Ethnonym

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

An ethnonym (Gk. έθνος ethnos, 'tribe', + όνομα onoma, 'name') is the name of an ethnic group, whether that name has been assigned by another group (ie. an exonym), or self-assigned (ie. an autonym). For example, the ethnically dominant group in Germany are the Germans, an exonym carried into English from Latin; the Germans refer to themselves with the autonym "Deutsch".

As language changes, ethnonyms which were at one time acceptable become offensive. Examples include Gypsy (Roma) and (perhaps the most notable example in English) Negro/n-word/colored (black people). Other examples of ethnonym-turned-ethnic slur in history include vandal, Bushman and Philistine.

In English, ethnonyms are generally derived through suffixation. See Demonym for a much more detailed explanation of this process.