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Multilingual Demographic Dictionary, second unified edition, English volume

Minority

Multilingual Demographic Dictionary, second unified edition, English vol.
(Redirected from National minority)
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Minority  (MINORITY)


The term race 1 is generally taken to mean a group of persons with certain common physical characteristics which are hereditarily transmitted. In some census practice, the term is sometimes used more loosely, sometimes for a group of people bound together by a common culture or national origin, or even for people inhabiting a given territory. Another term which is sometimes used is ethnic group 2 and here again there is no uniformity in meaning. Ethnic group generally refers to a group of people with common culture, language, or religious traditions. An ethnic group may be a racial group. A people 3 (cf. 305-2) is generally a collection of persons who are linked by a common past or a common culture. Persons living is a given territory who exhibit notable difference from the majority of the population are called minorities 4, e.g., ethnic minorities 4, national minorities 4, linguistic minorities 4, or religious minorities 4.

  • 1. Race, n. - racial, adj.
  • 1. Racism, n.: theory that certain races are inherently superior to others; racist, adj.
  • 2. Tribe, and tribal group, still used in certain contexts, tend to be replaced by "ethnic group".

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