Gora (racial epithet): Difference between revisions
Undid revision 496297605 by Angryindian433 (talk) Other edits by this user have been vandalism - this edit changes the whole meaning of this section, |
|||
| Line 6: | Line 6: | ||
==Usage in Britain and among anglophones on the Subcontinent== |
==Usage in Britain and among anglophones on the Subcontinent== |
||
The term ''gora'' is often used by [[British Asian]]s and among English-speaking South Asians in the Subcontinent to refer to [[white people]], the feminine form being '''''gori'''''.<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/linguists-get-chuddies-in-twist-over-dialects-568408.html ''The Independent'', 1 April 2004]</ref> The plural term ''gore'' is also used to refer to white people of both genders. In this form it has |
The term ''gora'' is often used by [[British Asian]]s and among English-speaking South Asians in the Subcontinent to refer to [[white people]], the feminine form being '''''gori'''''.<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/linguists-get-chuddies-in-twist-over-dialects-568408.html ''The Independent'', 1 April 2004]</ref> The plural term ''gore'' is also used to refer to white people of both genders. In this form it has taken on racial connotations so has acquired the status of a slur, though it is not inherently pejorative. |
||
==References== |
==References== |
||
Revision as of 07:55, 15 June 2012
Gora (or gaura) is a South Asian adjective for a yellow-skinned or light-brown person, whether Indian, Pakistani or from other regions. The word literally means "white" or "fair-skinned" in Indo-Aryan languages like Hindustani (Hindi-Urdu), and Punjabi.
Although the word distinctly means "yellowish", it is sometimes used informally to include any light-skinned person, whether light-brown, yellow or even white. In place names that date back to the colonial era - there are a number of graveyards in Pakistan such as the Gora Qabristan (the lighter-skinned graveyard) in Peshawar,[1] the Gora Kabrastan in Karachi,[2] as well as one in Chillianwala, the site of a famous battle involving the British East India Company.[3]
According to the Natyasastra, an Indian text, the term refers to "yellowish-reddish".[4] Because of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's explicitly yellow skin, he was termed "Gauranga".[5]
Usage in Britain and among anglophones on the Subcontinent
The term gora is often used by British Asians and among English-speaking South Asians in the Subcontinent to refer to white people, the feminine form being gori.[6] The plural term gore is also used to refer to white people of both genders. In this form it has taken on racial connotations so has acquired the status of a slur, though it is not inherently pejorative.
References
- ^ A vanishing landmark
- ^ Grave business
- ^ Battlefields of Chillianwallah
- ^ Studies in the Nāṭyaśāstra : with special reference to the Sanskrit drama in performance, G.H. Tārḷekar, p. 138
- ^ P. 52 Chaitanya Mahaprabhu By Prem Lata
- ^ The Independent, 1 April 2004
 | This India-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This Pakistan-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |