People Groups Concept and Terminology An Ethnolinguistic Reference Point Orville Boyd Jenkins August...

People GroupsConcept and Terminology

An Ethnolinguistic Reference Point

Orville Boyd Jenkins August 2005Copyright © 2005 Orville Boyd Jenkins

A "people group" is an ethnolinguistic group with a common self-identity that

is shared by the various members.

People GroupsConcept and Terminology

A People Group

• People = Ethno-Linguistic Group (ELG)

• Eo – E ethnos - ethnenation / tribe / people / clan

• People who have a common self-identity, shared history and culture, common language

Ethnolinguistic

People GroupsConcept and Terminology

Two parts to that word:

Ethno (cultural)linguistic

Language is a primary and dominant identifying factor of a people group.

But there are other factors that determine or are associated with ethnicity.

• People Group = Ethno-Linguistic Group

• Ethno = Cultural Characteristics

• Linguistic = Speech Form (language)

• Entails inherent, genetic factors, kinship groups, common heritage and worldview (cosmology), and social structure

• Common self-identity

People GroupsConcept and Terminology

A common history, customs, family and clan identities

People GroupsConcept and Terminology

Usually a common self-name and a sense of common identity of individuals

identified with the group.

Other factors:

People GroupsConcept and Terminology

marriage rules and practices

age-grades and other obligation covenants

inheritance patterns and rules

These are some of the common ethnic factors defining or distinguishing a people.

– May be so important an ethnic characteristic that it would determine a boundary within a group of otherwise identical persons

• Religion

– thus a sufficient reason to consider religious groups separate ethnicities, or people groups.

What is a People Group?

Technical and Practical Definitions

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For more background also see the following papers:

What is a People Group

Cities and Peoples

Each discernible box =

ONE “People Group” one worldview unit

Note how they overlap and share features (colors)

A People Group Worldview Unit

Ethnolinguistic “package”Self-identity

Relationship patternsLanguage(s)

A People Group “Worldview Unit”

 Smaller groupings within the same ethnic entity

Geographic – Ethno-geography;country borders; rural~urban

Segments

People Group (Ethnic) Segment

Social (Role, status, circle of relationships) Language, Education, Age

People Group (Ethnic) Segment

Segments

Note that some sources in the Christian missions community use the term Ethnolinguistic in the way linguists

actually use the word Linguistic – all speakers of a certain language.

This is not an ethnic group.

Our standard usage:An Ethnolinguistic People

would be an ethnic people with their particular language.

Various Demographic Categories applicable to any Ethnic Group and

cutting across them

Strata(also called Social Segments)

Called “Sociopeoples” in terminology used in some missions circles.

This is not a standard term.

Strata (Social Segments)

NOT “People Groups” in an Ethnic sense.Focus is not ethnicity, but common interest.

May include many Ethnicities.

Strata (Social Segments)

Another term sometimes heard:Ethnocultural

This is another non-standard term.

Used in the same way we use ethnic group, or ethnolinguistic group.

Ethnocultural

Not used in any standard discipline or official context except the Canadian

government.

An immigrant ethnic group who retain their ethnic identity in Canada

Thus “ethnocultural” means the same as “ethnic,” or “ethnolinguistic.”

A "people group" is an ethnolinguistic group with a common self-identity that

is shared by the various members.

Also called people, ethnic group.

People GroupsConcept and Terminology

People GroupsConcept and Terminology

An Ethnolinguistic Reference Point

Orville Boyd Jenkins March 2005Copyright © 2005 Orville Boyd Jenkins

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