archaic, US|Thesaurus:person of color}}
#: {{syn|en|Afro-American|Afromerican|unbleached American|q3=slang, archaic, US|Thesaurus:person of color}}
# {{lb|en|US|nonstandard|proscribed}} Any [[black]] person.
# {{lb|en|US|broadly|proscribed|sometimes|offensive}} Any [[black]] person.
#: {{syn|en|black|Negro|q2=dated|colored|q3=dated|nigger|q4=highly offensive|darky|q5=highly offensive, dated}}
#: {{syn|en|black|Negro|q2=dated|colored|q3=dated|nigger|q4=highly offensive|darky|q5=highly offensive, dated}}
#: {{hyper|en|person of color|nonwhite}}
#: {{hyper|en|person of color|nonwhite}}

Revision as of 22:55, 18 January 2024

See also: African American

English

Alternative forms

Notable African-Americans

Etymology

Patterned on forms such as Irish-American, popularized by Jesse Jackson[1] and in common use since the late 1980s.[2]

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈæfɹʷɪkən əˈmɛɹʷɪkən]
  • Audio (US):(file)

Adjective

African-American (comparative more African-American, superlative most African-American)

  1. (of a person) American and black.
    Synonym: Afro-American,Soulaan
  2. (US, broadly, proscribed, sometimes offensive, of a person) Of Black African descent.
  3. Of or pertaining to the culture of African-American people.

Usage notes

  • In the US, this term is often seen as a more formal and polite alternative to black.[3]
  • Aside from black and of color, most other synonyms are dated, and likely to be considered offensive in the US.
  • This term is not generally used for Americans of North African descent, such as Moroccans or Egyptians, nor is it used for White Africans. It is specifically used to refer to the group of people that have descended from the Atlantic slave trade, racial segregation, and the civil rights movement that have resided in the United States for centuries as well as other Americans with African heritage, but the term is sometimes used incorrectly to refer to other groups of people, such as West Indians, more recent African immigrants, or erroneously to any black person, even if not African or American. This incorrect usage can cause offence.

Translations

Noun

African-American (plural African-Americans)

  1. A black American.
    Synonyms: Afro-American, Afromerican, (slang, archaic, US) unbleached American; see also Thesaurus:person of color
  2. (US, broadly, proscribed, sometimes offensive) Any black person.
    Synonyms: black, (dated) Negro, (dated) colored, (highly offensive) nigger, (highly offensive, dated) darky
    Hypernyms: person of color, nonwhite

Usage notes

  • See the notes about the adjective, above.

Translations

References

  1. ^ Isabel Wilkerson (1989 January 31) “‘African-American’ Favored By Many of America's Blacks”, in The New York Times, page A1: “A movement led by the Rev. Jesse Jackson to call blacks African-Americans has met with both rousing approval and deep-seated skepticism in a debate that is coming to symbolize the role and history of blacks in this country.”
  2. ^ African-American at the Google Books Ngram Viewer.
  3. ^ Cydney Adams (2020 June 18) “Not all black people are African American. Here's the difference.”, in CBS News‎[1], CBS News, retrieved January 18, 2024

Further reading

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