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Ethnic group

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Ethnic group  (ETHNIC group)


The term race1 is generally taken to mean a group of persons with certain common physical characteristics which are hereditarily transmissible. In colloquial language, however, the term is used very much more loosely, sometimes for a group of people bound together by a common culture, or even for people inhabiting a given territory. Another term which is sometimes used is ethnic group2 and here again there is no uniformity in meaning. A people3 (cf. 305-2) is generally a collection of persons who are linked by a common past or a common culture. Persons living in a given territory who exhibit notable differences from the majority of the population are called minorities4, e.g. ethnic minorities4, national minorities4 or linguistic minorities4.

  • 1. race n. — racial adj.


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