allochtoon
Dutch edit
Etymology edit
Borrowed from French allochtone, from Ancient Greek ἄλλος (állos, “other”) + χθών (khthṓn, “earth, ground”).
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
allochtoon (comparative allochtoner, superlative allochtoonst)
Inflection edit
| Inflection of allochtoon | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| uninflected | allochtoon | |||
| inflected | allochtone | |||
| comparative | allochtoner | |||
| positive | comparative | superlative | ||
| predicative/adverbial | allochtoon | allochtoner | het allochtoonst het allochtoonste | |
| indefinite | m./f. sing. | allochtone | allochtonere | allochtoonste |
| n. sing. | allochtoon | allochtoner | allochtoonste | |
| plural | allochtone | allochtonere | allochtoonste | |
| definite | allochtone | allochtonere | allochtoonste | |
| partitive | allochtoons | allochtoners | — | |
Synonyms edit
Antonyms edit
Noun edit
allochtoon m (plural allochtonen, diminutive allochtoontje n)
- A person (or thing) originating abroad.
- (law, demography) A person of non-native descent, having been born abroad or having foreign parents or grandparents (legal and demographic definitions vary).
- (colloquial, potentially offensive) A person of non-Western descent, typically Muslim or Black.
Usage notes edit
- While initially used as a politically correct term, use in the meaning “person of non-Western descent” is now often considered racist and incorrect by those adhering to more formal definitions; Allochtoon means something that originated abroad, whereas most people labeled as such were actually born in the country.
- Use of this word to refer to people has been avoided by the Dutch government since 2016 (along with autochtoon), favouring met een migratieachtergrond (with a migration background) as a more politically neutral and correct qualifier to express the same idea.
- The word's negative connotation comes from it rarely if ever being used in a positive context in the media; it's typically used to denote crime statistics or a "demographic threat".
- The word is in practice used to denote more specifically Muslims and Blacks; it is almost never used for East Asians for example.
- In informal contexts, it's used ironically (and non-offensively) by people of non-Western descent among each other, but remains potentially offensive when used by a person of Dutch or Flemish descent.