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The "Orient" is a term which simply means the "East". It originated in Western Asia to describe that part of the world. It is now, incorrectly, used in the Western world to describe Eastern Asia.

To describe a person as oriental has been considered somewhat impolite and politically incorrect in the United States (the term Asian is now widely used), but the term Oriental does not carry any such connotations in the UK, where the word Asian commonly refers to people of Indian/Bangladeshi/Pakistani/Sri Lankan descent (these people are called South Asians in the United States). Politically Incorrect was a late-night half-hour political Talk show hosted by Bill Maher that ran from 1993 to 2002 The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Contents 1 Derivation 2 Usage of term 3 Perceptions and connotations 3.1 North American English 3.2 British English 4 See also 5 Notes 5.1 References and further reading

Derivation

The term "Orient" is derived from the Latin word oriens meaning "east" (lit. "rising" < orior "rise"). The use of the word for "rising" to refer to the east (where the sun rises) has analogs from many languages: compare the terms "Levant" (< French levant "rising"), "Anatolia" (< Greek anatole), "mizrahi" in Hebrew ("zriha" meaning sunrise), "sharq" Arabic: شرق‎ (< Arabic yashroq Arabic: يشرق‎ "rise", shrooq Arabic: شروق‎ "rising") and "The Land of the Rising Sun" to refer to Japan. See also Names of the Levant The Levant (lə'vænt is a geographical term that denotes a large area in Western Asia, roughly bounded on the north by the Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black Mizrahi Jews or Mizrahim, ( also referred to as Edot HaMizrach (Communities of the East are Jews descended Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics.

The opposite term "Occident" is derived from the Latin word occidens meaning "west" (lit. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings "setting" < "occido" "fall/set"). This term was once used to describe the West (where the sun sets) but is falling into disuse.

Usage of term

In time, the common understanding of 'the Orient' has continually shifted eastwards; as Europe learned of countries farther East, the defined limit of 'the Orient' shifted eastwards, until it reached the Pacific Ocean, in what Westerners came to call 'the Far East'. The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia.

Initially, the "Orient" referred primarily to the cultures and countries of what are now considered the Middle East. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. For example the Three Kings of the Orient in Christianity were not from China, Japan etc. This particularly included regions that used to be known as Persia, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Egypt. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding Anatolia (Anadolu Ανατολία Anatolía) or Asia minor, comprising most of modern Turkey, is the geographic region bounded by the Black This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. As awareness of other Asian countries grew in European consciousness, the term often came to mean South Asia, Southeast Asia or East Asia. This article attempts to list every significant event in the history of the European exploration of Asia. By the late 19th century, the term usually referred to China, Japan, Korea and surrounding nations while the British colonists frequently used it when speaking of India. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Remnants of the older conception of the Orient still exist in the English language in such collocations as Oriental studies (now largely replaced by Asian studies), Oriental rug and Oriental harem. Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures languages peoples history and archaeology in recent Asian studies, a term that has largely replaced the older Oriental studies, is concerned with the Asian peoples their cultures languages history and politics An authentic oriental rug is a handmade Carpet that is either knotted with pile or woven without pile HAREM is the first evaluation contest of Named entity recognition (NER for Portuguese and its call for participation was announced in September 2004 It has taken on a specific usage since the publication of Edward Said's influential book, "Orientalism" (1980). Edward Wadie Saïd MRSL ( إدوارد وديع سعيد,; 1 November 1935 &ndash 25 September Orientalism is the 1978 book by Edward Said that has been highly influential in postcolonial studies.

"Oriental" has been used by the West as a term to describe cultures, countries, peoples and goods from the Orient. The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings Oriental is also used as an adjective akin to "eastern", especially in the Spanish-speaking world. For example, the Philippine island Mindoro is divided into two provinces whose titles include the words "oriental" and "occidental" respectively. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP For the unincorporated community of Mindoro Wisconsin in the United States of America see Mindoro Wisconsin. The official name of Uruguay is the República Oriental del Uruguay or Oriental Republic of Uruguay because it is east of the Río de la Plata^[1]. Uruguay.(official full name in República Oriental del Uruguay;, Oriental Republic of Uruguay) is a country located in the southeastern part of South America The Río de la Plata ( Spanish: " Silver River" &mdash which is often referred to in English-speaking countries as the River Plate

Perceptions and connotations

North American English

Controversy surrounds connotations of the term in American English. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. (See also American and British English differences. This is one of a series of articles about the differences between American English and ) According to Abdurrahman R. Squires, "politically correct terms have taken the place of the word 'Orientalism'". ^[2]

While a number of reference works used in the United States describe Oriental as pejorative, antiquated or offensive in some instances, the American Heritage Book of English Usage notes that

It is worth remembering, though, that Oriental is not an ethnic slur to be avoided in all situations. It is most objectionable in contemporary contexts and when used as a noun, as in "the appointment of an Oriental to head the commission". In these cases Asian (or a more specific term such as Vietnamese, Korean, or Asian American, if appropriate) is the only acceptable term. But in certain historical contexts, or when its exotic connotations are integral to the topic, Oriental remains a useful term. ^[3]

Random House's Guide to Sensitive Language states "Other words (e. g. , Oriental, colored) are outdated or inaccurate. " This Guide to Sensitive Language suggests the use of "Asian or more specific designation such as Pacific Islander, Chinese American, [or] Korean. " ^[4] Merriam-Webster describes the term as "sometimes offensive,"^[5] Encarta states when the term is used as a noun it is considered "a highly offensive term for somebody from East Asia" ^[6]

Efforts are underway in Canada to have the term viewed as offensive. [1] For many, there exists a confusion as to why the term is offensive. [2]

The popular American musical Avenue Q includes an explicit reference to the current status of the word in the song "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist. Avenue Q is a musical conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics and directed by Jason Moore. " In the musical, the character Brian, after angering his wife by referring to her as Oriental, is admonished "Brian, buddy, where ya been? The term is Asian-American!"[3]

British English

In British English, the terms "Asian" (noun or adjective) and "British Asian" (noun), when used in reference to people, usually refer to South Asian peoples - especially the ethnic groups of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. British English or UK English ( BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the British Asians are British citizens who are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka The term "oriental" is used without any pejorative connotations to describe one of East Asian extraction^[7]. The Orient is a term which simply means the " East " It originated in Western Asia to describe that part of the world The alternative is usually to use "Far Eastern", or refer to the specific country from which an individual or family may have originated, if this is known. The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia.

See also

• Turkic peoples
• Orientalism
• Orientalizing Period of Archaic Greek art
• Asian
• Eastern world
• Western world
• Orient Express
• Orient Watch
• Political correctness
• School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London
• Chinese
• Far East
• Mideast

Notes

1. ^ CIA - The World Factbook - Uruguay
2. ^ Abdurrahman R. The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family Orientalism refers to the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers designers and artists and can also refer to a sympathetic stance In the history of Ancient Greece the Orientalizing Period is the cultural and art historical period informed by the art of Syria and Phoenicia Asian or Asiatic is a Demonym for people from Asia. However the use of the term varies by country and person often referring to people from a particular The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various Cultures social structures and philosophical systems of " the East " The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings The Orient Express is the name of a long-distance Passenger train originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. The Orient Watch Company Limited (オリエント時計株式会社 is a Japanese Watch company established in 1950. Political correctness (adjectivally politically correct; both forms commonly abbreviated to PC) is a term applied to Language, ideas policies or behavior The School of Oriental and African Studies (commonly abbreviated to " SOAS " pronounced (so as or (so az is a constituent college of the University of The University of London is a university based primarily in London, England, UK. The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia. The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Squires (2006-02-12). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1429 - English Forces under Sir John Fastolf defend a supply convoy carrying rations to the army besieging Orleans from attack by the Orientalism, Misinformation and Islam. Archived from the original on 2007-06-29. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland.
3. ^ Asian, The American Heritage Book of English Usage
4. ^ Race, Ethnicity, and National Origin Sensitive Language, Random House
5. ^ Oriental Merriam-Webster
6. ^ Oriental, Encarta
7. ^ Squat Issue 1.7 - Burt Kwouk Q&A an example of this usage

References and further reading

• The American Oriental Society
• The Oriental Instititute at University of Chicago
• On Asian and Oriental Model Minority posting by Alan Hu
• Banned Words For comparative analysis: a list "banned" words (including Oriental) as documented by Diane Ravitch. Random House Inc is the world's largest English-language general trade book publisher Merriam-Webster, which was originally the G & C Merriam Company of Springfield Massachusetts, is an American company that publishes reference books Encarta is a Digital Multimedia Encyclopedia published by Microsoft Corporation. Model minority refers to a Minority Ethnic, racial, or religious group whose members achieve a higher degree of Success
• German Orient Gate

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